Beginner’s Fly Tying: Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymph

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph
Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear Nymph

Our September fly tying session was a great kick-off for our upcoming Beginner’s Fly Tying class, which will be held on October 18th at 7:00 PM at Trinity United Methodist Church. As noted in last month’s issue of Streamlines, for our tying sessions this fall and into 2023, we will be tying relatively basic fly patterns structured both for those new to fly tying, as well as for the more ‘seasoned’ fly tier. The latter group will have the opportunity to enhance ‘their fly’ via minor modifications, e.g. incorporating a bead head and/or rubber legs.

The fly pattern chosen for the October 18th tying session is the Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear (GRHE) nymph. In 1910, an English fly tier is believed to have created the first hare’s ear nymph body using hare’s ear dubbing (fur taken from the ear of a rabbit) as a simple modification of the long-lived Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear wet fly.

While the GRHE nymph isn’t a perfect match for any one insect, it is a good imitation for the nymph form of a number of stonefly and mayfly nymphs when tied in a variety of sizes. Tying instruction that evening will also include a brief demonstration on a two-fly nymph rigging.

By Don Fine