Snowshoe Hare's Foot Sulphur Fly - Fly of the Month

by Matt O'Neal of Savage Flies: Find him on his YouTube channel at Savage Flies

This month’s pattern is a simple take on one of the most prevalent mayflies to hit our springtime waters-- the Ephemerella Invaria, or more colloquially called the Sulphur Dun by fly fishermen. Depending on your geography they may differ slightly in size and coloration, but they all have one thing in common-- a yellowish body and white wing.

I came up with this version when looking for a simple sulphur fly that would be buoyant enough to hang a dropper nymph. Snowshoe hare’s foot fur to the rescue. Granted, with enough Antron and hackle, we can tie anything to float like a cork, but the fur from the padding on a snowshoe hare’s foot is more buoyant than most all synthetics and will give us the same visibility as a high-viz Antron.

One bonus with this sulphur fly is that it’s easy for us to see, without being too gaudy looking to the fish. And in sizes 14-16, you can hang a fairly weighty nymph off it. Do keep in mind that snowshoe hare is not the easiest material to lash onto our hooks, and it’s downright tricky to use on anything smaller than a size 18, but give it a try and after a couple of flies, you’ll find it’s a very versatile material to the dry fly tier.

Hook: #12-18 dry fly

Thread: Yellow or cream

Tail: White hackle fibers

Body: Yellow or cream dry fly dubbing

Wing: Snowshoe hare’s foot

Hackle: White dry fly hackle