Dave’s Hopper
By Gary Lewis
I could see the fish, a big rainbow, in eight inches of water against the sandy bottom at the head of the pool. Because he was two feet long he commanded the best place to eat.
There was a grasshopper pattern in my box and I cast it to him, setting the fly down just off the bank about two feet upstream and letting it drift back to him. He missed the first time and I waited five minutes, casting again and hooking him in the jaw when he slurped the fly in. There was no controlling that one. He headed straight for a submerged tree and went over the top of it then underneath, yanking my fly from his mouth and embedding it in the log. I lost the fish and the fly.
Tie the Dave's Hopper on a #6-#12 long dry fly hook. Use red hackle fibers for the tail. Tie in a ginger dry fly hackle, leave trailing off the back of the hook until body is tied. Use yellow chenille or poly yarn for the body. Leave a little loop extended above the tail and wrap 3/4 of shank to eye. Wrap hackle forward and tie off, trimming it close to the body. Use turkey quill for the wing, lacquering to hold it together before tying in. Use turkey quill for the legs, lacquering and tying knee joints before tying in. Spin deer hair for the head, trimming it tight on the bottom and sides, leaving it long over the wing.
