Where the Pheasant Tail is slim and precise, the Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear is deliberately scruffy and buggy, and that is exactly why it works. Its picked-out, spiky dubbing suggests legs, gills and general life, so trout read it as a mayfly nymph, a caddis larva, an emerger, or just something edible. It is a perfect complement to a cleaner nymph.
What it imitates
The Hare's Ear imitates nothing exactly and a great deal generally, mayfly and caddis nymphs above all. The rough, translucent dubbing catches light and moves in the current, giving an impression of a living, wriggling insect that a tidy fly cannot.
How to fish it
Fish it dead-drift along the bottom, under an indicator or on a tight line, just like any nymph. It is a superb searching pattern and a classic point fly (the heavier, deeper fly) with a slimmer nymph on a dropper. Bead-head versions get it down fast.
Tip Pick out the dubbing. A Hare's Ear fishes best when it looks messy, use a bit of Velcro or a dubbing brush to rough up the body so the fibers stick out and pulse, that scruffiness is the whole point.
Sizes and colors
Natural hare's-mask tan and brown in a range of sizes, with gold-ribbed and bead-head variants, covers a lot of water. Carry it alongside a Pheasant Tail and you have the buggy and the slim ends of the nymph spectrum covered.