Galloup’s Hare’s Ear Nymph

Like everyone else, I used to tie my Hare’s Ear with a bushy plume of a tail from the hares mask until I saw the way Kelly Galloup tied his and then I saw the light.  After some time fishing this pattern, I’ve had good luck with it fished below an indicator and tight-lining.  Give one a try and you might be surprised.

I tie this fly in a variety of sizes in natural, black, olive, and gold variations.  It imitates a wide variety of mayfly nymphs in Michigan streams.

 

 

STEP 1

Start the thread a couple eye lengths behind the eye.

 

STEP 2

Tie in three or four Coq De Leon hackle fibers which should be the length of the hook before advancing the thread to the starting point.

 

STEP 3

Pull or snip a length of Krystal Flash from the hank and tie it in while advancing the thread to the back of the hook.

STEP 4

Create a small, thin dubbing noodle with your favorite Hare’s Ear dubbing which creates a level section of the tail of the nymph that extends 2/3’s of the hook shank.

 

STEP 5

Using counter-wraps, use the Krystal Flash to make four evenly spaced spirals to the original thread tie-in point.  Then, cut the Krystal Flash off after securing it with your thread.

 

STEP 6

Tie in two peacock herls by the tips and continue making wraps back to the original thread tie-in point.  A good rule of thumb is to fold the herl forward and this gives you a visual indicator of the size of your thorax.  This is an important step because a thorax that is too short will make your fly look like an odd “exclamation point”.

 

STEP 7

Dub the thorax to a size that is just slightly larger and a little more bulbous than your tail.  Once you’re satisfied with the placement of your perl and then fold the herl forward and capture it with your thread.  Using the hook eye as a guide, snip the herl off close and make a few other securing wraps.

 

STEP 8 

Whip finish and snip your thread off close to the head of the fly.  Using a strip of velcro or dubbing brush, pick out some of the fibers in the abdomen to give this fly a “buggy” look.

 

MATERIALS USED

Thread: UTC 70

Hook: Orvis 1524 (1x strong – 2x long) nymph hook. Sizes 14 – 18

Dubbing: Hare’s Ear Plus Dubbin

Segmentation: Krystal Flash solid color

Tail: Coq De Leon

Wing Case: Strung Peacock Herl