Gettin' buggy with it

[Old Hat]

A slight variation of a pattern I found in Charles Jardine's Flies, Ties and Techniques. Originally a river pattern which he favors using on still water. Meant to be fished in the surface film. Dry?... maybe ?, wet?... maybe? Either way, I say drowned buggy insect that has all the keys of fish catcher. The pattern is simply called the Hopper. He concludes that he doesn't know why really as it doesn't resemble much of anything.

Hook: Klinkhammer #16 ( I used this as I just like the shape and open hook point, Jardine uses a wide gape dry hook)
Thread: black
Tag: gold tinsel (original uses pearl mylar tag)
Body: red Davy's Bug Dub SLF (original uses red seal)
Legs: 6 (3 each side) single pheasant tail fibers with a knot near the ends of each
Hackle: brown genetic hen (original uses a softer cock hackle)

Hopper.jpg (232.76 KiB) Viewed 6124 times

[Kelly L.]

I like this one very much. The color is gorgeous too.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Very nice, Carl. The legs add a certain something to this fly. I hate making them, even with the little knit-picking tool. I like your hook choice as well. Well done.

[hankaye]

Old hat, Howdy;

Nicely tyed....

I've got a fair amount of patience, however, don't think I'd
handle the tedious bit of tying each (X6), for every fly ...
then placing each one 'just so.....


hank

[Hans Weilenmann]

Perhaps as a clarification - what the UK folks refer to as a Hopper would be a Crane Fly, a.k.a. Daddy Long Legs.

It is not referencing a Grasshopper.

Cheers,
Hans W

[hankaye]

Hans, Howdy;

Once again you helped to prove the old saying about the UK
and the USA. "Two Great Countries separated by a common language."
I think that's how it goes...

hank

[Old Hat]

Perhaps as a clarification - what the UK folks refer to as a Hopper would be a Crane Fly, a.k.a. Daddy Long Legs.

It is not referencing a Grasshopper.

Cheers,
Hans W

He does mention that in the book Hans. Hopper/Crane fly. But again, this really doesn't match either one. The name doesn't reference a grasshopper in the UK but once brought to the states that is how the fly was fished normally, as a grasshopper pattern. Grasshopper/Cranefly the fish don't care as long as it looks like food.

Those UK folks are always messing things up. Hopper is grasshopper, Crane fly is a crane fly, and a Daddy Long Legs is an arachnid.

[Hans Weilenmann]

Carl,

I was not presuming to educate you on the matter

My post was meant as general info to correct any confusion on the "hopper" description.

Cheers,
Hans W

[Old Hat]

No correction presumed. Took it completely as sharing information.

[michaelgmcgraw]

In the U.K that would be referred to as a "Daddy" or "Hopper" as used mostly on still waters.