The Hare and Copper Flashback

It's that time of the year again! Nothing rising to the dry, but fish everywhere hugging the bottom. One of Murray's and my favourite combinations is an indicator with a big bead head brown nymph as the top fly and a hare and copper flashback as the second nymph just tripping along the bottom. On a trip to the top of the North Island of New Zealand a few years ago, We fished various rocky and fast streams with a size 10 bead head brown nymph as the top fly and a size 14 flash back about twelve inches below it. Amost every fish that we landed took the flash back. Many were lost with the small hook pulling out. The flash back is nothing more than a standard hare and copper with a wing case tied of some flashy material. Murray and I favour a case made from pearl mylar, others use crystal flas or silver shimmerflash.

Hook: TMC 3761 # 10 to #14
Thread: black or red.
Tail: Either a tuft of hairs fur or a bunch of brown hackles.
Body: Dubbed hares fur, the spikier the better!
Ribbing: Copper wire.
Thorax: Dubbed hares fur.
Wing case: Pearl mylar strip or any other flashy material.

1. Lay in a layer of thread from the eye of the hook to the bend. If tying a weighted nymph, now is the time to wrap a few turns of lead wire around the shank over the thread. Apply a little head cement to lock it in place.
2. Tie in a tuft of hare's fur or a bunch of brown hackles at the bend.
3. tie in the copper wire for ribbing.
4. Dub a tapered body to just over half way up the hook shank.
5. Rib the body evenly with the copper wire. tie off and trim off the excess wire.
6. Tie in a short piece of pearl mylar or the flash material of your choice.
7. Now dub the thorax, slightly fatter than the body.
8. Bring the flash material forward to form the wing case. Tie off, trim off excess flash material, form the head.
9. Whip finish, varnish.
10. Go fishing.

TIP! If weighting the fly with lead wire, use red tying thread. Then if the flies get mixed up in your box, you will know that the ones with the black head are unweighted and the red ones are weighted.

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