GOLD RIBBED HARE'S EAR NYMPH
The Natural Grey Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear is very often referred to by the four initials GRHE. It is one of those flies that every Rainbow or Brown Trout flyfishing angler should have in their flybox. It imitates many mayfly nymphs that are the staple food for these fish the scruffy appearance of these flies is a good thing. In fact I pull some of the fibres out on purpose. They give a life like movement to the fly and appear to the fish as moving side gills or legs. I remember my first time fishing the Madison River near Yellowstone National Park, USA. I did not know what fly to tie on to my line. In these circumstances in England I always reach for a Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear nymph. So that is what I did. I choose a hook size 14. The water was flowing fast and I would need to see it bob on the surface so I generously greased the fly. My first few casts yielded nothing but then I choose a new target area. A riffle that bubbled between two rocks. Within a few seconds I saw a snout of a trout suck the fly down and then I was in for a fight. I successfully landed a 3lb Madison River Brown Trout on a tiny speck of English fur on a hook. Most fish in rivers like the Madison can be found near the bank. Some can be found in the main stream where big rocks break up the flow and then form areas of calmer water. This is where the trout wait for something good to eat to float by. The distance from my boat was a longer distance. I needed to now use a fly that was more visible. I still choose a GRHE but this time the parachute version what had the white post on the top. My tally was a 4lb Rainbow and a 1 1/2 lb Brown

Lake and Reservoirs fly fishing from a boat tips
If you are going to go fly fishing in a boat very early in the season then make sure you wrap up very warmly. This time of the year the weather is changeable from sun to wind, rain and even snow. Here are a few tips. Always listen to the weather forecast the evening before you go and again in the morning before you step into any boat. You need to find out where the fish are feeding so look out for other anglers catching fish. Don't fish in open water. Keep your tactics to bankside drifts as they are normally the most productive but avoid other fly fishermen fishing from the bank. Shoals of fish follow the contours of the bank. Take short drifts along the shoreline to try and intercept the shoals of trout. Make sure you keep a wide berth from other boat users. 

Any noise made on your boat will be amplified under the water so try not to make any noise. Use a good comfortable fishing boat seat and use a long handed landing net to prevent your boat capsizing. Spoon a fish to see what it is eating. Always always wear a life jacket and glasses to prevent hooks going in your eyes. For my nymphing set-up I put a natural gold ribbed hares ear on the point with two droppers, normally a heavy epoxy buzzer in the middle and a lighter weight epoxy buzzer on the top. Rod will be a 10ft 7-wt with intermediate or floating line and six foot lengths of 6lb to 8lb flurocarbon leader.s

CUSTOMER'S COMMENTS
Gray Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Nymphs in size 16, 14 & 12 are in my top ten list of flies. Most of my fishing is on rivers and streams in Maine, USA. Occasionally I'll canoe a few ponds. Most noted are the rivers of Kennebec, Penobscot, Moose, Crooked, Rapid, Messalonskee, Kenebago, Grand Lake Stream, Magaloway, Dead River, Kenduskeag and Sebasticook. As always tight lines, Jeff Haresear