The Hare’s Ear Nymph is one of the most popular and versatile trout flies around, and for good reason. Its buggy appearance makes it an excellent general imitation and a reliable pattern throughout the year, particularly when trout are feeding on Olives and other aquatic insects.
Fed’s Hot Collar Hare’s Ear Variant, based on Steve Cullen’s Hot Collar Hare’s Ear, adds a simple but eye-catching twist to the traditional Hare’s Ear Nymph.
A Hare’s Ear with a Hot Spot
The stand-out feature of Fed’s variant is the vibrant fluoro-orange dubbing at the top of the thorax. This bright hot spot contrasts strongly with the natural Hare’s Ear body and gives the fly an extra visual trigger.
While the natural Hare’s Ear provides the familiar buggy profile, the bright collar gives the pattern something different — a flash of colour that can help attract a trout’s attention and trigger a strike.
Hot spots are a popular addition to many successful nymph patterns, and this is a particularly simple way to add one to a proven fly.
The hot spot can also be varied to suit your preference. Fluoro Fire Orange, Amber and Chartreuse all provide slightly different colour combinations, so it is worth carrying a few of each in your fly box.
When to Fish a Hot Collar Hare’s Ear
Like the traditional Hare’s Ear Nymph, this variant is a useful general-purpose trout nymph. Its natural, buggy profile makes it suitable for fishing throughout the season and in a variety of water types.
Try it when trout are feeding subsurface and there isn’t an obvious hatch to imitate. It can be particularly useful when Olives or other mayfly-type insects are present, but its impressionistic appearance means it doesn’t have to represent one specific insect.
The bright collar also makes the fly easy to pick out when tying on or inspecting your rig, especially in low light or deeper water.
Give It a Swim
The beauty of this pattern is its simplicity. It takes a proven Hare’s Ear Nymph and adds a small change that may just make the difference when the fish have seen plenty of more conventional patterns.
Tie a few in different hot-spot colours and keep them ready in your fly box. When the natural patterns aren’t quite getting the response you’re looking for, Fed’s Hot Collar Hare’s Ear Variant is well worth trying.
Materials
- Hook:Wet fly size 10.
- Thread:Light Cahill
- Tail: Two tone Manicare makeup brush fibres
- Body:Natural Hare’s Ear dubbing
- Rib:Fine Silver wire.
- Hot spot: SLF Dubbing – Amber, Chartreuse or Fluro Fire Orange
- Thorax: Dark Hare’s Ear Dubbing.
Tying Instructions
- Cover the hook shank with a layer of thread.
- Tie in the two-tone makeup brush fibres to form the tail.
- Tie in the fine silver wire along the shank.
- Dub the body with natural Hare’s Ear dubbing.
- Counter-wrap the silver wire to rib the body and secure it in place.
- Dub the SLF dubbing to form the hot spot.
- Dub the thorax with dark Hare’s Ear dubbing.
- Build a small ball of dubbing at the front of the thorax and push it back onto the hook to shape the collar.
- Secure the dubbing and trim away any excess.
- Form the head, then whip finish and trim the thread.
- Brush the fly out, working the fibres backwards to create a buggy appearance.
- Apply a small drop of Sally Hansen’s to the thread head for durability.
- Brush the fly out once more, then blow-dry it to remove any loose fibres and finish the fly.
