Hoppers

[Flydog]

You can tell I am already thinking about summer!

What do you use for hopper bodies? For those who use foam....do you cut it or do you use sometype of special cutter? I would like to find a better body for my hoppers....I am sure there is sometype of pre-cut foam or cutter out there.

 

[MKern]

I use the pre-formed bodies. Just can't beat the ease.

 

[Maurice]

I use thin sheets of open cell foam cut into strips and wrapped. I use it more for the color than the bouyancy (open cell foam is not as bouyant and closed cell). But its light and holds floatant well.

 

[beadhead2]

I use pre formed foam tubes

 

[tomgamber]

I have an old sheet of yellow furry foam I've been using for about 15 years...still have some left.

 

[Fishidiot]

Go with foam. The cylindrical stuff is okay but I like sheets better as you can trim it to shape. If your sheets are thin, remember you can stack 'em for greater thickness. Take a look at natural grasshoppers - they're really rather thin critters, esp when viewed from below as a trout would see 'em. Don't waste a lot of time and material making your flies bulky.

 

[RLeeP]

Most of my hopper experience has been in WI and Iowa, where they are pretty important almost everywhere given that the majority of the streams are in open country.

I've found few places in PA where catching trout on hoppers wasn't more an exercise in whether you could or not (you can..) than whether you needed to use them to do well (you don't..).

So, I never fished them that much all the years I was in PA.

But before I come off sounding like an old grump, here's my view of hopper flies: I've fished foam and variations of foam and clipped deer hair bodies and deer hair laid flat around the shank and lashed down with a ribbing and other styles as well. My experience has been that for me, nothing outfishes (or does nearly as well) as the simple Letort Hopper with the yellow rabbit body.

 

[flybop]

I agree with Rleep, the Letort is hard to beat. Hopper patterns drive a whole lot of debate and everyone seems to have their favorite.

For the past few years the classic parachute hopper has been the most productive for me. Here is a link to a very good tying instruction for the pattern.

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/flybox/print.cfm?parentID=24

 

[sandfly]

Whitlock Hopper, for all species..