FLYMPH FORUM

Every year I ask myself the same question....

Why do I believe that Hares ear and body fur and reasonably fine Seals Fur are for most applications the finest dubbing materials that one can attach to a hook to present subsurface to a trout - is it simply my condfidence in these materials , hardly - seals fur is for sure a little special, but what makes a lowly hare stand out amongst a host of other little furry critters that roam our world.

I have some squirrel, muskrat, rabbit, mole and god knows what else - some seem to exhibit nice variation in colour and markings but yet I cannot pass over Mr Hare except in very particular circumstances.

What qualities has this stuff got ... is it simply almost the perfect texture for many subsurface flies, threading that fine line between rough and smooth, is it down to the wonderful colour and shade variations...

Anyone agree or have opinions on Mr Hare.

Otter, Howdy;

Not enough experience to put forth a theory or expostulate about anything
with any kind of knowledge base.....

I am getting comfortable so's I can learn some more.....

color me All ears (eyes ...whatever) .......

hank

I agree with you on the versatility of the hares ear but my favorite is Aus. possum. I can get more color combinations and textures blending with the possum. And there is more of it.

Otter wrote:...but what makes a lowly hare stand out amongst a host of other little furry critters that roam our world.

Anyone agree or have opinions on Mr Hare.

Otter,

Each material we use has strengths and limitations. There is no one single 'best' material, but there are several materials which have pretty specific and unique characteristics. Peacock herl comes to mind.

As to Hare - I would not know of a like-for-like substitute of Hare's Ear, and check out my Harequin pattern in the Fly Dressings section, and perhaps you can suggest an alternative look&feel for the collar. I cannot.

Cheers,
Hans W

Hans Weilenmann wrote:

Otter wrote:...but what makes a lowly hare stand out amongst a host of other little furry critters that roam our world.

Anyone agree or have opinions on Mr Hare.

Otter,

Each material we use has strengths and limitations. There is no one single 'best' material.

Cheers,
Hans W

Would agree entirely with that.

Yet from my limited experience, I have found that hare exceeds, in trout acceptability, all other seemingly similar materials in many patterns that I use.
This may only be my perception and may or not have any substance in actuality.

If my view that this is a class 1 dubbing material holds true and I were to hazard a guess Why, it would be that the inherent variations in colour, tone and texture of most hare mixes allows this material to be a very effective body dubbing accross a wide range of light conditions.

There is one thing to take into consideration Hare body hair is not readily accessible here in the States, so I would imagine that most tyers don't have any experience with it. I would further guess that there is a substantial difference from the body hair to the mask.

narcodog wrote:Hare body hair is not readily accessible here in the States, so I would imagine that most tyers don't have any experience with it.

Why not? No clear demand, hence not packaged and available, or? You have easy access into Hare's Ears, or masks - which would suggest the body part of the critter could not have been far away...

The European Hare (Lupus Europeus) has been introduced into various other geographical regions, even into the USA, so there is domestic stock (be it limited). It is also known as Brown Hare, Eastern Jackrabbit and Eastern Prairie Hare - with established populations in the north-east part of the USA and into Ontario, Canada.

I would further guess that there is a substantial difference from the body hair to the mask.

Yes, very much so. As you can see from the two patterns I posted (yesterday and today) the guard hair has distinct color banding. The underfur, though, is a very soft and fine textured light cream.

I will snap a picture of the patch I have used later today, and add it to this thread.

Cheers,
Hans W

Hans, you are more knowledgeable than I am on this matter but I would think that the majority of masks and ears are imported. That the commercial market is geared to the fashion industry and not our tying market. I watch and search for all types of hides and I very seldom see hare hides or even pieces of hare for sale here. Now maybe it is marketed differently or misnamed when it is advertised.

Usually if there is an advert it's for snowshoe hare which is again a different animal. Again there are not many sources for SH hides although there are plenty of feet to be had.

It's like the Argentinian Hare that you use, I have only found two sources for that and both are rather expensive. Now when you come to the get together in Roscoe you could stuff a suitcase full of some of this material.

Since you have given us some different common names to look for I'll try those.

narcodog wrote:Hans, you are more knowledgeable than I am on this matter but I would think that the majority of masks and ears are imported.

You are almost certainly correct there.

That said... hare patches are a common item for UK resellers, and ordering some should be trivial, no?

For example, Cookshill is one of the finest outlets for feather and fur in the UK and they list hare body patches for GBP 1.50

http://www.cookshill-flytying.co.uk/hair.htm

Cheers,
Hans W

I do have a couple of patches from Steve, and I do like using them. One problem in ordering patches you may get the same piece from the same area on the animal. Whereas like all animals different parts of the body, different textures and colors.