Dave's Hopper

Fly: Doug Jeffries, Photograph: Hans Weilenmann

Hook: TMC 5263, 3X long dry fly hook, sizes 10 - 8
Thread: Tan, 6/0
Tail: Red deer or elk, with a loop of pale yellow or tan yarn over it
Body hackle: Brown or ginder, open palmer and clipped short
Body: Pale yellow or tan wool yarn (also tie a light green variant for early hoppers)
Underwing: Red squirrel tail or calf tail, (also tie a yellow under wing)
Wing: Mottled turkey wing section, coated with Softex or Flexament
Legs: Thin section of mottled turkey quill or pheasant tail, knotted to form leg joint
Head: Spun natural elk, clipped flat on bottom, shape head on top

This dry fly is becoming more and more popular, although most Kiwi's will not go through the trouble of making the knotted legs. I left a few with a friend (who is a guide) and he said he's save the hoppers for very special fish (in his terms that means a double digit fish).

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© 2002 Hans Weilenmann
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