Gold ribbed hares ear

 

This is probably up there in the top 3 or 4 best known nymph patterns.

It's a pattern that has stood the test of time and is suggestive of a wide range of caddis and mayfly nymphs and is best fished close to the bottom.

It doesn't matter if your in Argentina or Australia or any where between, past, above or below this is a true universal fly pattern.

Materials

 

Hook Thread Tail Rib Weight Body, thorax & legs Wing casing
Size 10 & 14 medium shank (Tiemco 3769 SPL) Olive or brown Hare guard feathers Fine gold wire or tinsel Lead wire if required Hare fur dubbing Pheasant tail feather slip

Process

 

A
  1. Wind the thread half way down the hook shank.
  2. Tie in lead wire for weight if required. I have used 5 wraps of 0.015 mm lead wire for the #10 Tiemco 3969 hook.
  3. Continue winding the thread to the bend of the hook.

 

B
  1. Cut a bunch of hare fur and remove any under fur and tie the remaining guard hairs in as a tail equal to 1/2 the length of the hook shank. Resist the temptation to make the tail too long.

 

C
  1. Tie in a length of copper wire or tinsel.
  2. I generally use holographic tinsel on larger flies and fine gold wire only on my smallest flies.

 

D
  1. Dub on a body starting at almost nothing and gradually increasing in width along the back 2/3 of the fly.

 

E
  1. Wind the tinsel or copper wire along the body of the fly forming 4 or 5 segments along the rear half of the fly.
  2. Tie the tinsel or copper wire off a little forward of the half way point and trim the excess ribbing material away.
  3. Return the thread to the half way position.

 

F
  1. Tie in a slip of pheasant tail at the half way mark.

 

G
  1. Hold the wing casing material out of the way and dub on the thorax making it about 50% thicker than the thickest part of the body.

 

H
  1. Pull the wing casing feather slip over the top of the fly and whilst holding it tight and in place tie it off just behind the eye of the hook.
  2. Trim the excess back material whip finish and varnish the thread head.
  3. Using a piece of male Velcro to tease out a few dubbing fibres from the front third of the fly to represent the legs of the fly.

 



Last Updated: November 20, 2011
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Categories: Flies, My "trout" nymph fly box, My 'trout' lake wet fly box, My 'trout' river wet fly box, Nymphs
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