[fshfanatic]

I like the Turks Tarantula as well. I have done very well with it over the yrs.

Hopper Season rocks!

[Gordon Bryson]

Freeze, I'd think you'd have to put some type flotation (i.e., foam, or treat the fly with flotant). Most hopper patterns are tied to rest in the film, not float high like a foam popper, but they should stay on the surface. Your idea sounds good for the dressing though.

[Fish Bones]

Club Sandwich Hopper

Description
Ken Burkholder's Club Sandwich has quickly gained a cult following. Ken is an innovative tier and premier guide on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. During the summer of 1999 this fly was in such high demand that even a previously fished fly could bring a premium price. The simple design simulates a hopper perfectly. Variations of this fly are currently being produced by three major manufacturers including Orvis.

Recipe:
HOOK: Dai-Riki 700, 4XL, #6-#10.
THREAD: Wapsi 140-denier Hopper Yellow.
BODY: Laminated sheets of tan, peach, and grey 2mm Craft Foam cut to shape. White 2mm craft foam on top for strike indicator.
LEGS: Back legs: three strands of knotted brown round rubber. Middle and front legs: one strand of brown round rubber.

Tying Instructions
This fly can be tied in other colors and some variations use knotted front legs. Ken uses tweezers to form front leg joints. This takes a little practice and adjustment to align the joints in the desired position.

1. Cement the hook shank and wrap a thread base. Cut the body from laminated foam. It should be two shanks long and a gap wide. Make a shallow slit in the tan belly with a razor or knife.

2. Position the thread at mid- shank. Push the belly slit onto the hook shank. Pinch the foam and then wrap the thread around it to secure it to the hook shank. Make a spiral wrap back and form a segment with stationary wraps. Continue this back past the bend until you have almost reached the end of the foam body.

3. Wrap the thread back to the original tie-in point with spiral wraps.

4 Form knotted hopper legs. Tie the rubber legs in the "X" style. The leg joint should be even with the end of the body. Don't cut off the front legs. Tie the back of the indicator on top of the body.

5. Lift the foam head and wrap the thread around the hook shank until you are almost back at the hook eye. Secure the foam here, then the legs and the front of the indicator. Whip-finish and cement.

6. Separate the front rubber legs and cut off the top two. Trim the remaining leg to a shank length.

7. Use your bodkin to pierce a hole through the middle layer of foam at the center of the thorax for the center set of legs. Use a piece of bent wire to pull a single strand of rubber through the foam. Trim the legs so they stick out 3/4-shank length on both sides.

8. Trim the foam butt and head at a slight angle. Use a marker to make eyes. Lightly cementing the body segments will make the wraps more durable.

[Bone Daddy]

The GR-Hopper works well for me anywhere I go. Its so easy to tie that I think you can just look at the pic and figure it out. Use any color you want.

[freeze69]

I'll have to look around the house and see what kind of foam I have around the house. Sure I've got some somewhere. Will post a picture when I get it tied though.

tried my first one. gotta get some bigger hooks though. it ended up more like a brown wooly bug that should float. used horse hair in black and gray for a leggy look. outta be interesting. will have to fish it to see if it works or not. if so will post pictures.

[freeze69]

took a good look at a grasshopper at home this morning before work. noticed some greens and browns and kind of took that idea and ran with it. here's what i came up with. don't know what everyone will think. just used what materials i had. had to use a wet-fly hook in a sz8, with some foam around it.(checked first to make sure it'd float though) and made it up as i went along. going to try it out this weekend with big don and see how it does. hoping either crappie or bluegill. don't know about trouts but will try it on them to what have i got to lose.

[Trout Bum]

Dubbed Deer Hair Hopper

Hook: Dai Riki 270, size 10-14
Thread: Olive
Underbody:Tan foam
Body: Olive sparkle dubbing
Legs: Knotted yellow dyed grizzly hackle
Wing: Pre-formed mottled olive stonefly wing. Wing is folded tent-like over body.
Head: About 80% olive and 20% yellow deer hair, dubbed

Uses
Imitates grasshoppers, which can be common from late July through early fall. Grasshoppers are terrestrial insects, but they often fall onto the water from streamside vegetation. They represent a large and easy meal to trout.

For more on this pattern, see the article Hoppers . . . At Last

Variations
Vary the body color to match the insects that are available. Common natural colors are lemon yellow, chartreuse, dark brown, dark gray, and dark olive .

How to Fish
Dress the fly with floatant and use standard dry fly presentations. On small streams, you can fish a hopper anywhere in the river, but on larger flows you will do best to present the fly right next to the bank. On larger rivers, the best places to cast are along the margins, no more than 15 feet from the bank, and often only inches from the bank. Unless you're fishing from a boat, you may find it works best to wade into the river and cast back to the bank.

One effective tactic is to cast so the fly hits shoreside grass, then lands in the river with a distinct plop. This mimics the natural insect. To further imitate natural behavior, give the fly an occasional twitch as it drifts.

Tying Instructions
1. De-barb hook, put in vice, start thread.

2. Tie in foam for underbody.

3. Dub over foam with olive sparkle dubbing.

4. Tie in wing material for wing. Trim short.

5. Tie in legs. Apply a drop of superglue to hold them in place without hard thread tension, which could bend the wing.

6. Mix deer hair and dub it on for head. For more about this technique, see Dubbing with Deer Hair.

7. Whip finish and trim

[Gordon Bryson]

Good looking bug Freeze. I think you're going to be happy with the results.
I think if more of us would experiment more there would be a lot of new patterns out there that the fish had never seen before. Keep tying.

[freeze69]

hopefully it'll produce well. i like the one that trout bum did up. that's a nice looking fly.

[Gordon Bryson]

TB, that's an awesome bug. If I saw it laying on the ground, I'd either try to catch it or to stomp it. Looks realistic!