The pattern notebook · terrestrial
Dave's Hopper
How do you tie a Dave's Hopper?
Dave's Hopper is a terrestrial fly pattern for Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Bass. Find its 9 materials and 22 tying steps below.
- Difficulty
- 3 of 5
- Target species
- Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Bass
- Pattern designer
- Dave Whitlock
Added to catalog · Updated
At the vise
Materials
- Dry Fly Hook, TMC 5212, sizes 6-12
- Thread (6/0), Yellow
- Red Bucktail
- Yellow Yarn
- Brown Dry Fly Hackle
- Turkey Tail Fibers
- Natural Deer Hair (wing)
- Natural Deer Hair (spun collar/head)
- Pheasant Tail Fibers
Have some of these already? The app matches recipes against your inventory and helps you build a shopping list for the gaps.
Tying instructions
Secure hook in vise, attach thread near bend leaving shank bare for spinning deer hair
Take red bucktail, stack tips, tie at bend extending one hook gap past bend
Tie in brown hackle at bend
Tie in yellow yarn at 1/3 from eye, create loop at bend extending past hook
Wrap yellow yarn forward to form body
Palmer rib hackle through body with open equal spacing
Trim top hackle fibers close to body
Trim bottom hackle fibers to line up with hook point
Prepare turkey tail strip with flex cement, tie in as overwing extending past bend
Optional: tie in knotted pheasant tail legs on sides
Cut small bunch of deer hair, clean and stack tips
Tie in deer hair collar with tips extending toward bend
Wrap wire around tips to protect during trimming
Pack the deer hair by compressing from both ends
Cut another bunch of deer hair, clean butts, cut tips off
Spin deer hair on bare shank - make loose wraps then pull tight while chasing thread
Pack spun deer hair tightly
Repeat spinning and packing until head space is filled
Whipfinish one eye length from hook eye
Trim deer hair head into triangle shape - base at eye, point at body
Trim bottom flat
Remove wire from collar