Tying The Bead Butt Hare's Ear

Galloup's Bead Butt Hare's Ear Recipe
Thread: 12/0 SemperFli Nano Silk - www.slideinn.c...
Hook: Daiichi 1250 or Umpqua U205 #16 - www.slideinn.c...
Bead: 2.3 mm Gold Brass Bead - www.slideinn.c...
Tail: Natural Muskrat - www.slideinn.c...
Body: Bleached Hare's Mask - www.slideinn.c...
Rib: Small Gold Ultra Wire - www.slideinn.c...
Wing Case and Legs: Pheasant Tail - www.slideinn.c...

[@andysfishingandflytyingcha2310]

Hi Kelly, wish l'd seen this video years ago. What a brilliant idea and like most, so simple. The concept makes complete sense. I tied half a dozen last night after watching your video and used the pattern today at my chalk stream fed lake. After taking some nice trout early on to buzzers it went very quiet. I switched to this fly and got hit after hit. It looks so good in the water. It "porpoised" on the retrieve and the tail split over the bead just as described. It just looks great in the water. Thanks Kelly, all the way ftom the UK.

[@colejk67]

Mr Galloup, you explain and simplify things (especially fly rigging and presentation) so well rather than just showing your tying skills. Learned more watching just a few of your videos last few days vs the last year. Thank you!

[@skyleawood2649]

Clever! Love the "geek out" on this fly. Can't wait to try it this spring 🤓 ❤️ 😄 🐟

[@smitty96161]

Thanks Kelly, I always appreciate you describing the thought process behind the design of a fly. You describe very clearly how the fly rides and acts in the water, but I have a hard time visualizing it. It seems to me that with the position of the bead and a downeye hook that the fly will want to roll hook up when under tension. No big deal if the fly is tyed in the round, probably no big deal either way. I am definitely going to tye a few and find out for myself, thanks again

[@jj-ve9wy]

Mark Spitz !!! Kelly you’re aging yourself. No one under 40 knows who he is. Awesome fly . Thanks for sharing you’re knowledge and expertise.

[@dominiqueleblanc2193]

Great fly tying tip, and even greater story! Love it. Thanks for the share!

[@markbartholomew2016]

I have fished the West for years without any indicator. I fish a drop shot style of nymph rig, lead on the bottom with 2 flys above the weight. 40 years ago, we called it high-sticken or out-rigging. We fished sinking lines in still waters without an indicator with great success! Success is part of the hunt. The key to catching is understanding the environment and matching the hatch!

[@Podobed]

I'm glad those days happen to guys like Kelly every now and again lol. Thought it was just me. This concept is interesting- I've been talking more with another Michigan tyer who shares your observation and the desire to not tie just flies, but flies that perform differently- Matthew Supinski author of The Brown Trout Atlantic Salmon NEXUS....and his articulated wiggle nymphs. I like both concepts, and both will be represented in my boxes this year and I'll apply some thoughts of mine on this theme on the vise as well.

[@paulallen7651]

Thank God! When I get tired of cranking out Clouser minnows I have something new to tie.

[@dallingentry1055]

Great tie, definitely will tie some of these up!

[@ipod1978]

Beautiful pattern Kelly, Fantastic fly

[@irideaduck939]

That dubbing tool is money!

[@KevinMSmith-zf7nv]

Gotta love the hula girl!

[@emiliodouzet9878]

Gracias por mostrar y explicar de forma tan sencilla y didáctica la Hare's Ear, que fue la primera mosca que ate y pesque con ella ,gracias la atare de la forma que enseño que creo que debe ser mas atractivas para las truchas un abrazo desde Linares Chile

[@BrianOHanlon]

Kelly, what I'd recommend if you wanted to adapt this pattern to go after the bigger fish, that hunt after stone fly nymphs etc in the deeper faster water. Possibly trout that are even more the kinds of trout that one would target using a streamer fly, I could suggest an approach that I've used. With the stone fly nymph or such kinds of nymphs, the danger really is ending up with a hook that's too large, and that one ends up with a kind of fly that has 'lost' that ability to move that you suggested. I learned this at some stage I think, from fishing with a lot of saltwater flies for a while, and I noticed a lot about how they were designed. It was very frequently the case that with the saltwater prawn patterns that the rear of the fly was actually the head, and visa versa.

[@BrianOHanlon]

But later I learned how to adapt this style to freshwater fly patterns, and that's really I think how I eventually learned how to use the beads towards the rear of my flies, as opposed to at the head of the hook, where the leader eye of the hook is. What I've learned to use is something that metal lure fishermen used, called braided line. Why? Because this spinning line material of brands such as 'Spiderweb', has eight strands in it I think, and comes in diameters down to less than point zero one of a millimeter. What I tend to do, is to use a typical large stonefly nymph hook, but I break off the bend and hook and only use the shank and eye of the hook in order to provide a 'base' upon which to dress the nymph pattern.

[@BrianOHanlon]

What I do then is I use a very small nymph hook lashed to a piece or two pieces of the Spiderweb braided line, that projects from the rear of the nymph pattern. It's even possible to do exactly what they do on the 'Intruder' flies that they use for steel head. You can actually create a simple 'loop' using the Spiderweb and attach a small hook in that way if one wants. In that way, you can actually vary the 'weight' of the bead if one wants, and one can thread a bead on to the loop, and then attach on the hook like they do with the Intruder flies, and it holds the tungsten bead on there.

