Jeff’s Hopper By Jeff Pierce (Dr. Fish)
This is a simple hopper pattern that is very
durable and has fooled more than its share of
fish. If it performs half as well for you as
it does for me I think you’ll be quite pleased.
Materials List: Hopper
Hook: Mustad Signature R52S in size 6.
Thread: Monofilament.
Body: Rainy’s Medium Float Foam (Yellow).
Front & Middle Legs: Rubber legs/Silly Legs cut to length.
Back Legs: Medium flex hackles (Dark Ginger).
Wing: Mottled Winging Material.
Flag: Orange CDC.
Head: 2mm Sheet Foam (Light Gray).
Tying the Hopper
- Start behind the eye and wrap a base of
thread covering one third of the tying length.
- Cut a length of foam (about 2" for a size 6)
and notch it at the center. This will help to
keep the foam from bowing out when doubled over.
I have used yellow here but also often use white
or light brown and color it with the Prismacolor
markers to “match the hatch.”
- Double the foam over and secure it to the hook
shank three sixteenths of an inch behind the eye.
Also be sure to secure the foam to the hook just
forward of where the bend starts.
- Trim a piece of winging material to form the
wing. It should be wide enough to cover the body
completely at the widest point. Fold it over to
form a crease down the center.
- Tie in the winging material so that it
overhangs the foam body slightly. Take care
to secure it as straight as possible to keep
the fly from twisting when cast.
- Thread some rubber legging material through
a needle. Run the needle through the body at an
angle to form the front leg on one side and the
middle leg on the other side. Repeat this process
so the 2 front and 2 middle legs are in place.
- Get 6 hackles of medium stiffness that are
at least 3 inches in length. I like a dark ginger
with a black centerline. Take off the hackles and
simply tie an overhand knot. As you tighten the
knot adjust the position of the feathers so that
they are the correct shape when tightened. Once
the proper shape is attained, coat the legs lightly
with some head cement for added durability.
- Secure one of the “leaper” legs in between the
front two pairs of legs. Tie it in at a slight
upward angle. The length should have the elbow
extend out to the area between where the foam body
ends and the wing ends. Once one leg is set, tie
in the other. Do your best to keep the legs as
straight (up & down) as possible. If one leg is
angled outward too far it will act as a propeller
and cause the fly to spin.
- Tie in a flag of CDC on top, between the first
and second set of legs. This is simply to help
you see the fly better.
- Trim a piece of sheet foam so it is as wide
as the fly body and tapers at each end. Poke a
hole in the center of the foam so that the eye
of the hook will pass through it.
- Slide the eye of the hook through the sheet foam.
- Fold over the sheet foam and secure it
between the first and second set of legs. The
tag end of the foam on the underside of the fly
should be trimmed as closely as possible. The
tag on the top of the fly should be trimmed to
allow the foam to overlap the CDC slightly.
Whip-finish the fly and apply some head cement.
Fishing Suggestions
I really enjoy my time fishing out west. Fishing
the creeks and rivers of Montana, Wyoming and
Colorado are a welcomed change of pace for me.
I live right on top of a couple wonderful trout
streams here in Upstate NY. While I love the
very technical fishing with small flies and
light tippets, I’m always looking forward to
my next trip out west to toss huge flies at
big trout. Some of the flies I fish in Montana
would send my local fish running under the bank
for cover. A size 4 or 6 hopper sure is easier
on the eyes then a size 28 midge.
Fishing a hopper is pretty straightforward. While
you should concentrate your efforts along the banks,
do not forget those hungry fish holding mid-river.
I find that I like to fish a longer leader when
hopper fishing. Most of my leaders are around 9
feet, I will shorten that if the river I’m fishing
is close quarters. My standard tippet is usually
5X or 6X. If there is one thing I’ve
learned about hopper fishing, it’s don’t go too
light with the tippet. Big fish love hoppers so
very fine tippets can cause some nervous moments.
Also, the nature of the flies and all those legs,
the fly may want to spin on you. This is not such
an issue with the heavier tippets. Unlike the
typical delicate presentation you make with other
dry flies, an Apollo space capsule style splash
down landing is a good attention getter with a
hopper. Don’t be afraid to give the hopper a
twitch or two during the drift. This can really
elicit some wild takes.
Hoppers also make great strike indicators when
running nymphs. It sure is fun fishing a hopper/dropper
and having a Cutthroat hit the hopper like a freight
train. I will never forget my biggest trout (resident
stream fish) I’ve taken on a fly to date. I was
fishing the Yellowstone in August of 2002. It was
about 2PM and I was wading a nice section of the river,
north of Gardiner, MT. I was running a hopper/dropper
rig (same hopper tied here) in about 3 feet of water, about
2 feet from the bank. The fish pounced on the hopper
with a large splash and I was soon into my backing.
Nearly 10 minutes later and 50 yards downriver I had
in hand a most beautiful Yellowstone Cutt. The fish
measured out at 23.75 inches and must have weighed 6
pounds. Since there was no wind that afternoon I was
fishing my 6.5ft 3WT spring creek rod I love so much.
Man, that was a lot of fun! Yes, I love hoppers! Oh,
don’t forget that other fish like Bass and Panfish LOVE
hoppers too.
~ Jeff Pierce
Originally published September 5, 2005 on Fly Anglers Online by Jeff Pierce.