Fly recipe
Hook: Nymph Hook 3X Long (Dai Riki #730)
Thread: Black 6/0 Uni Thread
Tail: Squirrel Tail Fibers
Body: Hares Ear Dubbing
Rib: Gold Wire
Wing Case: Mottled Turkey Feathers or Flashabou
Wings: Teased Out Hares Ear Fibers
Bead: (Optional) Gold Bead
Tying instructions: Step 1: Slide bead over bend of hook. Secure your hook in the vise and attach the thread to the hook.
Step 2: With your thread behind the bead or if it's non beaded, behind the eye of hook, wrap back to bend. Tie in squirrel tail and secure, then either tie over fibers or trim.
Step 3: Tie in ribbing at the rear of the hook and leave at the hook bend, this is where you will begin dubbing.
Step 4: Dub a small amount of hares ear to start with, remembering that you want to taper the body in conical shape starting small at the back and making it thicker towards the thorax. Begin wrapping the dubbed thread onto the hook creating your body. You only want to dub up to a point where you still have roughly ¼ of the hook open behind the bead, or the eye if you aren't using a bead.
Step 5: At this point you will want to tie in your wing casing, whether it is a strand of mylar or turkey feathers. Secure this to the hook and pull it back towards the rear of the hook.
Step 6: Now you are going to make your dubbing loop, or if you don't have a tool, you can simply dub and tease out the fibers at this point. I prefer the dubbing loop technique as it leaves a much bushier head.
Step 7: After you have dubbed your head, you will pull the fibers or flashabou back over the top and secure them with several wraps of thread behind the bead or to form your head.
Step 8: Finally you can either whip finish behind the bead or form your thread head and whip finish. It doesn't hurt to use some head cement here either to secure the thread and fibers.
Notes:
Hares Ears are a go to for many anglers countrywide. One of the original and still one of the best mayfly nymphs that you can use year round, I typically won't go fishing without having a few hares ears in my box. The beadhead I believe is a nice touch, plus for you beginning tyers out there, you will find it a lot easier to start out with beads on most of your flies as it will help hide your nasty looking heads… Also to make this a flashback simply substitute the mylar flash in for turkey on the wingcase.
