Dave's Hopper is frequently used as a trout fly.
Dave's Hopper is a Dave Whitlock fly-pattern designed as a realistic grasshopper imitation. The fly construction follows the exact anatomy of the grasshopper, and the materials provide buoyancy to float the fly. Dave's Hopper may also be drowned to imitate a dead, submerged grasshopper.
Instructions
1. Clamp the hook in the vise. Wrap the thread from the hook eye to the hook bend.
2. Cut a small clump of died-red deer-hair-fibers. Hold the fibers on the hook bend to create a tail. Measure the fibers to match one-half the length of the hook's shank. Make 10 thread-wraps to secure the deer hair.
3. Cut a 1-foot section of yellow poly yarn. Make 10 thread-wraps to secure it at the hook bend.
4. Select a brown hackle-feather. Stroke the fibers against the natural direction to expose the tip. Hold the tip of the feather on the hook bend; make 10 thread-wraps to secure it in place.
5. Fold the poly yarn to create a small loop above the tail. Make five thread-wraps to secure the loop. Wrap the thread two-thirds of the way down the hook shank. Wrap the yarn down the shank until you reach the thread. Make 10 thread-wraps to secure the yarn. Cut the extra length off the hook.
6. Wrap the hackle feather over the poly-yarn body in a diagonal, spaced pattern. Stroke the fibers with each wrap to prevent them from trapping beneath the stem. Stop at the thread, and make 10 wraps to secure the feather. Cut the extra feather material off the hook.
7. Select a mottled turkey-feather, and lay it over the body. Adjust the feather until the tip is slightly longer than the tail; make 10 thread-wraps to secure it on the hook. Cut the extra base material off the hook. Add a slight flex to the feather as you make the thread wraps. This forms a curved wing.
8. Cut a clump of deer hair from a hide. Comb the base of the hair with your fingers to remove the underfur. Hold the hair on top of the hook, with the tips aligned at the hook point. Apply pressure downward to spread the hair around the hook shank. Make five thread-wraps to hold the hair in place.
9. Hold the tips of the deer hair in place. Make five thread-wraps to flare the base of the hair. The hair assumes a wild pattern that covers the remaining hook shank. Trim the bottom of the flared deer-hair with a razor blade. Flex the blade, and trim the remainder of the hair in a rounded design.
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