Splitting Hare

Splitting Hare

The venerable Hare's Ear shows it's effectiveness in a lineage of pattern variations that all do the same thing in the end......catch fish. 

The Hare's Ear nymph is the quintessential pattern that combines the right color when wet, movement, flash & profile. It has morphed in many ways since it's inception, and today's fly tyers in many ways have departed from. Yet the original pattern that sprouted from the Hare;'s mask has passed along it's genetic fish catching qualities none-the-less.

First learning to tie in the early 90's while living in the pacific northwest, this variation was the predominant one found in local bins. Gone were the guard hairs in the tail, replaced by pheasant tail fibers. And while natural hare's mask, it was pre-clipped and in a Hare-line dubbing ziplock bag. Strongly influenced by Gary Borger's tying style. 

The same pattern as above, with the addition of hen pheasant softhackle legs and a bead-head. This was the style Hare's Ear that I cut my teeth on at the bench. It is a pattern that has caught every cold water species that I have pursued, as well as most warm water. 

The GRHE softhackle.  What box doesn't include this pattern?  If it doesn't include it, there is a needed hole there that needs to be filled.

The basic bead head. Tied #16 through #20 is one of the most consistent flies in my box.  A classic pattern that is one of the most productive variations of the original. 

The C2C is my contribution to the GRHE legacy.  It took the place of the original for me from coastal cutthroats on the Olympic Peninsula to the streams of the Mount St Helens drainage and Eastern Washington. As I moved back east it remained at the top of my box, and more than 25 years later, the C2C remains my "One Fly" pattern. 

Tying The C2C