REID'S IRRESISTABLE HOPPER
Hopper season is probably my all time favorite time of the year to fish trout. With late summer over and early fall approaching the trout always seem to be overly cooperative.
This is the only time during the season when I switch boxes in my vest. The only thing I carry during hopper season is attractor patterns and hopper patterns. The three or four dozen patterns I carry (in everything from a #4 to #12) fill several fly boxes.
The pattern I present today is one I've had several occasions to fish with over the last couple of years, with a great deal of success.
Materials:
- Hook: Dry Fly 2XL Sixe 6-8
- Thread: Tan, 6/0
- Tail: Grizzly Hackle Fibers
- Body: Yellow Deer Hair (olive, cream or gray are also used: match the natural in your area).
- Wing: Dark Deer Hair
- Hackle: Grizzly & Ginger, mixed
Material List:
Normally I would recommend laying in
a good base of thread. Deer hair spins
better on a hook that is not so well
prepped. Wrap your thread sparse. As you approach the bend of the hook tie in your tail fibers.
Tie in some deer hair to the shank of the hook, spin it and pack it. For packing you can use a professional tool or use a hollow ink pen tube.
Continue tying, spinning and packing
clumps of deer hair until the shank of the hook is full.
Now trim the deer hair to the shape desired, being very careful not to cut the hackle fibers of the tail.
Tie in your dark deer hair along the top of the back. Crisscross the thread over the front half of the wing to secure it to the body. The wing should extend well beyond the bend of the hook.
Tie in the two hackle fibers. Wrap the hackle and secure with thread. Tie in the head. Be liberal with head cement.
This fly is simple to tie. Because of the long silhouette I also tie it in a #10 & #12. On occasion, I have replaced the tail with a red or green wool tag. This fly is durable, floats well and is highly effective.
This pattern was conceived by Don Reid of Michigan. In northern Michigan this is also referred to as the 'Popcorn Fly.' Based on the information I received I would date this fly
around the late 1980s to early 1990s.
See you on the water…..
Tom Deschaine
~www.michigandryflies.net~
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