Dave's Hopper
| Dave's Hopper | |
|---|---|
| Artificial fly | |
 Dave's Hopper | |
| Type | Dry fly |
| Imitates | Grasshoppers, crickets |
| History | |
| Creator | Dave Whitlock |
| Created | 1950s |
| Variations | Dave's cricket (tied in black) |
| Materials | |
| Typical sizes | 6-14, 2X-3X long |
| Typical hooks | TMC 200R, DaiRiki 700 |
| Thread | 6/0 nylon brown |
| Tail | Red deer hair |
| Body | Yellow wool or synthetic yarn |
| Wing | Mottled turkey wing or tail |
| Ribbing | Brown hackle |
| Legs | Yellow grizzly hackle stems, knotted |
| Collar | Deer hair tips |
| Head | Spun and clipped deer hair |
| Uses | |
| Primary use | Trout, Panfish |
| Other uses | Bass |
| Reference(s) | |
| Pattern references | Trout Flies-The Tier's Reference (1999) Hughes[1] |
Dave's Hopper is an artificial fly designed to imitate adult grasshoppers and other Orthoptera species. It is considered a dry fly terrestrial pattern. It was designed by fly tyer and angler, Dave Whitlock and combined the best aspects of Joe's Hopper and Muddler Minnow patterns.[2]
Origin
Imitates
The Dave's Hopper imitates adult short-horned grasshoppers (suborder Caelifera) of which there are 1000s of individual species. Grasshoppers frequent grassy areas adjacent to rivers and lakes but are generally considered weak flyers. During windy conditions or when trying to cross bodies of water, they routinely land in the water and are consumed by fish. The Dave's Hopper is a generic terrestrial pattern designed to float and suggest a grasshopper that's just fallen into the water. They are most often fished close to banks and shorelines. They have proven to be an effective summertime and fall pattern for trout, bass and panfish anywhere grasshoppers are found
Materials
Dave's Hoppers are usually tied on 2X or 3X long dry fly hooks such as the TMC 200R and uses red deer hair for the tail. The body was original tied with yellow wool yarn, but more modern examples use yellow synthetic yarn for better flotation. The body is ribbed with a brown rooster neck hackle. The wing is created from a section of mottled turkey tail or wing feather. The head and collar are created with spun and clipped natural deer hair. Legs are simulated with a yellow grizzly hackle stem that is knotted to resemble the large rear legs most hoppers have.
Variations and sizes
Dave's Hopper's are usually tied in sizes 6 to 14 to represent the typical sizes of hoppers found throughout the summer and fall months. Dave Whitlock created the Dave's Cricket using the same basic tying technique and materials in black to simulate a typical field cricket.
Notes
- ^ Hughes, Dave (1999). Trout Flies-The Tier's Reference. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. pp. 447–450. ISBN 978-0-8117-1601-7.
- ^ Kreh, Lefty (1993). Professionals' Favorite Flies-Volume 1-Dry Flies, Emergers, Nymphs & Terrestrials. Birmingham, Alabama: Odysseus Editions. p. 144.