I can't tell you the numbers of EHC's I have tied over the years. I was taught to tie it by Al Troth. The hair is all important. It should come from a Bull Elk hide. Most of the real good hair is from just back of the neck area and over the shoulders. It should be light in color and have no broken tips. It should also be fine.

The ammount of hair used for a given hooks size is right at your finger tips. That is the bend and the gape of the hook. If you look at that area of the hook that is the ammount on hair that should be used for the wing. APROX? Give or take just a bit. Just draw a line from the point of the hook stright up to the shank of the hooks and there you go.

When tying down the wing, after having stacked it and cleaned the butt's out, You should first take a wrap of thread around the hair than go around the hook holding the hair firmly on top of the hook then pulling stright down on the thread. By taking a wrap around the hair first you will stop that clump of hair from twisting around the hook to the off side.
Take several wrap's of thread around this area and make sure they are tight. Now go to the head of the fly and wrap your thread back to the wing and take a few tight wraps against the underwing and whipfinish. By talking those wraps against the underwing you will pinch the wing and it will stay in place much better. Cut the wing and leave just a bit. Then put a drop of head cement in the butt's of the hair. This will lock the wing in when dry and it will stay there.

If an EHC is tied right you can catch many fish on one. The most I have caught on one fly I believe was over 24 fish.

NEVER I repeat NEVER use bleached Elk for and EHC wing unless you only want to catch a few fish with one of them. The bleached Elk will break right off because it is very brittle. I know a guide and tier that uses it becasue he can sell a lot more flies by tying them with Bleached Elk. Hope that helps Ron

[This message has been edited by RonMT (edited 16 January 2006).]