[@BrianOHanlon]

But what you have basically, is something that is not dramatically different from the 'Bead Butt Hair's Ear' fly pattern that you mentioned. However, what I'm describing is not a Bead Butt Hair's Ear, so much as a larger nymph searching pattern, which incorporates the kind of softer tail component to the rear. I.e. Half of the 'length' of the stone fly nymph is made up by the soft, long tail component. Half of the total length of the weighted stonefly nymph is comprised of what is actually dressed on a hook shank with the bend and point, broken off of it.

[@BrianOHanlon]

The reason that I do like this kind of fly design, is that it's not like a lot of those stone fly nymph patterns that I've seen in all of the books. I tend to find, that the 'shorter' that you keep the shank, indeed the better. So that one gets that kind of cranking motion within the fly as you mentioned, as this deep water stonefly nymph pattern either ascends or descends from the river bottom. The reason that I incorporate the tungsten (and even very small tungsten beads can carry a lot of weight in them), is because one typically fishes the stonefly nymph in the faster water sections. I've seen the two fly nymph set up also, where the larger stone fly is used at the bottom above the split shot in the 'high stick' method, and the no. 18 hair's ear nymph is used on the top dropper. I think though that people often forget that that larger stonefly nymph on the bottom can often be used for stuff that is useful. I.e. It's not only there to help with the ballast.

[@BrianOHanlon]

Normally, the style of stonefly nymph that I look at, it involves a bead that is located near the eye of the hook in the front. Then there is some 'lead' or tungsten wire wrapped around the length of a large hook, and some dark shade of dubbing applied over that. I think it may have been looking at the design of those saltwater prawn patterns a lot more, that made me change my mind about large, deep nymph patterns. What I've found too, is a lot of anglers don't know how to fish those faster, deeper parts of rivers with larger nymph patterns. There are some very take-able trout that can lurk around in those depths. Especially in summer conditions, when the middle of pools and places, tend to hold less trout because rivers are lower and one is wondering where to find them.

[@gibbyutah]

Great video Kelly, thanks!

[@Brian-fu9um]

Very nice vid - gotta try this !!! Got a question though - wouldn't having the bead on one side of the hook (the top) make the fly ride hook point up (esp. if it's tied onto tippet using a non-slip loop knot ?? - thanks \ BQ :-)

[@keenan918]

Hey Kelly, I was curious if, aside from the size/proportions, you change anything else when tying this fly for HEX? Love the vids, thanks

[@TheSlideinn]

Nope, that was the original pattern. Its a Steelie killer. Thanks, KG

[@dennisdawe7326]

What prevents the tail from separating around the bead and eliminating the reason for tieing it this way

[@TheSlideinn]

Dennis, Gravity mostly, the bead sinks the fly butt first so hair stays on top and flutters as it drops . Thanks, Kelly

[@sliced5]

Just curious. Does the bead turn the fly upside down and does it really matter?

[@TheSlideinn]

Dave, I have never seen it flip one if the bead is back where it should be, maybe if it was to far forward? Thanks, Kelly

[@glideman]

Brilliant 🤟

[@arthurskim7898]

Bravo Zulu.

[@franciscobarrosa.8662]

What kind of cement you use on your flies

[@TheSlideinn]

We normally use Hard as Hull Head Cement or the Hard as Hull Penetrator Cement.

[@termite122]

kelly,,, are the lil deer hair stackers back in stock????thnku

[@TheSlideinn]

Yes they are and you can find them here: www.slideinn.com/product/swinger-stacker/

[@mikekuczynski1552]

I hate those days ! It's best just not to tie if you can otherwise you end up with orphan flies that you won't fish and you cant give your friends :-)

[@dougcook1176]

That`s a pretty big fly kelly. Why don`t you come up here. Lets fish the Bow see how that all works for you.

[@TheSlideinn]

Doug, A 14 isn’t that big for a Mayfly. If you want to tie it smaller for PMDs, Baetis, Pseudos, Tricos go right ahead

[@markbartholomew2016]

I have always believed that a neutral buoyancy subsurface Fly was the most natural presentation. If correct, why would a negative buoyancy fly attract an “I survive because I am skeptical” predator? Fish look up because they are looking for neutral buoyancy nymphs moving toward the surface! I understand that “Euro” nymph fisherman might want to weight a terminal fly to get your rig down to the fish, but the top fly should be weightless in order to attract more predators. I’m sorry but, I do not believe in the concept of weighted nymphs as a way to catch more fish! Put your weight on the bottom and present neutral buoyancy nymphs as your offering...

[@phoult37]

The biggest issue is a strike indicator. If you are fishing unweighted flies, you need a strike indicator for detection, which invariably creates drag from the faster surface flow. So even though the unweighted fly in theory has a more natural presentation, that indicator negates the natural flow by creating drag. Obviously there are exceptions for water types such as slow, deeper runs/pools, but euro nymphing with heavy flies and no indicator is a better technique for most water types. It also allows you to fish the nymphs directly on the bottom, literally bouncing them along rocks and river bed. Even with split shot, an unweighted fly will still be up off the bottom. That can sometimes make a big difference for more lethargic fish.

[@smitty96161]

@@phoult37 he says he is drop shotting, the weight is on the bottom, you can think of it as an anchor fly that has no hook. This set up is deadly with a sighter no need for any indicator at all.

[@ottosflyfishingchannel5859]

Unfortunately in my state (NY) it's illegal to have the weight below the fly. Certain times it's also illegal to have additional weight on the leader. Oh, and you can't have more than one fly so having a heavy point with a unweighted dropper is impossible.

[@MrJimmuck]

too much talk at the start!!