LeechStarlight Leech
The Starlight Leech is a heavy, eye-catching pattern originally designed for steelhead and adapted for salmon fishing in Alaska. Its contrasting black body and chartreuse chenille head create a distinctive two-tone profile that stands out in deep, fast water. The rabbit strip tail and schlappen collar provide maximum movement and lifelike action.
Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Steelhead, Salmon
Feb 2026
Overview
The Starlight Leech was adapted from a proven steelhead pattern for use in Alaska's salmon rivers. The distinctive chartreuse head against the black body creates a high-contrast hotspot that draws strikes from aggressive fish. Common color variations include green/black and pink/purple, allowing anglers to match conditions and species preferences. The optional lead wraps let tiers adjust the sink rate for different water depths and current speeds.
Materials
Hook: Standard salmon hook, size #2–#4
Thread: Black Flymaster Plus (body), chartreuse Flymaster Plus (head)
Weight: .030–.035 lead wraps (optional)
Tail: Black rabbit strip
Body: Black cactus chenille (large)
Collar: Black schlappen
Eyes: Nickel bright eyes (large)
Head: Chartreuse chenille, wrapped around eyes
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Soft-bodied invertebrates swim through deep currents with rhythmic undulating movements, alternating between active migration and passive drifting. Anglers fish leech patterns in heavy water because the slow, predictable swimming makes them easy high-value targets that fish pursue aggressively.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish hunt leeches throughout the water column in deep runs, slots, pools, channel swings, and along structure breaks in large rivers.
How to Fish It: Swing on sink-tip line through deep runs and tail-outs. Let the fly sweep across current at steady pace, allowing rabbit strip and schlappen to pulse with movement.
Best Water: Target deep runs, slots, pools, tail-outs, channel swings, and current breaks in large steelhead and salmon rivers with moderate to fast current.
Strike Type: Strikes feel like steady pull-down or gradual line draw as fish swim away with the fly. Set with firm strip.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on a 7–9 weight rod with a sink-tip line matched to the water depth. Use a short leader of 0X–2X fluorocarbon, 3–5 feet long. The lead wraps and nickel eyes provide substantial weight, so additional split shot is rarely needed.
Seasonal Timing: Effective from midsummer through late , covering both the peak salmon runs (July–September) and the steelhead season (September–November). Particularly productive during higher water conditions common in .
Pro Tips: Sinks fast with lead wraps and heavy eyes, reaching the bottom quickly in deep runs. The black body provides a dark silhouette visible from below, while the chartreuse head creates a bright attractor point.
Entomology
Leeches undulate through the water with a sinuous, swimming motion, alternating between periods of active movement and passive drifting near the lake bottom or in current seams. When disturbed, they contract and expand their bodies in flowing, wavelike patterns that make them stand out against rocky substrates. Fish aggressively pursue leeches because their slow, predictable movement makes them effortless prey, and their soft bodies offer a high-protein meal without the spines or scales of other food sources.
- Organism Type
- leech
- Life Stage
- general