Hare's ear dubbing (thorax) Natural hare s ear dubbing (small pinch)
Hackle Dark ginger variant or cree hackle (1 feather)
How to tie it
Lay a thread base and tie in a good-sized bunch of golden pheasant fibers by the butts at the 50% point of the shank, leaving a tag of thread hanging off the rear.
Twist the fibers together with that thread tag and wrap the twisted rope forward over the rear half of the shank, twisting every wrap for a segmented, nicely colored body; tie off and trim.
Clean and stack a clump of elk hair and tie it in as a down-wing just ahead of the body, wing length equals the full hook shank (twice the body length). Wrap back to where the body starts.
Pull the butts up, trim them close, bind everything down, then pinch the elk so it flares in a 180-degree fan over the top of the body.
Double a chunk of Antron-type yarn, tie it down at the midpoint ahead of the wing with four firm turns, pull it upright, and post it up with thread wraps, tightening as you work up the post.
Dub a small, thin noodle and make one wrap in front of the post, then soft wraps back onto the base of the post and one more wrap in front. Keep it slim.
Tie in a dark ginger variant (or cree) hackle in front of the post, stem trimmed, brilliant side up; spiral the hackle up to the top of the post, then wrap back down, wiggling each turn so no wraps trap the ones beneath. Use as many turns as the feather needs to look full.
Pull the hackle and post material back, take a couple of wraps under the hackle, dub a tiny bit more to cover the thread, and build a small head in front.
Whip finish, trim close, pull the post back up, preen the hackle even, and trim any stray elk fibers underneath so the bottom profile is clean.