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 HOPPERSTEP 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.
(http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/3875/letortma3.jpg)
STEP 2 Wrap the dubbing to the shoulder.
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4482/letort1wx2.jpg)
STEP 3 Mount the wing, the wing is trimmed to shape, lacquered with floo glue or similar and mounted flat wing style.
(http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9889/letort1gw6.jpg)
STEP 4 Mount the Elk wing and cover the roots.
(http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/448/letort3eg1.jpg)
STEP 5 Attach and form a muddler style head with the Deer Hair. Then whip finish and detach the thread.
(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7541/letort4fw7.jpg)
STEP 6 Trim the head to shape for the completed fly.
(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5262/letort2el8.jpg)
Viewed from below.
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/3238/letort3po1.jpg)
This is where I took the pattern next. I simply omitted the Mottled Turkey wing, but dressed the rest of the fly the same.
(http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/2901/letort6oy5.jpg)
Before finally arriving at the pattern I use today.
MY LETORT HOPPERHOOK ? 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
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4482/letort1wx2.jpg)
STEP 3 Mount the wing by holding tightly and applying firm but not over firm wraps to begin with.
(http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/8755/letort7vm8.jpg)
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.
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/9053/letort8vb3.jpg)
Until you are left with something like this.
(http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/6914/letort9uf8.jpg)
STEP 4 Make a whip finish and detach the thread. Then trim the head to shape, being careful you don?t cut the wing.
(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8609/letort10si2.jpg)
Viewed from below.
(http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/978/letort11tz4.jpg)
And here?s a swarm of them.
(http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/1382/letort12dd3.jpg)
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: