Fly of the Month

Bob Ireton brings together his experience in fly fishing, aquatic entomology, and knowledge of fly tying techniques and materials, to design and tie durable and effective flies.


   Volume 2,  Issue 10                                                                    October 2001

 HARE'S EAR SOFT HACKLE


By Bob Ireton
Photography   Bob Ireton, Tom Jones, Jorge Villares

A suggestive nymph or emerger, depending on how you fish it. I have seen this fly tied several different ways, but this is how I like to tie it.

Fish it up stream with a dead drift, and the fly is a good overall nymph imitation. If you fish it down and across, it is a good emerger, especially if you twitch it some, and at the end of the swing, let it rise to the surface like an emerging nymph. Add some floatant, and it suggests an emerger caught in the surface film. This looks like an easy meal to a fish! When fishing a pond for bluegills, let it suspend, and slowly sink. If something hasn't taken it by now, give it a couple of light twitches, then slowly twitch it towards the surface. I have slayed the bluegills like this!

This fly is a good producer on almost any water. Just fish it appropriately for the water you are fishing. Unless I have lost my last one, there will always be some of this pattern in my box!

MATERIALS

Hook TMC 3769, Dai-Riki 075, Daiichi 1530, or Orvis 1641 size 12-18
Thread brown or black 6/0 for size12 and larger 8/0 for size 14 and smaller
Tail hare's mask guard hairs
Ribbing gold tinsel
Abdomen light hare's mask dubbing
Thorax dark hare's mask dubbing
Legs soft hackle to match

TYING STEPS

1 - Secure hook in properly in vice, pinch down barb if desired. Tie in thread one hook-eye space behind eye of hook, and lay on a thread base back to point above barb. Half-hitch.

2 - Tie in hare's mask guard hair for tail, extending hair tips behind hook 1/2 to 2/3 length of hook shank.

3 - Tie in a piece of small gold tinsel at the tail tie-in location, with loose end extending rearward.
 

4 - Dub the abdomen 2/3 length of hook shank. Half-hitch.

5 - Palmer gold tinsel forward, giving the abdomen a segmented look. Tie off tinsel, trim excess, and half-hitch.

 
6 - Dub a thorax, leaving room for the soft hackle. Half-hitch.
 

7 - Prepare proper size soft hackle. Tie in just in front of body material. Wrap hackle one complete turn. Tie off with the thread, and trim excess hackle. Half-hitch.

8 - Form a head, half-hitch, whip finish, and cut off thread. Add head cement.

 

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