Historically fly fishers have searched for material that would enable them to produce the perfect fly, one that deceives any fish. There is as yet no such thing and l doubt ever will be; but there are some flies that come very close indeed, one of which is the Hare's ear in its many guises. There is no river or lake system in the world that trout will not take a hare's ear nymph or variations of the hare's ear.
This may include nymphal variations, dry flies, soft hackles and streamers. In fact l would submit that there is no other natural material that allows the variations that Hares ear will allow. They are endless. Couple Hares ear with modern synthetic material and you again increase by a wide margin variations of flies that use Hares Ear.
The term Hares ear is in some ways misleading. The Hare is an animal indigenous to the EU, and very common in the UK. It is a species introduced into South America, Argentina and Chile, but not North America. The Northern artic Hare known as the Snow shoe Hare is a similar animal. A Hare is an animal that looks like a large rabbit. Average weight of a fully grown Hare may be from 6 to 12 lbs.
There is confusion here in the US regarding the difference between the rabbit and the hare. Both animals have a very different coat and coloration.
Commercially produced dubbing often utilizes the body fur of the rabbit and not the Hare, but is termed as Hare fur dubbing.
There is a good availability for the Hares mask, both natural and dyed. Most of these are imported from Argentina and Chile, where tens of thousands of the animals thrive in the vast open ranges.
The original Hares ear nymph utilized the fur taken from the base of the hares ears. Other terms used would be the hare's poll, which largely determines fur taken from given places on the mask. Its origination to resemble many of the nymph forms of mayflies found in the UK such as the Olive species and the March Brown. In fact l know of no other fly as deadly as a hares ear dry/emerger when the olive are emerging.
In those days the only trout species fished for was the Brown trout, long before the introduction of Rainbows to the UK and EU. Even by today's standards of flies, it is still one of, if not the best, to deceive a Brown trout.
The interesting thing about a hares mask is that each area provides fur of a different medium. From the very short hair found on and at the base of the ears, to the longer guard hair and underfur found on the cheeks. Careful consideration and selection should be made for the fly to be tied.
Given the variations in color tones, selected areas can be taken and blended for light or darker color combinations. Use of more guard hair or underfur provide for both variations in body definitions. Permutations are endless.
Bear in mind that a Hares mask is at the end of the day a very inexpensive fly tying material, something like $3.50. Compare that with some of the synthetic materials out there particularly those in the tinsel town category, which have very limited use.
Add some gold and silver tinsel, bead heads, some Partridge and natural shades of Hen hackle, different sizes of hooks and you have a huge combination of options so far as Hare ear (fur) flies at your disposal.
Ever heard the expression, Mad as a March Hare? This English term refers to the mating season in March when male Hares stand on the hind legs and box with each other.They were also the wild animal used for coursing with greyhounds, this practice now recently illegal in the UK. Most times the Hare got away, since the rules dictated that the hare had to be caught and killed within a given fenced zone.
