Home Page  Fly Tying Courses & Tuition  Flies  On Line Sales

Guided Fly Fishing  Articles  Contacts 

HOPPERS & CRICKETS

GLEN INNES HOPPER VARIANTS

The original pattern was tied by a lady called Elsa. One of the benefits of this fly is that it lands much more softly than many other hopper flies. Still very graceful these variants are big and "buggy" and have the general form of a grass hopper with its wings outstretched.

PREFERRED VARIANT

MATERIALS:

Hook  - Size 8-12 dry fly
Thread  - Brown
Tail - Brown and grizzly hackle fibres
Body -  Yellow seals fur dubbing
Body hackle - Palmered undersized brown hackle
Body ribbing - Brown thread
Under wing - Red hackle fibres
Overwing - Grizzly hackle slips
Hackle  -  Grizzly hackle

SECOND VARIANT

  1. Whilst the original tail was brown cock hackles I sometimes use grizzly cock hackles, and
  2. Whilst the original body was yellow chenille ribbed with fawn chenille I prefer a yellow or fawn chenille body ribbed with a palmered undersized brown hackle and ribbed with fine silver thread.
  3. I sometimes substitute turkey feather slips or bunched up church window feathers for the wings.


MATERIALS:

Hook  - Size 8-12 dry fly
Thread  - Brown
Tail - Brown or grizzly hackles
Body -  Fawn or yellow chenille or seals fur dubbing
Body hackle - Palmered undersized brown hackle
Body ribbing - Fine silver thread or brown thread
Underwing - Red hackle fibres
Overwing - Two matching grizzly hackle tips or slips
Hackle  -  Grizzly hackle

A)
  1. Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook.
  2. Tie in a tail of hackle fibres about two thirds as long as the hook shank.
  3. Tie in a length of silver tinsel for the ribbing.
  4. Tie in a length of chenille for the body.

B)
  1. Wind the chenille forward in touching turns forming a uniform body covering the rear two thirds of the hook shank
  2. Directly in front of the body tie in the body hackle. The hackle fibres should be around to equal to one and a quarter times the gape of the hook.


C)
  1. Trim the hackle fibres on top of the hook so that they wont interfere with the next step.
  2. Tie in an underwing of red hackle fibres extending back at an angle with the tips finishing above and half way along the tail

D)
  1. Tie a hackle tip on each side of the fly extending along each side of the underwing.
  2. Tie in the front hackle directly in front of the wings.

E)
  1. Wind the front hackle forward in toughing turns and trim the but end.
  2. Build up a neat head.
  3. Whip finish and varnish the head.
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Chatterton / Fish on Fly P/L - All rights reserved.
Last modified:08-Jul-2008.

 
Back To Top