How to Tie Bob Wyatt’s Snowshoe Hare Emerger (SHE) – An Amazing Dry Fly for Trout

Could this be the best dry fly ever?

In this video, I tie Bob Wyatt’s amazing Snowshoe Hare Emerger (SHE), a pattern that covers almost any hatching invertebrate, from caddis/Tricoptera to the messier emerging stages of upwings/Ephemeroptera.

Originally developed by Bob Wyatt as a follow-up to his Deer Hair Emerger (DHE), the SHE imitates a vast range of invertebrates. Its messy, noisy, buggy footprint is perfect for the ‘less sexy’ emerging stage of the Ephemeroptera. Unlike its older dun and spinner stages, the emerger is an outright mess and a perfect target for feeding trout.

This is a discernible, highly buoyant pattern thanks to the Snowshoe wing, and it must sit in the film rather than sitting vertically through it. As a result, I dub and trim the abdomen tightly, letting it pierce the surface film. This positions the fly perfectly as an emerging invertebrate.

Fishing-wise, I use this on all my waters. From the small freestone streams that thread their way through our Welsh mountains and valleys to the larger main stems of the Usk and Monnow. It fishes just as well on broken water as it does on those longer glassy glides, and it’s visible as hell throughout. I grease the wing before fishing, and when it eventually succumbs to waterlogging, I dry it off using desiccant powder.

Materials

Hook: Fulling Mill Czech Nymph (5065), Size 16
Thread: Fulling Mill Pro GSP, 30D, White
Abdomen: Fulling Mill Eco Warrior Dub, Pepperbox (trimmed tight)
Wing: Snowshoe Hare Foot, Natural/Cream
Thorax: Fulling Mill Eco Warrior Dub, Pepperbox (split thread)

Tying Note – Don’t over-dub the abdomen. That, in conjunction with your choice of hook, is what helps this pattern pierce the surface film and sit correctly. A Superfine-style synthetic dubbing also works nicely.