Tying and Fishing the Hare's Ear

Hare's Ear 

The Hare’s Ear is an all-around effective nymph. It can suggest caddisflies, mayflies and many other species, and it is a good searching pattern. It can be fished effectively in most water types by stripping or dead drifting. You can also grease the fly so that it floats and represents mayflies and caddisflies that are hatching or insects that are blown onto the water. Twitching the fly across the surface can simulate these actions.

Good colors to use for the fly are natural brown, tan and olive. A hare’s mask is the best material for constructing the fly, and be sure to pick out the dubbed fur to give it a buggier look. A traditional mottled turkey feather is normally used for the wing case, but some variations use pheasant feathers, peacock herl and some synthetic materials. A gold bead head can also be used. However, I think that the fly is just as effective without additional materials.

Step 1. Tie in some sparse fibers from a hare’s mask and attach the gold tinsel. Then dub a body from the light tan section of the hare’s mask.

Step 2. Spin the dubbing forward over two-thirds of the shank and spiral up four to six wraps of tinsel.

Step 3. Depending on the hook size tie a one-eighth to three-sixteenth inch wide section of turkey quill flat over the top. Then, from hare’s mask dub a larger and darker amount for the abdomen. Don’t clip the guard hairs.

Step 4. Bring the turkey quill over the abdomen and tie it for the wing case. Then, pick out the dubbing and finish tying off the head.  

Trimming Hackles: Pros and Cons

There are several schools of thought regarding hackle trimming. Some fly tiers say that a trimmed hackle will float higher than an untrimmed one because the ends lie flat, don’t absorb water and will take more abuse. By contrast, other tiers say that untrimmed hackles float just as well, look more natural when floating and improve the success of the fly.

Trimmed Hackle

Since I have used these methods with equal success I believe that it doesn’t make any real difference. Try each of these methods for yourself and see if you notice any appreciable difference. However, if you decide to trim the hackles, use a larger than normal hackle and trim the ends so they are equal to the gap distance.

Untrimmed Hackle

Reversed Hackle

Another method that’s supposed to help the fly float better is to tie in the hackle butt so that the hackles are pointing forward. Test this method and compare it to the other two. 

How to Fly Fish Pocket Water

Pocket Water (click photo to enlarge) 

The photo above shows examples of pocket water, and the arrows indicate the potential areas where fish could be holding. 

Pocket water is a prime lie for fish because it provides good cover, quick access to food and protection from predators. It has large and small boulders that break up the 2 to 4 foot depths into sections of white water, swirling eddies, current breaks and seams as well as small pools. 

Precise casts, line control and careful mends are mandatory. You should fish all possible lies and be ready for quick strikes. Shorter casts are best since too much line can spook fish. Noisy wading is also a deterrent. 

The method of high sticking, as discussed in my 9-15-13 blog post, "How to Tie Glo Bugs," is also effective. You can control the fly better, maintain less drag and have faster hook ups.