Guides choice hares ear

Materials Needed:
Hook  TMC 3761 sizes #12-18. I'm using a size #16.
Thread  Orange 8/0 Uni thread.
Bead  Tungsten bead sized to your hook.  I'm using a 2mm bead.
Tail  Hares mask fibers.
Rib  Gold wire or tinsel.
Body  Underfur mixed with longer guard hair from a hares mask.
Thorax  2 strands of peacock herl.
Flashback  Pearl tinsel or other flashback material
Hackle  Hungarian partridge, sized to the hook.  Mine is dyed olive.

Start by putting your bead on your hook and you can optionally add 10 or so wraps of lead wire.

Start your thread just behind the lead wraps.

Wrap your thread across the lead wraps to secure them in place.  Then wrap your thread back to your tie in point for your tail.

Cut an even bunch of fibers from a hares mask.  I like to get my tail fibers from the middle of the hares mask.

Tie in your rib.

Dub a small amount of dubbing onto your thread.  Be careful not to use too much.

Wrap your dubbed thread forward to build a nice tapered body.

Using a brush, or piece of velcro, tease out the body fibers to give it an extra buggy look.

Wrap your rib forward and tie it off with your thread.

Tease out the fibers again.

Tie in some pearl tinsel for your flashback.











Tie in 1 or 2 strands of peacock herl.













..and wrap the peacock forward to build a thorax.











Fold your flashback over your thorax, tie it off, and trim.












Select a feather with fibers no longer than the hook shank.  Strip the fuzzy part from the bottom.

Grab the tip of the feather with hackle pliers and stroke back the fibers so they are standing on a 90 degree angle from the stem as shown.






Tie in the feather by the tip and trim.  The convex side of the feather should be facing up, and the concave side should be facing the shank of the hook.









Grab the stem with a hackle pliers, and wrap about 1 and a half wraps.












Pull the stem fairly tight, and secure the butt end with your thread.  Then trim the butt end of the hackle stem.

Stroke the hackle fibers back to seperate them all, then wrap a few tight wraps of thread.







Whip finish, trim your thread, and apply head cement.