THE ULTIMATE UTILITY FLY: THE BLC LEECH
By A.M. Giacoletto
It’s the 1987 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The iconic 1980s Boston Celtics dynasty and the infamous “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons square off for representation in the NBA Finals against the also dynastic (and evil) Los Angeles Lakers. Game 5 is tied two games apiece, and the winner claims a lead in the series and the driver's seat to the big dance. Five seconds are frozen on the play clock in the fourth quarter. One team dons the green and white, the Celtics, while the Pistons rep blue and red. Athletes position on the court in preparation for the sideline-inbounds play. The Pistons hold possession and a successful inbounds means they can wind the clock to zero and claim victory. A whistle screams and the referee hands Basketball Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas the rock followed by a slap of the ball, and scrambling ballers initiate a play they’ve practiced countless times. Isiah tosses the ball into play and as if it occurs in slow motion, he sends it toward his teammate when, out of nowhere, number 33 of the Celtics flashes across the TV screen, snatches the ball with one hand, tip-toes the baseline like a ballet dancer and comes within inches of stepping out-of-bounds, turns his head, and throws a laser beam to his teammate, Dennis Johnson, for a walk-in-the-park layup. Johnny Most, Boston’s play-by-play announcer, drops the iconic line this play is named after in his raspy, New England-accented voice: “Bird steals the ball!” Boston goes on to win the series in seven games, and the legendary Larry Bird claims another emblematic career moment, which is littered with all-time achievements and highlights.
Before you close the tab, click the back button, or double-check to ensure you’re not on Sports Illustrated rather than a fly fishing website, please, bear with me. I promise the connection makes sense by the end.
Larry Bird, a.k.a. “Larry Legend” or “The Hick from French Lick,” boasted one of the greatest careers in NBA History, and achieved greatness few others in his sport held a candle to. Aside from memorable moments that prevailed across hoops lore, he demonstrated a groundbreaking brand of basketball and playstyle previously unseen. He averaged 24.4 points, ten rebounds, and 6.3 assists for his career en route to winning three NBA championships (reaching five), appearing in 12 all-star games, achieving ten All-NBA and three All-Defensive selections, and receiving the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times (three straight from 1984-86; a feat none have accomplished since) in his 13-year career.
For the non-basketball fans out there, Larry Bird was far from a one-trick pony because he did everything on the court. He scored, passed, defended, rebounded, and led with tenacity and confidence – not to mention he could shoot the lights out of the basketball as an all-time great jump shooter.
Utility players can mold into any role as needed and are valuable in numerous scenarios. Larry Bird is the ultimate utility player, which is a factor in his position as the greatest small forward in basketball history.
For all his accolades, successes, and popularity, Larry Legend still had doubters. As a long, skinny white kid from a tiny farm town in Indiana, he didn’t exactly turn heads heading into college. In fact, some scouts and coaches described him as “an unathletic kid who can’t run and can’t jump.” The eye test told people that he was no physical specimen and his quiet, shy demeanor captivated few. At first glance, few described Larry as “impressive,” but when he went to work on the court, he quickly rebuked such false narratives.
Fly bins in fly shops across the country display a million different patterns, yet each angler gravitates to his or her half-dozen favorites. Now and again, fly fishers branch out and try something new. Often, their experimental selection is based on how it appears to their eyes rather than the fish’s perspective, or, possibly worse, anglers anthropomorphize what they believe is a fish’s decision-making process and over-logic their way into a fly purchase. Some of you are screaming at your computer screens, “But Alec, you handsome devil, you, I thought presentation matters far more than the actual fly one ties on?” Well, yes, it does; however, fly selection plays a role in the presentation, and in the case of streamers, how it swims in the water directly ties into its presentation. Also, it’s no secret flies seem more susceptible to price inflation than a gallon of milk, so versatility in a pattern matters more now than ever. One fly pattern with utility across species and tactics is crucial for today’s fly fishers.
If you haven’t gathered where I’m going with this, I’m claiming the more Larry Bird-type flies (flies effective in numerous aspects of fishing at a high level) one can fill a fly box with the better. Norman Maclean, the author of the famous fly fishing novel A River Runs Through It, describes such flies as “generals,” meaning it’s for general use. Generals do not match a specific hatch or food source but can be used to imitate numerous different forage types. For example, a Chubby Chernobyl can be used as an adult stonefly, grasshopper, cicada, or other large, flying insects. A Royal Wulff boasts the profile of a mayfly and matches no color pattern of a real mayfly, but anyone who fishes it regularly knows its diversity ranging from PMDs, BWOs, to Drakes, and, honestly, any mayfly hatch anywhere on the planet.
Larry Bird, “the ultimate general basketball player,” as I assume Norman Maclean would describe him (prove me wrong), is the perfect analogy when illustrating the important roles these flies fulfill in our fishing.
By now, I hope you fishy readers are posing the question in your minds, “Where might one find such a fly? On the Blue Line website, perchance?” Yes. Although we carry numerous flies fitting under the general use and cross-species categories, one, in particular, is a must-have and cannot-leave-home without pattern: the BLC Leech. “But Alec!” You claim in a surprised and befuddled tone, “It’s just a leech. We can find those everywhere.” Ah, but remember the Larry Bird comparison.
Larry was often overlooked based on his appearance; Larry, at first impression, didn’t appear revolutionary, groundbreaking, nor team-altering. His play on the court earned him adulation.
The BLC Leech is no different. Rarely have I fished a more versatile fly. Aside from trout, which has produced a few of my largest this year (such as the freestone 21-incher in the picture below), it’s a go-to for bass and carp.
Earlier this spring, while fishing one of my favorite smallmouth bass haunts, it brought my largest specimen of that fishery (and the biggest I’ve caught in eight years) to the net. I couldn't claim to be an expert carp fisherman with a fly, but it produced 90% of the carp I hooked in the past year, including a day bringing two dozen of them to the boat.
I fish it in the summer, winter, spring, and fall. I use it in black (with a nickel tungsten bead head) the most, but it also comes in white with a chartreuse tungsten bead head, which is perfect for bright sunny days on a trout stream, bass in clear water, or carp who want a flashy, vibrant presentation.
Yes, it’s a leech. Leeches are simple patterns found in every fly shop, but similar to Larry Bird, “Larry Legend,” or “The Hick from French Lick,” to truly understand why it’s one of the greatest in its class, you have to watch it play. Next time the fishing is slow and you're entering the end of your day, you're down to the Pistons, and you need a fishy play, you’ll want the Larry Bird of flies on your team because it changes the game.
