Ultra Zug Hare’s Ear – 02/01/2012

The ultra zug hare’s ear is a variation on the ultra zug. I was quite pleased with the ultra zug, and Sanchez provides the recipe for an ultra zug hare’s ear at the end of the chapter. Could this be a faster tie for the beadhead hare’s ear that I tie in large quantities? I made five of these, and I hope to test them in situations where I use the beadhead hare’s ear and compare the performance.
ComponentMaterial
HookTiemco 2457, size 14
BeadGold to fit hook size
ThreadBrown 6/0
TailFibers from partridge or pheasant body feather
RibStrand of crystal flash
BodyNatural hare's mask
CollarSynthetic gray or olive brown dubbing spun behind bead
Ultra Hares Ear with Olive Brown Collar

The pattern called for synthetic hare’s ear dubbing for the abdomen, but I elected to use the scraggly hair from a hare’s mask that I normally use. I believe that the guard hairs protruding in every direction are part of the reason this fly is so effective. For the collar I tried two different materials. On the first three I used the charcoal gray sculpin wool that my friend Jeff sent me. My beadhead hare’s ear has a gray wing case and light brown or tan legs, so I felt the charcoal wool approximated this coloring near the head of the fly. The last two I tied using synthetic olive brown dubbing material. These look equally buggy with a darker coloration near the head of the imitation.

Ultra Hares Ear with Charcoal Sculpin Wool Collar