Hare's ear tail

[jpb5002]

What is the easiest to use for the tail of a hare's ear? I've been using zonker strips and hare's mask. They are both a pain. Just wanted to see what the skilled fly tyers are using these days.

 

[shakey]

i use pheasant tail for both the tail and thorax cover.of course this is wrong but it works for me.

i tye in the pheasant tail as a tail,dub the abdomen over,fold the pheasnt tail bac,dub the thorax then pull the cover over,tye off with a whip finish.i usually use gold wire instead of tinsel for the rib.

 

[tomgamber]

hackle fibers or pheasant tails work just fine...depends on the size...sometimes I'll even use deer or elk hair depending on what's already out on the bench.

 

[Padraic]

I use a pinch of the hare's mask. Usually the areas that are more guard hairs, like the nose.

 

[live2fish]

Depends on the recipe you are using. Some use hares mask and others use pheasant tail. I use pheasant tail. Only problem with that is they don't last as long as the fly. End up with a tailless nymph, but the fish don't seem to mind. In fact I'm not even sure if you can call what I tye a hares ear. The only thing that is the same is the tail and rib, which is the center of oval tinsel.

Tail: pheasant tail
Rib: gold tinsel
Body: squirrel
Thorax: Squirrel with guard hairs
Wingcase: goose wing feather

It catches fish. So what would you call it? Squirrel nymph.

 

[MKern]

I use turkey tail tied in like shakey's method.

Sometimes I use deer hair for the tail and turkey tail for the case.

 

[JeffK]

I like a softer tail from some kind of game bird feather.

Generally I use a bunch of fibers from partridge feathers - especially the ones on a skin that are too big for decent soft hackles. Bunches of mallard, wood duck, or similar duck flank feather work in the same way. Some old-timers used to swear by using orange dyed mallard flank. Generally I like barred feathers in roughly the same shade as the hare's ear dubbing.