Hare's Ear Nymph
The Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear is one of the oldest and most productive trout flies in existence. Its shaggy, spiky dubbing from a hare's ear creates thousands of tiny movement-triggering fibers that mimic gill filaments, legs, and appendages. Fish it deep in fast runs on an indicator rig, or swing it wet-fly style through tailouts. It imitates virtually any clinging or crawling mayfly nymph.
- Type
- nymph (Mayfly)
- Hook sizes
- #10–18
- Target species
- trout
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Best seasons
- spring, summer, fall, winter
Materials
- hook: Nymph hook #10–18
- thread: Brown 6/0
- tail: Guard hairs from hare's ear mask
- body: Hare's ear dubbing, rough
- ribbing: Fine oval gold tinsel
- wingcase: Pheasant tail or mottled turkey flat
Tying steps
- Mount hook and start brown thread at the bend; tie in guard hairs from a hare's mask as a short tail.
- Tie in fine oval gold tinsel for ribbing.
- Dub a rough shaggy body of hare's ear from the bend to the 2/3 mark.
- Counter-wind the gold tinsel in 5–6 open spirals; tie off and trim.
- Tie in a strip of mottled turkey flat or pheasant tail for the wing case.
- Dub a slightly darker, fuller thorax just ahead of the body.
- Pull the wing case over the thorax and tie down firmly just behind the eye.
- Pick out the thorax fibers with a dubbing needle to suggest legs and gills; whip finish and cement.