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Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear Step-by-Step:
When it comes to fly patterns, tyers are often guilty of attempting to reinvent the wheel. We know what works. Recognize it isn’t broken. Yet, we try to fix it anyway. In most cases, the resulting variants fall by the wayside in due time. Occasionally, however, one of these variations sticks as in the this case of this week’s pattern: the Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear.
A tweak on the original, this one has become a favorite of professional guides on trout streams across the globe. However, for those of us in warmer climes, it also warrants a spot in our panfish boxes. After all, what sunfish can’t resist a buggy, leggy mess with a bit of flash.
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Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear Step-by-Step Tying Instructions:
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Tips and Tricks
- Soft Hackle Substitution – While the original recipe calls for a Hungarian Partridge feather, any similarly sized soft hackle feather can be substituted. In this case, I’ve substituted Grouse as I do not currently have Hungarian Partridge among my tying supplies.
- Color – Don’t overlook Olive when stocking your nymph box with this pattern. Just as with the original Hare’s Ear, the olive-dyed version may out fish the natural in some instances.
- Extra Weight – Consider a few wraps of Lead-Free wire if fishing deep or in heavy current. Placed immediately behind the bead, this Lead-Free underbody will help get the fly down quickly.
Proof of Concept
A quick lunch break stop at a nearby WMA quickly proved out this pattern on the local panfish. In all, three redear sunfish were landed on the first five casts before the fly was lost to an unseen snag.
With luck, I’ll add a few more fish including some cold water species to this section as spring progresses.
Tight Line!
Chris
Species Caught on Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear to Date:
- Redear Sunfish
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