He started with a basic foam design, but when his first
attempts were not as successful as Paul felt they should
have been he went to the field and caught several hoppers
to more closely study them. He got a real surprise when
he inspected them up close. First the hoppers from his
area did not have yellow bodies instead they had a tan
variegated body. Also the kicker legs were large and red.
Back at the vise the Klod Hopper was born and became an
instant success with the fish and Paul. We must admit
it's become our favorite hopper pattern as well and
recommend it to all of you.
Materials for Klod Hopper:
Instructions - Klod Hopper:
Step 1: Place the hook in the vise and attach the tying
thread behind the hook eye. Cut 2mm craft foam into a
strip as wide as the hook gape and trim one end so it
comes to a blunt point. Position the foam strip so the
pointed end sticks out beyond the end of the hook a
short distance. Tie it on starting at the front and
ending at the end of the shank. Leave the thread there
for the next step and do not trim off the extra foam
sticking out front.
Step 2: Prepare and tie on a brown hackle. Dub a body
that covers the back 3/4 of the shank. Palmer the
hackle forward, tie it off, and trim away the waste
end. Notice the hackle is sized smaller than normal.
Step 3: Select, clean, and stack a clump of elk hair.
Bind it to the hook to form a wing that is as long as
the body. Trim away the excess fibers.
Step 4: Select two sections of red/black rubber
leg material and tie them both on the near side
of the hook with a couple of snug wraps. Reposition
one of the leg segments to the off side of the hook
then bind them both in place with several tight wraps.
Use your scissors to trim them to length.
Step 5: Grab the foam strip remaining from
Step 1, pull it over, and bind it to the hook to
form the head. Trim away the excess foam. Notice
the trimmed end of foam helps hold the wing fibers
in place. Whip finish and remove the thread. Apply
a coat of Aqua Head to seal the whip finish.
6. A top view of the same fly. ~ Al and Gretchen
Credits: The Klod Hopper fly is from Al & Gretchen Beatty's book,
Innovative Flies and Techniques, published by Frank Amato
Publications, (2005). You can read a review of this terrific book
HERE.
