When Phil Rowley first came across a balanced leech nearly 20 years ago, he didn’t expect it to become one of the most influential flies in his Stillwater arsenal.
In this episode, Phil sits down with the guy who helped make it all happen—Jerry McBride. You’ll hear how the balanced fly came to life, the gear that made it work, and why this style of fly has become a Stillwater staple.
If you’ve ever fished a balanced fly under an indicator—or just wondered what the big deal is—this is the origin story you’ve been waiting for.
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History and Tying Techniques of Balanced Flies with Jerry McBride
It was early in his 20-year tenure as a fly-tying columnist for BC Outdoors Magazine that Phil was introduced to a Balanced Leech by Trevor Shpeley. Little did Phil know back then how this would change his approach to fishing in Stillwater.
Today, balanced flies are his go-to pattern for lakes across Canada, the U.S., and even South America’s Jurassic Lake. If he could only choose one Stillwater fly, Phil says it would probably be the Balanced Leech.
You’ll find Trevor’s Balanced Leech featured in Phil’s book.
About our Guest
Jerry McBride grew up in Spokane, Washington and got into fly fishing thanks to his dad, who was an avid outdoorsman. Jerry has been at it for around 70 years now. He first learned to fish with old gear he found in the basement (think floppy bamboo rod and an automatic reel).
He spent his summers fishing at Deer Lake, where his dad built a cabin. Jerry also taught himself how to tie flies using a basic vise and whatever materials he could find.
Jerry’s been a proud Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club member since 1975. The club was founded in 1956 and is packed with experienced fly fishers who love to share tips and stories. Jerry even won the Letcher Lambuth Award, just like Phil. He believes every fly angler should join a club because it’s where you really learn the ropes.
The book Flies of the Northwest started as mimeographed pages passed around by the Inland Empire Club. Over time, it evolved into six editions and became a big moneymaker for the club. Although it’s no longer in print, Jerry and Phil agree it still holds up today.
The Bionic Worm
Phil remembers the first time he saw Jerry tying a Bionic Worm. It had a hot pink tail, a bright orange bead, and was tied on a gold hook—definitely not your usual chironomid look. He admits he was skeptical, but it turned out to be a fish magnet, especially in deep, dark water. Jerry also gave credit to his late friend Ron Pantzer, who actually created the Bionic Worm.
Want to see how it’s done? Watch Phil tie the Bionic Worm on YouTube:
Balanced Flies
Jerry explained how the balanced fly concept came to life. He and a friend started with woolly buggers, chironomids, and bionic worms, experimenting with different subsurface patterns.
One day, fishing with a peacock glimmer fly, Jerry’s friend caught 70 fish, and Jerry matched him fish for fish. While balanced flies aren’t always necessary, Jerry was happy to hear that Phil and Brian Chan tested them, and the balanced version outperformed the regular fly on the water.
Where Did the Balanced Flies Idea Come From?
It all started at a weekly lunch group Jerry jokingly called the “Still Liar’s Club.” One of the regulars, a dentist named Al Cunningham, had been trying to design a balanced fly. He handed Jerry some panfish jig hooks and said, “You’re an engineer—figure it out.” So Jerry did.
At first, he tried adding flotation to the hook bend, but it was too inconsistent. Each fly needed hand-tuning. So he flipped the idea: add weight past the eye to balance it instead. Using sewing pins, brass beads, and a bit of lead, he got it to work—sort of. The jig hooks bent easily under a decent trout, and wet thread caused the bead and pin to fly off mid-cast.
Eventually, Jerry landed on a much better setup: Mustad 3906 3X strong hooks, tungsten beads, and superglued thread wraps. He started tying classic patterns like the Pheasant Tail Nymph, Hare’s Ear, and the Six Pack.
Since the flies rode upside down, he skipped wing pads and tied them “in the round,” a style often used for soft hackles. The Six Pack worked well, probably because of the olive-yellow color from picric acid-treated pheasant tail.
