Gold Ribbed Hares Ear, step-by-step.

A very simple, but effective fly in many circumstances, and relatively easy to tie as well.
Step 1:
The use of lead-wire is optional, here I have used about 12 windings round the shank of the TMC 3761 size 12 hook.
Tie in a tail, found at the side of the hares-mask, the so called whiskers.
The tail should be approx half the length of the hook-shank.
Tie in a few fibres from a pheasant-tail feather, pointing over the eye of the hook, see picture below.
Tie in a length of gold oval tinsel, and dub a body with the soft hairs you will find in the centre of the mask, or at the base of the ears.
Rib the body with the tinsel. I usually rib in the opposite direction of the dubbed body, in order to prevent the tinsel to dissapear between the dubbing.

Form a loop with your tyingthread, take some longer hairs from the mask, spin the dubbing-twister and form a thorax with this loop. You will see that this forms a nice rough thorax.

Cover the thorax with the pheasant-tail fibres, finish the head and the fly is ready to be used.
Happy tying and tight lines,
Hans

Thanks Hans. Nice looking flies. I tied a half dozen of these yesterday on #16 hooks and used thin brass wire as a rib. Your thorax looks a lot fatter than mine. I’ll try the dubbing loop instead of just dubbing next time. Jim

Thanks Jim.
For some reason I just love this fly, just because of it’s simplicity and the fact that it catches fish in many conditions.
You can vary sizes and weights, and if you do not give it a wing-case it can even be used in the surface like an emerger, especially when tied on a dry fly hook.
Cheers, Hans.

Nicely done