Bead-head Hare's-Ear Nymph HOOK: #8-18 heavy nymph (Mustad R72 shown). BEAD: 1/8"-5/64" gold bead depending on hook size. THREAD: Red 6/0 Uni-Thread. TAIL: Guard hairs from hare's mask or ear. RIB: Small gold Ultra Wire. ABDOMEN: Hare's Ear Plus Dubbin (Natural Hare's Ear). WINGCASE: Turkey tail feather. THORAX: Hare's Ear Plus Dubbin (Natural Hare's Ear).

A traditional Hare's-ear Nymph is tied by dubbing fur from the face and ears of a hare onto your tying thread, and then wrapping this dubbing rope to create the fly body. Dubbing allows you to create tapered, durable, buggy-looking fly bodies quickly and easily. A good Hare's-ear Nymph has noticeable contrast between the thin, tightly wrapped abdomen, and the fat thorax. Tease long fur fibers out from the thorax with a bodkin after you whip finish the fly to give the appearance of legs.

Tie this fly in different sizes and colors to imitate almost any type of mayfly or stonefly. Commercial Hare's Ear dubbing mixes are available in a wide variety of colors. Brown, olive, black, and golden yellow are all effective colors.

CLICK HERE for a detailed video on how to tie a Beadhead Hare's Ear Nymph.

Tying Steps

Step 1. Slide the bead onto the hook and then attach the thread. Select a pinch of longer guard hairs from the mask of a hare and trim the fibers away from the skin. (Cured masks are available at your local fly shop in natural or dyed colors.) Holding the hairs by the tips, remove any excess underfur from the base.

Step 2. Size and trim the hair so the tail will be about the length of the hook gape when you bind it down. Use a pinch wrap to tie in the tail.

Step 3. Tie down the wire rib with the wire running the length of the hook shank and the tip of the wire inside the hollow bead head.

Step. 4 Hold a small amount of dubbing fibers along a 2- or 3-inch section of thread and then roll the dubbing material and thread between your thumb and forefinger in a single direction to twist the fibers around the thread. This creates a dubbing rope.

Step 5. Wrap a slightly tapered abdomen (smaller near the tail and larger near the thorax) up to the halfway point.

Step 6. Wrap the wire rib forward in evenly spaced turns. Tie off the wire over the thorax area and trim the excess wire.

Step 7. Tie in a section of turkey tail feather over the thorax area and wrap back over the material so the it extends back over the thorax. Position the thread at the halfway point.

Step 8. Make another dubbing rope and wrap over the thorax. Repeat the process several times with small amounts of dubbing to create a thick thorax and finish with the thread directly behind the bead.

Step 9. Pull the turkey tail forward, take one or two wraps of thread over the material directly behind the bead, and clip the excess turkey. Make two or three more securing wraps and then whip finish directly behind the bead.

Step 10. Use a bodkin or other sharp object to pick out stands of dubbing to simulate the legs of a mayfly nymph.

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