StreamerbeginnerPacific Northwest
Egg Sucking Leech
$4.95
Available Sizes#4 - #8
Color Variations
Black/PinkPurple/FlameOlive/ChartreuseBlack/Cerise
A leech with an egg stuck to its face. In theory, this should not work. In practice, it is one of the most effective flies in the Pacific Northwest. Steelhead, trout, and salmon all eat it with the enthusiasm of someone who has been told it is bad for them. The marabou tail breathes in the current like it is alive, and the egg head provides a target that fish cannot resist. It is the gateway drug of steelhead fishing -- simple enough for beginners, effective enough that experts never stop using it.
Quick Facts
TypeStreamer
Difficultybeginner
SeasonsFall, Winter, Spring
Target SpeciesSteelhead, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
Sizes#4 - #8
Best LocationsSandy River, OR; Cowlitz River, WA; Rogue River, OR
Where to Fish It
Sandy River
OR · Coastal Stream
Cowlitz River
WA · Tailwater
Rogue River
OR · Freestone River
Map unavailable. Locations for Egg Sucking Leech: Sandy River, OR; Cowlitz River, WA; Rogue River, OR
Related Reading
region guide
Pacific Northwest Steelhead: The Complete Guide
Steelhead are the fish of a thousand casts. In the Pacific Northwest's rainforest rivers, anglers swing intricately tied flies through emerald runs for the chance at one explosive take from a chrome-bright sea-run rainbow. This is the complete guide to the pursuit.
seasonal playbook
The Spring Playbook: First Hatches to Full Send
Spring is the most dynamic season in fly fishing — water temperatures swing daily, hatches emerge in waves, and fish that have been dormant for months begin feeding with increasing urgency. This is your region-by-region playbook for fishing the awakening.
species science
Chrome and Current: The Science of Steelhead
Steelhead are rainbow trout that went to sea and came back transformed — chrome-bright, ocean-strong, and wired with a grab reflex that makes them eat flies they have no biological reason to eat. Understanding the science behind the chrome changes how you fish for them.
species science
The Great Migration: Pacific Salmon Life Cycles
Pacific salmon are born in gravel, grow in rivers, vanish into the ocean for years, then navigate thousands of miles back to the exact stream where they hatched — to spawn and die. Their lifecycle is the most dramatic story in freshwater biology, and understanding it makes you a better angler.
technique
Reading Stream Gauges: Flow Data for Better Fishing
Every major trout and steelhead river in America has a USGS gauge station publishing real-time flow and temperature data for free. Learning to read it is like having a scout on the river around the clock. Here's how to turn CFS numbers and trend lines into fish-catching intelligence.
seasonal playbook
The Fall Guide: Changing Seasons, Changing Tactics
Fall is when the fishing world rearranges itself. Brown trout become aggressive and territorial as spawning urges override caution. Steelhead push into Pacific Northwest rivers on autumn rain. Striped bass blitz baitfish along the Northeast coast. And trout streams that were too warm in August cool into prime condition. Here's how to fish every opportunity the changing season offers.
technique
Catch and Release: The Science of Fish Survival
We release fish and feel good about it. But does the fish survive? The science is both encouraging and sobering. Catch-and-release mortality varies from nearly zero to over forty percent depending on species, water temperature, fight duration, handling, and a handful of other factors entirely within the angler's control. Here's what the research says and how to maximize survival.
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