FLY TYING 102 - HOPPER LEGS
I love hopper fishing during the late summer and early fall months. I will usually abandon my local haunts and seek out rivers where the banks are full of meadow grass.
There are over 600 hopper species found in North America alone. They range in hook size from a #14 to a #2 and come in a diversity of chromatics. No specific times for a hatch, they’re on the water during most of the daylight hours and they elicit some ‘titanic’ strikes.
I would point out that the way the leg is twisted to make the loop will determine which side of the fly the legs should go.
I am lazy and use a small crochet hook to pull the fibers through the loop.
Makes it easier for a ham-fishter person.
Rick
I use an electrical test clip, that also doubles are a hackle plier most of the time. They work better after I learned to knock the edges off with some fine sandpaper.
You can do the same as shown here with round rubber legs. For hopper legs you can use three strands (un-separated), tie the knot (I use forceps pull through), lick the knot (absolutely mandatory to get the knot to stay put), tighten. Then you can cut off two of the three tag ends a the knot to make the legs appropriate size for the larger femur and smaller tibia.
For frog legs you a use four strands (unseparated) , make a knot, make another knot 1/2" away. Trim the tag ends to a length that looks good to you as a flipper foot.