Developed by Chuck Stranahan of Hamilton, MT for the hecuba mayfly hatch on the Bitterroot. An orangish/brown bug, the dubbing mix was supposedly a closely-held secret for years. Neat looking fly, stands out among all those Adams parachutes in the box.
hook - Dai Riki 320 #12
thread - MFC 8/0 rusty brown
tail - elk flank hair
wing post - Calftail white
abdomen - 50% hare’s ear/antron, 25% olive rabbit/antron, 25% rust orange rabbit/antron (add a little gold rabbit after the other stuff’s all blended)
hackle - grizzly dyed tan
Part 1
mash barb, start thread at 75% mark
clean, stack, measure (hook length) a clump of calftail; tie in, trim butts and smooth with thread
clean, stack, measure (shank length) a clump of elk flank; tie in, smooth transition to wing butt
abdomen - 50% hare’s ear/antron, 25% olive rabbit/antron, 25% rust orange rabbit/antron (add a little gold rabbit after the other stuff’s all blended)
One question, since the dubbing is a key for this fly, could you expand on the mix. For example, what does “hare’s ear/antron” mean? Do you blend some clear or colored antron with the hare’s ear? or can you use either?
Thanks for all your terrific work. I’m always shocked at the quality of your ties, instruction and photography.
Thanks. For the dubbing mix I used Haretron, which is hare’s ear/antron already blended; the olive and rust were also pre-blended with antron; just threw it all in a coffee grinder, 3 or 4 blips and I was in business. Pretty sure the stuff’s still readily available.