Fun fact: Jerry shared the whole backstory of this fly in Fly Tyer Magazine back in 2006. It was his only published article, and he even got a Fly Tyer hat from the editor.
Read Jerry’s original Fly Tyer Magazine article here:
What Beads and Pin Sizes Work Best for Balanced Flies?
Jerry prefers using ⅛ inch beads because they’re heavy enough for casting but not too hard to manage. Larger beads, like 5/16 inch, can be a pain to throw and sometimes slide off the pin. He also mentioned using a heavier-duty pin for bigger beads to prevent that from happening.
Tip: For extra durability, Jerry uses UV resin on his beads. It helps the paint on the beads stay intact, especially when fishing in tough conditions.
Jerry also mentioned Tim Flagler’s new balanced fly pattern. Tim uses a squirmy wormy-type technique, where he melts the end of a thick monofilament to create a flat head that fits snugly into the bead.
Watch the video here:
Balanced Flies Resources Noted in the Show
Balanced Leather Leech
Developed by: Matt Winkler @ Charlie’s Fly Box Arvada, CO
- Hook: Daiichi 4640 (Bronze), 4647 (Black) or 4699 Barbless (Black) 60 degree jig hook size 10
- Bead: 1/8” Tungsten Black Nickel
- Pin: Straight pin cut to length – after securing pin to hook, coat the thread wraps with super glue
- Tail: Black Winkler’s Leech Leather from Charlie’s Fly Box
- Dubbing: Arizona Simi Seal Black/Purple
Balanced Orange Mop Fly
By Jerry McBride 2/5/2025
- Hook: Daiichi 4640 (Bronze) 4647 (Black) 4699 Barbless (Black) Size 10
- Thread: 8/0 Orange
- Bead: 1/8 Orange Tungsten (after mounting on hook coat with UV resin)
- Pin: Straight pin is cut to length. (After securing it to the hook, coat the thread wraps with super glue.)
- Tail: Orange Mop Finger
- Body: Orange Mop Finger unfurled
- Collar: Micro Polar Chenille Hot Orange by Hareline Dubbin, Inc.
Balanced Peacock Sparklebugger
By: Jerry McBride
- Hook: Daiichi 4640 or 4647 Heavy Wire 60-degree jig hook or equivalent size 10
- Thread: Black 8/0
- Bead:1/8” Tungsten black nickel
- Pin: Size 20 1 ¼” Dressmaker pin cut to length or ¾” Applique pin
- Tail: Black marabou
- Tail Flash: Two strands of gold Flashabou on each side of Marabou
- Body: Peacock Cactus Chenille
- Superglue:Crazy Super Glue
Olive/Yellow Pheasant Balanced Filo Bugger Recipe
By Jerry McBride
- Thread: 8/0 Olive
- Hook: Daiichi 4640 (Bronze), 4647 (Black) or 4699 Barbless (Black) 60-degree jig hook size 10
- Bead: 1/8” Orange tungsten (Coat bead with UV resin after lashing to hook for durability
- Pin: Straight pin cut to length. (After securing pin to the hook, coat thread wraps with super glue
- Tail: Hareline Wooly Bugger Marabou Yellow Olive WBM386 or marabou part of dyed pheasant rump
- Tail Flash: Two strands of gold Flashabou on each side of the tail
- Body: Olive/yellow aftershaft feathers (filoplumes) from a pheasant rump patch twisted into a loop and palmered along the hook shank.
- Tying Note: Aftershaft feathers are the narrow-stemmed feathers under the rump feathers. As an alternate, use the marabou part of the dyed pheasant feather from the rump patch placed in a thread loop, twisted and wrapped onto the hook shank.
History and Tying Techniques of Balanced Flies Resources Noted in the Show
Conclusion with Jerry McBride on History and Tying Techniques of Balanced Flies
That was a fun deep dive with Jerry. Lots of gold in there on how balanced flies came to be and how to actually tie them right. Check out the fly patterns and recipes Phil and Jerry talked about in the episode. And stay tuned for part two, where we’ll hear how Jerry fishes these things. You won’t want to miss it.