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Hare's Ear Nymph

One of my favorite nymph patterns is the hare's ear nymph. It works well for a variety of mayfly nymphs, some smaller stoneflies and various caddis fly emergers. It also works well as a diving, egg laying caddis imitiation, or a search pattern when nothing is hatching. Bottom line, it represents a multitude of food forms on the Northern Wisconsin freestone trout streams and is not too difficult to tie.

Tie the hare's ear nymph in a variety of sizes, from size #10 down to #18s or 20s. Use a good soft hackle feather, such as grouse or partridge and make sure the body is not too tight. You want some hair fibers flaring out. For a more dramtic body try using a dubbing loop. You can also tie it, like below, with a beadhead.

Beadhead Hare's Ear Nymph Pattern

Hook: Daiichi 1120 Size #10 to #20, or similar (Mustad #3906)
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 Brown or Rust Brown
Body: Hare's Ear with gold wire ribbing
Hackle: Grouse or Partridge (I like English Partridge)
Bead: (optional) Gold or Black

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