Hare’s Ear
A shaggy, natural nymph with a gold rib and mottled wingcase. Let the guard hairs do the work.
The Hare’s Ear gets much of its character from the mix of soft underfur and stiffer guard hairs. A tapered abdomen, a fuller thorax, and a mottled wingcase suggest a range of aquatic insects. The finish should look a little untidy, but the underlying shape still matters.
- At the vise
- Beginner friendly
- Common sizes
- #10–18
At the vise.
Work through the numbered steps in order. Illustrations show the materials added at each stage; use the written proportions as your guide.
Lay the foundation
Clamp the hook level. Start thread behind the eye and wrap an even base to the bend, preserving room for a small head.
Tie tail and gold rib
Secure a small guard-hair tail on top, about two-thirds of a shank long. Trim and bind down the butts. Tie gold wire along the shank to the tail base.
Dub the abdomen
Twist a tiny pinch of dubbing onto the thread. Wind a slender abdomen that gradually widens forward and occupies the rear two-thirds of the shank. Add fur sparingly.
Rib and attach wingcase
Counter-wrap wire in four or five evenly spaced turns and tie it off. At the abdomen front, attach a flat turkey slip pointing rearward, wide enough to cover the finished thorax.
Dub a fuller thorax
Use slightly darker, spikier dubbing to fill the front third with a rounder thorax. Overlap the wingcase’s tie-in point so no bare gap remains. Stop short of the eye.
Fold, finish and tease
Draw turkey over the thorax and secure behind the eye. Trim, whip finish and cement. Gently tease a few guard hairs from the sides and underside for legs, leaving the wingcase intact.
AI-generated instructional illustrations, paired with source-informed instructions. Fiber counts and proportions are approximate in the artwork.
On the water.
Use it as a general searching nymph when you want a natural, textured profile. Match the size and fishing depth to what you see in the water. The loose guard hairs move around the body; the unweighted recipe can also be adapted with a bead when a faster sink is needed.
Find your Hare’s Ear.
Have this pattern tied for your water.
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Recipe references
Original written instructions adapted from the sources below. Materials and methods may vary between versions. Illustrations were created for FlyFysher.
