Letort Hopper

[scotfly]

This is the Letort Hopper an American pattern that does rather well over here. When I say the Letort Hopper I am being a little liberal, the first part is the Letort Hopper, but by the end you will see how I progressed from the standard pattern to my own simplified variation which I still call the Letort Hopper. I was lucky to stumble on this pattern a few years ago when I began to hear mention of this fantastic dry fly that everyone was catching on called a Hopper. Never having seen one I had a look in my limited library and the Letort Hopper was the only pattern I could find, so being young, na?ve and shy at asking, I assumed that this must be the pattern everyone is raving about. How wrong I was, but thankfully it introduced me to this wonderful fly which has caught me countless fish over many years. Fish as a Sedge pattern or as a general attractor at any time.

Instructions assume right-handed tyers

HOOK ? Kamasan B170 #12
THREAD ? Grey Roman Moser Power Silk
BODY ? Dirty Yellow Seals Fur
UNDER-WING ? Mottled Turkey
OVER-WING ? Bull Elk
HEAD ? Deer Hair

THE LETORT HOPPER

STEP 1
            Mount the hook in the vice, attach the thread and wrap to the bend. Then dub on the Seals Fur, don?t make the dubbing too tight on this pattern. I have had most success on this fly when the dubbing has been shredded by the trout?s teeth, consequently I now dub it loosely to begin with.

STEP 2
             Wrap the dubbing to the shoulder.

STEP 3
            Mount the wing, the wing is trimmed to shape, lacquered with floo glue or similar and mounted flat wing style.

STEP 4
            Mount the Elk wing and cover the roots.

STEP 5
             Attach and form a muddler style head with the Deer Hair. Then whip finish and detach the thread.

STEP 6
           Trim the head to shape for the completed fly.

Viewed from below.

     
This is where I took the pattern next. I simply omitted the Mottled Turkey wing, but dressed the rest of the fly the same.

Before finally arriving at the pattern I use today.

MY LETORT HOPPER

HOOK ? Kamasan B170 #12
THREAD ? Grey Roman Moser Power Silk
BODY ? Dirty Yellow Seals Fur
WING ? Coastal Deer Hair
HEAD ? Formed from the butts of the wing.

STEP 1 and STEP 2
                                As standard pattern

STEP 3
            Mount the wing by holding tightly and applying firm but not over firm wraps to begin with.

Then after two or three wraps start to tighten the thread to flair the hair butts and at the same time cause them to spin round the hook.

Until you are left with something like this.

STEP 4
            Make a whip finish and detach the thread. Then trim the head to shape, being careful you don?t cut the wing.

Viewed from below.

And here?s a swarm of them.

[Wildfisher]

Now we know where Bob Wyatt's DHS came from 

[scotfly]

This is the only Hopper I know with no legs, why I do not know. I only know it has served me well.

Re Black leggy hoppers.. Have you tried fishing them as a wet fly.  :wink: