Olive Variant, Vampire Leech Trolling Fly #4 ($5.49 pair)
Olive Vampire Trolling Leech: a famous fly angler once was asked what color fly was best. He answered that the nymph will be the color of the bottom. They are generally camouflaged to blend into the environment where they live. This olive leech has the fur tips dyed darker for a mottled/natural appearance. It blends in with a soupy green background, but the movement gives it away to hunting fish.
When trolling this fly behind an “Action Disc”, fix the disc up the line. The disc close to the fly hook will lift the hair out, the disc up the line will wiggle the fly but the laminar flow has a more natural leech look. I am not saying to never fish the disc on the hook, you should try it. I think the streamlined look is more realistic.
Additional Info
The first time these flies are put in the water they soak through slowly. Repeatedly dip into water and lift. This allows the trapped air to escape. Try rubbing the damp fly to get the water to soak all the way to the skin. The second time fished, the fly gets soaked quickly.
When fishing without an Action Disc, slide a small bullet weight (1/32 to 1/8 ounce) on the line above the fly. Also try glass or metal beads as the front weight. Experiment with various pull-pause movements to try to achieve a good swimming action. Go to this video to see an actual leech swimming underwater: “Swiming Leech”