I have to ask how many versions are there to the Hare’s Ear Nymph ?
Do any of you know what the original pattern calls for ? Just currious.
There are 9,360 members of the BB. That’s a start. Except I don’t tie one, so make it 9,359 versions.
John
There are untold numbers of flies which use hare’s ear fur in their construction. There are are also untold numbers of flies called “hare’s ears”, ( Aka GRHE or "Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear), which are nothing of the sort.
Even using identical materials, any fly-dresser is likely to come up with completely different results for the same pattern, using substitutes and additions this number becomes more or less infinite.
The “original” Hare’s Ear (GRHE)was a generic dry fly used on the English chalk streams, in Halford’s time, but there are many hundreds of hare’s ear flies from much earlier dates, simply because this was a hugely popular material with many fly-dressers.
So, partly in answer to your direct question, There really is no such thing as a “Standard” Hare’s ear nymph. One can make dozens of nymphs from various parts of the hare fur. The traditional “standard” “Hare’s ear” nymph was usually made using the hare’s poll, which is the sandy red coloured hair at the base of the ears, on the “forehead”. This was used for the abdomen, and then darker fur from the ear was used for the thorax, but this dark fur may be obtained form a number of places on the ears, body or mask.
Like many things, what one uses depends on what one wants to imitate with it. You can scratch about on the ears for half an age, but there is not really much useful hair or fur on most of them except for fairly short dubbing. I have been working on an article about hare’s masks now for about two years, on and off, but it is a fairly major task due to the complexity of the subject.
On the ear alone there are at least six quite distinct types and colours of hair, and there are even more on the mask itself.
The GRHE ( Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear ) of chalk stream fame, was really a general emerger pattern, and not a nymph. as such. You can dress a generic version by simply using the poll hair, and a darker thorax made from the hair between the eyes on the mask. But if you want a more specific version for a certain mayfly type, say Baetis nymphs, then you need to know a bit more about the insects you are trying to represent, and also about the materials you are going to use.
many people rely almost entirely on generic nymph patterns for mayflies and indeed other nymphs, and this works quite well, but more specific patterns tend to work better. If you wish a generic nymph, then the standard as described above, will do. There are thousands of variations extant, here is one of mine which I use for a few mayfly nymphs, agile darters like Baetis rhodani, the Large Dark Olive ;
http://www.first-nature.com/insects/ephemeroptera/baetis_rhodani.htm
Nymph shown here;
http://fdf.flies.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/baetisrhodaninymph.jpg
Here are a few more images;
http://images.google.com/images?q=baetis%20%20nymph&sourceid=groowe&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
Or the BWO Blue winged olive;
http://www.ifly4trout.com/hatches_insects/real_baetis.htm
But you really need to know which insects you have where you are fishing, and tailor your artificial accordingly. Hare fur is an excellent material for this. Most of the commercial patterns, and many others, are not very good,but they sometimes work. Often with bead heads etc as well. I don’t really like any of them.
Hook is a size 12 1X long straight hook.
Thread: Yellow Danvilles 6/0
Tail. A very sparse bunch of mottled guard hair.
Abdomen: Light buff soft fur from the bottom right or left hand side of the mask.
Rib: Round gold tinsel, or (varnished! ) copper wire.
Wing case. Guard hair from the top back of the mask, either very dark brown or black. Tied in so that the wing case is dark.
Thorax: dark fur from the upper middle part of the ear, or the “middle cut” from the same guard hair as the tail.
Head: Brown marker. Varnished
The body should have a pronounced taper, and only a very small amount of dubbing is required. One may also make the thorax longer and fatter than this, depending on the specific nymph one is imitating; One may also add a couple of turns of lead wire under the thorax if desired. These nymphs are anything from 6 to about 15 mm, so I usually go for about 12 mm overall, unless i have caught a couple of naturals and know the right size. (Just before the hatch the nymphs are of course mature and larger! ) These nymphs have to be dressed on longer shank hooks, as they don??t look right at all on short hooks. Here is one with the fatter longer thorax, and I have rotated it between shots to show the various salient points. These nymphs are more or less indestructible, as they are made of tough hair;
The full potential of these nymphs is only really seen when wet in water. The yellowish olive silk shines through,as does the ribbing. These nymphs are quick and easy to dress, and extremely effective. As I already wrote, they are also far more robust than flies dressed with pheasant tail,and similar materials. It should be noted that the tails on many of these nymphs are as long as the bodies. One may imitate a completely different species simply by using a different colour of thread. Orange, Brown etc. Some mature nymphs are also very much darker than their immature cousins.
