Bodkin / Patterns

Hare's Ear Rubberleg Bead

Nymph · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Reference Recipe

  • Hook 2XL nymph/curved (TMC 5262), 12-16
  • Thread Brown 8/0

Materials

  • Gold tungsten or brass bead Gold bead (3.0-3.8mm to match hook)
  • Lead-free wire (optional underweight) Silver lead free wire (6-8 turns)
  • Brown hackle fibers or hare's mask guard hairs Brown dubbing (small clump (tail))
  • Gold wire rib Gold wire (small, one length)
  • Hare's mask dubbing Natural hare (abdomen and thorax)
  • Round rubber legs Barred brown rubber legs (one strand)

How to tie it

  1. Slide a gold bead onto the hook small-hole first and seat it behind the eye; start thread behind the bead and add 6-8 turns of lead-free wire, then shove them up into the bead to lock it.
  2. Lay a thread base back to the bend and tie in a small clump of brown hackle fibers for the tail, one shank length long.
  3. Bind in a length of gold wire at the bend for the rib and leave it hanging.
  4. Dub a slim, tapered abdomen of natural hare's mask forward to the 60% mark. Use half the dubbing you think you need.
  5. Counter-wrap the gold wire forward in 5-6 evenly spaced turns and helicopter off the tag; this segments and armors the body.
  6. Tie a single strand of barred round rubber across the shank so one leg splays off each side, figure-8ing to seat it at the front of the abdomen.
  7. Dub a fat, buggy thorax of coarse hare's ear up to the bead, then pick out a few guard hairs along the sides with your bodkin for legs.
  8. Whip finish behind the bead and add a drop of head cement.

Tying videos

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