The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

The Best Anglers Never Stop Learning

Nymph

Guides Choice Hares Ear

Insect Species Icon Hendrickson, March Brown, Green Drake and 6 others
Difficulty Icon Easy - 3-5 Min
Water Category Icon Coldwater

Tying Video

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Tying Recipe
  • Hook: Down eye, straight shank nymph hook
  • Thread: UTC 70 Thread
  • Wire: .015 lead wire
  • Tail: Hares Ear Guard
  • Wire: UTC Wire
  • Body: Hares Ear Dubbing
  • Head/Thorax: Peacock Herl and Flashabou
  • Hackle: Hungarian Partridge Feather (Barred Grizzly Feather)
  • Tail: Partridge Feather or Pheasant Tail
  • Wire: UTC Wire
  • Head/Thorax: Hares Ear or Peacock Dubbing
  • Hackle: Hen Saddle or any soft hackle feather will work.

The pattern itself is a variation of a hares ear, so any variation off a hares ear is also going to be close to this.  You can change the thread color and dubbing colors to make a variety of soft hackle patterns that are similar to this one.  To be true to this pattern however, you need to stick with hares ear or a very coarse dubbing material that passes as hares ear.

One of my favorite patterns is to variate using a jig style hook.  It seems to work incredibly well on a euro rig.

When you take a hares ear, soft hackle and add flashback material you get an unstoppable fish catching fly pattern. It’s easy to see why guide’s prefer this hares ear variation and it catches me loads of fish every year. It not only catches fish, but it looks good in your fly box and seems to get my attention often making me fish it more.

You can fish this fly in any way you want and you will likely find success.  Dead drift it, swing it, get it deep and strip it like a streamer and all can and will produce strikes.  It’s like the nymph version of a wooly bugger, you simply can’t go wrong with it on your line.

When you fish a new river or area and are not sure what the fish are doing, this is a great search pattern that will help you find where the fish are and their behaviors for the day.  Don’t be afraid to put more than one on your line in different colors or sizes, they really do work that well.

Brown Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: East
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
Brown Drake
Sizes: #10 - #14

Caddis

General Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Caddis
Sizes: #10 - #22

Golden Stonefly

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: Northwest
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: East
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16
Region: Midwest
Golden Stonefly
Sizes: #8 - #16

Green Drake

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest, Midwest
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14
Region: East
Green Drake
Sizes: #8 - #14

Hendrickson

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East, Midwest
Hendrickson
Sizes: #10 - #16

Isonychia

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: East
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Southeast
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Midwest
Isonychia
Sizes: #12 - #18

March Brown

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, East
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Northwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14
Region: Midwest
March Brown
Sizes: #10 - #14

Skwala Stone

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Northwest
Skwala Stone
Sizes: #12 - #16

Yellow Sally

Regional Hatch Chart Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Region: West, Midwest
Yellow Sally
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: Northwest
Yellow Sally
Sizes: #12 - #18
Region: East, Southeast
Yellow Sally
Sizes: #12 - #18

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Sign up for full access to the Learning Center
and all the FlyBrary Content.