Bill Dorato was a well-known fly tier from the Albany, New York area, and he was a fishing buddy of my old friend Dick Talleur. According to Dick, the Dorato Hare’s Ear was designed to imitate a newly emerged buzzing caddisfly. Dorato used to trim the hackle on the bottom short—even with the hook point—to really make the fly skip across the surface. As you can tell just by looking at the pattern, however, its bugginess means it could imitate any number of aquatic insects, so it’s a fantastic searching pattern. (PS: I just had a “Who’s on First?”-style conversation with Tom Rosenbauer about Bill Dorato and his friend—and also a renowned fly tier—Bill Donato. So be careful you know which one you’re talking about.)
In this great video from Tightline Productions, author and blogger Matt Grober walks you through the steps to create a Dorato Hare’s Ear. As usual, you’ll learn a lot more than just how to tie this particular pattern. The way s that Matt prepares, arranges, and handles the materials offer useful lessons on hiow to become a better, more efficient tier, no matter what pattern you’re working on..
Dorato Hare’s Ear
Hook: Standard dry-fly hook (here, a Dai-Riki #300), size 10-16.
Thread: Olive, 6/0.
Wings: Wood-duck flank feather.
Tail: Grizzly and brown hackle fibers, 8-10 of each.
Body: Natural hare’s-ear dubbing.
Hackle: Grizzly and brown.
Head: Tying thread.
I knew Bill, and he would not have tied this fly……………on a Dai Riki hook…….they weren’t available then. : )
chuckle chuckle
Nice looking fly. He mentioned that it is used in the northeast, anyone think it might be useful out here in the west?
Chris, if you visit Matt’s blog http://www.caddischronicles.com he just included the video and told a story about its effectiveness in the West. Spoiler alert, the answer is yes.
Fishing this fly for thirty years since bringing it back from the Ausable. Have since modified the original only to have cut the hackle flat on the bottom. Makes a bit more of a wake, thus doing a bit better on caddis hatches.
A 1/4 length of shank tail is best for caddis imitation while full shank length tail can be used for may flies. Cutting the hackle on the bottom can create a bristle like bottom and impede the fly’s ability to skitter, pulling the fly under the surface.
I think that what the remnants of the old Spring Hole gang said of Billy was, that he was primarily a dry fly fisherman. When, at the Spring get- together events, you could follow the smell of garlic to where they were making sandwiches. Billy would show up, camel’s hair coat across his shoulders, and a pretty young girl on each side. He treated them like queens. Used to encounter him at rivers all over the area. Grateful I had a chance to fish with him.
Remember Doug Soper’s Gangally Legs fly and the right way to tie a Bull Moose?