The Black Beaded Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph Fly is ideal for deep water fishing for trout using a dead drift to imitate a mayfly nymph drifting in the current near the river or lake bottom

BEADED GOLD RIBBED HARE'S EAR FLY PATTERNS. Hook size 10 12 14 16 18 20 - $US each

How to fish deep with a Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph
Use the deep water nymphing technique when fishing riffles and runs before a hatch. The same goes for fishing pocket water during a hatch when the trout are not rising. This method of underwater fishing gets your fly pattern down fast, to the level where the trout are feeding.

What you need to do is place an indicator on your leader. If you believe the fish are feeding at a depth of five feet then you want to put the indicator 5 feet up the leader away from the point fly. I always add a few inches to account for drag. Then add a split shot 8 inches up from the fly. If you are finding that the shot keeps slipping downwards then I just tie a barrel knot 8 inches up from the fly and add the shot just above the knot. The number and size of shot will depend on the water flow strength, weight of your fly and depth. I always start out light and then add weight and adjust the level of the indicator until I start getting takes or feel the fly is touching the river or lake bottom.

If a natural mayfly nymph, like a Pale Morning Dun nymph, loses its grip on the bottom and is cast into the current, it will drift close to the bottom for a while before deciding to swim to a different calmer location or sink to the river or lake bed. You have to fish your gold ribbed hare's ear nymph drag free if you want to successfully imitate the natural mayfly insect that is suspended in the current. You will have to use your rod to control the drifting line in the water to make the line is not tight.

Cast quartering upstream to the desired drift line. At the end of the forward cast I lower my rod tip and point at indicator. I follow the indicator's progress downstream with my rod tip. When I notice too much slack is developing in the fly line that is when I lift the rod while continuing to follow the indicators movement. On longer casts you have to strip in excess line. Remember a little slack in the line is necessary to prevent dragging. You will scare away the lurking trout is they see their next meal doing something strange. Mayfly nymphs do not normally stay still in the middle of the current and make a disturbance in the water. They float and go with the flow. That is what you want your GRHE fly to do as well. If the line between your rod tip and the indictor becomes straight the fly will not drift in the current drag free.

In situations where the indicator is directly cross-stream from me, I will rise the rod and lift the fly line off the water, all the way out to the indicator. I then move my rod upstream and lower it to the surface, placing the fly line back on the water upstream from its previous position. I try to do this action in one smooth continuous motion. A mend like this is sometimes necessary to keep the fly line drifting drag free. I will keep following the indicator downstream with my rod again while maintaining a small amount of slack in the line. I let the fly swim to the surface at the end of the drift. I then cast to the next quarter of the river to explore that region of the river or lake bed.

THE BLACK BEADED GRHE IN NEW ZEALAND
On my last trip to New Zealand I fished the Waipunga River. The river is a tributary of the Mokhaka. Above its spectacular waterfalls only brown trout can be found. Below the falls you will also find Rainbow trout swimming in the fast water. It had been un-seasonably cold and the normal October spring mayfly hatches had not started. There was mayfly nymph activity recorded in the lodge fish report.I tied on a hook size 10 beaded black gold ribbed hare’s ear nymph.

The tip of my fly-line flicked slightly to one side as it came down towards me, and I realised I had missed yet another trout. I stupidly had forgotten to pack a fluorescent strike indicator which I find essential in rough water conditions such as can be found on the Waipunga river. The take of the trout is like lightning and slow reactions are punished by the lack of a fish.

Once more I cast my nymph ahead of me close to the sheer cliff of the volcanic rock. The tip of my fly-line hesitated and I struck. The fish, looking for all the world like a bar of iridescent silver, leapt into the air, then sped downstream past me. I stumbled down the river best I could while I witnessed the fish jump a further three times in the air in an effort to dislodge the hook. I eventually landed my prey in the shallow water over a slab of grey rock. It was my first 2lb New Zealand Rainbow. I was lucky enough to take to more rainbow of the same size in the next glide of riffled water.

CUSTOMER'S PHOTO
This 47cm 1.4kg Chub was caught by Herve Raclot in France using a black beaded gold ribbed hare's ear nymph on hook size 10

CUSTOMER'S PHOTO
This 47cm 1.4kg chub was caught by Herve Raclot in France using a black beaded gold ribbed hare's ear nymph on hook size 10

LINKEDIN READER'S COMMENT
I live in Colorado and the Black Zebra Midges (that look very similar to the beaded black gold ribbed hares ear nymph) in size 18 - 22 are another excellent choice up there. This past May I had a couple of my best days ever on the North Platte in Wyoming landing 30+ fish a day for a couple days. - Eric Janzer

CUSTOMER'S COMMENT
This is my starting fly each year. April first is opening day here in NYS. It looks as if water will be dark and swift moving at this time. If this fly doesn't work. I will jump into a dark woolybugger. We have rain and melting snow in the forecast. I expect it to be slow, and water temps are still just not right as of yet. I will still be out working the waters. I live in the Finger Lakes region here on NYS. It is beginning of April now and most ice is gone. I have fished all winter in a couple of streams that is year round. Of course catch and release is in place. - Gerald Storrs

Tweet