Balanced flies are proven effective, especially for stillwater fishing, but traditional cut-pin and bead designs come with drawbacks. Thick pins make tying smaller, well-proportioned flies difficult, and the finished look is often unappealing. Most balanced leeches and damsels tend to be heavier and larger than what’s ideal, complicating their use with conventional dry dropper rigs. To address these challenges, I developed smaller, lighter flies for still and slow waters. Early testing with guide Paul McDonnald on the Williamson River yielded outstanding results—“they crushed big rainbows.” Further trials in Montana’s private reservoirs saw impressive catches of browns, rainbows, cutthroats, and brookies, all caught by stripping without suspension.