Hare and Copper
The Hare and Copper is one of New Zealand's most famous trout flies — a simple but devastatingly effective nymph that combines the shaggy hare's ear body of the GRHE with a copper wire rib for weight and segmentation. The rough, buggy body suggests any number of aquatic invertebrates and the copper rib sinks the fly quickly to the bottom. It's the go-to searching nymph on New Zealand rivers and increasingly popular worldwide.
- Type
- nymph (Mayfly)
- Hook sizes
- #12–18
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall, winter
Materials
- hook: Nymph hook #12–18
- thread: Brown 8/0
- bead: Copper or gold tungsten bead
- body: Natural hare's ear dubbing, rough
- ribbing: Fine copper wire
Tying steps
- Mount a size 12–18 hook; slide on a copper or gold bead.
- Start brown thread; tie in fine copper wire rib.
- Dub a rough, shaggy hare's ear body from the bend to behind the bead.
- Counter-wrap the copper wire in 5–6 even spirals over the body.
- Secure and trim the wire; build a small thread head against the bead.
- Pick out body fibers aggressively to create a buggy, spiky silhouette.
- Whip finish and cement.
- Tease out a few stray dubbing fibers from the thorax with a dubbing needle to create a spiky, lifelike silhouette that pulses in the current.