The Devil's Advocate (Leech Pattern)

The Devil's Advocate receive it's indoctrination in a place most people wouldn't believe if they saw the event take place themselves.  After a very fishless morning in 25-degree weather using every traditional pattern known to catch fish in these renowned waters, I decided to try something a little off the wall.  I have had great days using Wooly Buggers at this location, especially in white, but this leech pattern was a little odd yet decided to give it a shot.  What did I have to lose?

I originally designed the Devil's Advocate for the stunted largemouth bass in the lake I once lived on for the coming spring.  Sure enough... the Rocky Ford fish attacked the Devil's Advocate with vengence.  The rest is, as the old saying goes... history!

Materials:

Hook:  Daiichi 1260 (pictured size 6)
Thread: 6/0 Black (or color of tail/collar)
Tail:  Rabbit strip
Collar:  Rabbit spun in a dubing loop
Body: Thread built up in a taper and covered with epoxy, Clear Cure Goo, or Liquid Fusion.
(Glitter may be added.) I have sprinkled red glitter over a thin coat of Clear Cure Goo, cured the first coat, and then applied a second clear coat.

Step 1:

Place hook in vise.  Start thread approximately two eye lengths behind eye.  This will help build a smooth transition in the taper.

Step 2:

Tie in rabbit strip.  The length of strip is determined by the hook shank.  The hide portion of the strip should equal the hook shank. 

Step 3:

Make a dubbing loop and wax thread.  Apply hair in loop and spin.  Hairs should protrude at 90-degree angles from the thread.  Trapped fibers should be picked out with your bodkin.  Length of collar is a personal choice, but I prefer a distance of half a tail length.  This will add a beautiful action to the fly.

Step 4: 

Wrap a collar to hide the tail's thread hump.  Two or three turns should be sufficient.

Step 5: 

Build a thread taper over the hook shank.

Step 6: 

Apply a coating over the thread taper and allow to dry/cure.   I have elected to use a very thin coating Clear Cure Goo sprinkled with red glitter before curing.  Once an even coating of Clear Cure Goo and glitters has been applied, I cured the coating with an UV light. 

Apply a second, clear coat- no glitter and cure.  Finished!

The Devil's Advocate can be tied in numerous colors.  The standard black, purple, olive, and red colors are deadly for lake fishing!  Another note to mention is the utilization of different size rabbit strips- not only in length, but magnum or mirco widths according to species targeted and hook size. 

Have fun with this pattern.  It can be deadly!

Enjoy!