I have caught many many fish on these and similar nymphs.
Tight Lines! ~ Mike Connor
Thanks Mike I wasnt expecting such a detail reply . I thank you for the information.Your right about the many tying varations. It’s seams like every article I read about the Gold Hare’s Ear the authur show’s me a different way to tie the fly. Especially the material they use. Thats what makes fly tying fun . Dave V
These two patterns have worked great for me: http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/FlyGoddess/North%20American%20Fly%20Swap%202008/GRHESofthackle.jpg Tied by our own FlyGoddess. (Image)
http://www.islanderlures.com/images/flies/BeadHeadNymphs/GR%20Hares%20Ear%20Bead%20Head-400.jpg (Image)
Doug
My pleasure.
One may use lots of various things to dress particular patterns, but if you don’t at least use hare’s ear, for a “Hare’s Ear”, then it’s not a “Hare’s Ear” anyway! 
Indeed, there are a lot of commercial patterns which might be more appropriately, and indeed accurately, referred to a “Pig’s Ears”.
There are many dressing techniques, combinations, and “styles” one may use to produce various patterns from the same basic material. What many fail to realise is that hare fur, and even just from the ear and mask of a hare covers a massive range of colours, types and possibilities , and without an accurate description of where the fur is obtained one can not dress anything even remotely similar to a specific pattern.
Since it might be of interest, I will give some info on it in a new thread.
TL
MC
don’t be afraid to put some uv tan ice dubbing in with your hares ear dubbing. it will make a uv hares ear!
Does anyone sell a hare ear dubbing in a package? I want to make some of these flies, but my daughter would FREAK if I brought home a hare mask. It is kinda freaky to me too. I have all sorts of hair, and skins, feathers. But the face off of something…my daughter would just have a fit. :eek:
kelkay,
Here is an idea:http://www.hookhack.com/ Go to Fly Tying, click on Hair & Fur, it’s on top of the page.
Doug
Thanks I will check that out!
Do you mean the Hare’s Ear Plus? (with antron) Or do you mean the dubbing boxes. The box doesn’t say what kind of dubbing is in it…or I must of missed it. (Bunny Brite…don’t know what part of the Hare it is)
Hare’s Ear Plus.
Doug
I think that would work, and I appreciate you letting me know this! I am gonna have to try some of that.
Mike Conner,
I have to ask, does all that knowledge reside in your head, or are you just really good at looking stuff up? In my dreams, it’s all in your head from many, many years of fishing experience and observations.
I’m always amazed at the amount of detail and care that goes into the information you provide.
Really glad your here.
REE
Heh heh…yes, it’s in my head, but I have been engaged in transferring a lot of it to my computer for quite a while as well. I have been angling and fly-dressing for fifty years, and I have always been fascinated by every single aspect of it, and I suppose more than a little obsessed too.
The more one learns about something, the better one becomes at it, each step invariably leads to other steps, and more and more knowledge accrues as a result. It is completely impossible for anybody to know everything about such a complex subject, but one can nevertheless learn a very great deal, given time and inclination. There is seldom a day goes by that I don?t learn something new about it. Also, I am an avid reader of angling literature, and have been for many years. With regard to fishing and Fly-dressing I possess an almost eidetic memory, so I never forget anything I have done, or read. Also I like experimenting and trying to do things better, more easily, or invent new ways or methods.
These matters have always held me in thrall, and when I am not fishing, I am often thinking about it, or related subjects, or doing something connected with it. Since I retired, it is practically all I do. ( I retired when I was 50, six years ago now), but even before that I spent a great deal of time at it.
Just an extremely enjoyable way of spending my time…
TL
MC
Thanks Mike! I now know what “eidetic” means. (I had to look it up, of course!) 
Had to look that one up too but if I took the time to look up all those words he uses I couldn’t finish the post:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:.
Relative to this ,Mike, I’ve been wondering if you are furiously typing those posts in real time …or are these things you’ve worked on and have stored in your computer???
Thanks, for your contributions:cool:
.
I think you’ll find that the Hare’s Ear was around long before dry flies and Halford as stated above
It’s a centuries old traditional winged wet
From Favorite Flies and Their Histories by Mary Orvis Marbury…1892
To give the complete history of the Hare’s Ear, sometimes called the Hare Lug, would be to write of the season’s changes and review the angling literature of centuries
I would agree that there are probably countless versions.
My personal one is this:
Which I refer to as a ‘Faux Beadhead Dog’s Butt’ fly. It is a Gill Killer and I use it often. However since the demise of the major contributor to the fly’s body, I try to temper the number that I use and lose. :???: