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[RalphH]

Hare’s Ear Nymph

Long a favourite (it's antecedents date back to the 15th century), the Hare’s ear is a pattern that doesn’t closely imitate any particular form of aquatic life but is close enough to look a variety of trout food.

It’s an easy pattern that doesn’t require a lot of materials and what is does use is easily available.

At the minimum all that is needed is a hare’s mask, gold wire and a hook. The dubbing itself is available packaged and also blended with synthetics like antron. Still if you want guard hair for the tail or legs you’ll need a mask.

Most often it has a tail of hare’s mask guard fibres, a dubbed body of fur from the mask, which is literally the skin of a rabbit’s face & ears and a wing case from a segment of duck or goose quill.

Pattern 1



Hook: #6-16 nymph hook
Bead: optional
Weight: optional lead wire or substitute wrapped under thorax.
Tail: well marked hare’s mask guard hairs
Rib: gold wire
Abdomen: packaged light brown or tan hare’s mask fur
Wing case: brown goose secondary quill feather
Thorax : coarse dark fur including the guard hair from the ears of the mask.
Legs: pick out throax with a pin or with Velcro hook pad

Notes: stand the hair for the tail up at 90 degrees to the head and pick or cut off. Remove the underfur then tie in so the tail is about ½ the width of the hook gape.
 
This tie resembles a mayfly more than anything and perhaps a stone fly nymph.

Pattern 2 (Caddis)



Hook: #6-16 nymph hook or a curved scud hook
Bead: Black (optional)
Weight: optional lead wire or substitute wrapped under thorax
Rib: gold wire
Body: packaged light brown or tan hare’s mask fur
Legs: as per the thorax above but just a turn or two. Then pick out hairs.

Notes: to finish the head apply head a bit of cement to a cm or of tying thread above the bobbin tip directly below the fly. Wrap this thread behind the bead and then wipe finish

Dubbing: dubbing cut from the mask is easy to blend. Just snip a small amount off, place this in the palm of your hand then use the tip of the pointer finger of your opposite hand to roll the fur into a blended ball.