This weeks step by step is a Flash Back Hares Ear Jig. A variation of the standard Hares ear nymph, this fly is certainly one that is a proven fish catcher, a simple but deadly pattern.

I’m tying this fly on a size 16 Fulling Mill jig hook with a 3.0mm tungsten bead and using it when fishing a french leader. However, when fishing the duo method otherwise known as klink and dink/dry and dropper. I tie this fly on a much smaller hook and usually I’d opt for a hook such as the Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry Fly Hook, and sometimes down to #20/24 this is because the fly In this step by step below would be too heavy to fish under a dry fly and would just pull it under. See how I tie it below and be sure to add some of these in all sizes in your river fly box

The materials I’m using here are the following

• Hook – Fulling Mill Jig Force Hook size 16

• Bead – Lathkill Fly tying 3.0 Slotted Tungsten in Silver

• Thread – Semperfli Black Waxed Thread 12/0

• Tail – Coq De Leon

• Flashback – Semperfli Silver Holo Tinsel

• Rib – Semperfli Bright Silver Wire

• Body – Lathkill Hares Ear

Step 1 – Place the bead on the hook and fix the hook in your vice.

Step 2 – Start your thread behind the bead and make thread wraps to secure the bead so it doesn’t move about. Trim away the waste thread

Step 3 – Taking your thread down to the bend of the hook, catching in your tail fibres, I like a bunch of around 5/6 fibres. For the length of the tail you want to aim for around the length of the body/hook shank Trim away the waste ends of the coq de Leon.

Step 4 – Take the thread back up towards the bead tying down any ends of the coq de Leon, making a nice level body.

Step 5 – Prepare the wire and catch in tightly with your thread.

Step 6 – whilst making thread turns back towards the tail just before you reach the bend of the hook I like to catch in the flash back, this makes it easier for you to control, adjust and make sure that it will sit directly on top of the hook and not slide around the shank.

Step 7 – Once you’re happy that the flash back is in the right position trim away the waste piece and tidy up.

Step 8 – Take a pinch of Hares ear dubbing or similar, I like to make sure that it’s nice and spikey! Dub onto the thread. Like I always tell any beginners it’s much easier to add more than to take it off so if your not too sure if you have enough subbed on you can always add more along the way!

Step 9 – Make the body by wrapping the dubbing all the way up to the bead, your looking to make a carrot shape body, nice and tapered!

Step 10 – Taking the tinsel, gently pull it over the top of the body and make a couple of turns to catch it in behind the bead. Make sure that it’s sitting right over the top of the body and not pulling towards the sides of the fly. Once your happy take a couple of tighter turns I like to do one behind the tinsel and one in-front then trim the waste piece away.

Step 11 – Take the wire and make open turns up towards the bead. Make sure that they don’t pull the tinsel to the side of the fly. Take a few turns of thread to secure the wire then wiggle the wire until it snaps off, try not to use your scissors as it will make them blunt! On this size fly I would expect to get 4/5 turns of wire.

Step 12 – take another pinch of dubbing and dub onto your thread make a few turns to make a nice spikey thorax.

Step 13 – whip finish and add a dab of varnish to secure the fly.

Again I hope this step by step gave someone the inspiration to pick the vice up and tie a few flies! I always like to have a varied selection of these in my box in a range of colours and sizes! Thanks for reading and come back next Monday to see another step by step of some of my favourite flies!

Tight lines