Dave Whitlock's foam and deer hair hopper has been a staple on meadow streams since the 1970s. It sits low in the film with realistic proportions and rubber legs that twitch in the current. Summer's most important pattern near grassy banks.
1. Thread base — Attach yellow thread behind the eye and build a base to the bend.
2. Tail — Tie in a small tuft of elk hair or deer hair at the bend, angling slightly upward.
3. Body hackle prep — Tie in a ginger hackle by the tip at the bend.
4. Body — Dub a full, slightly tapered sulfur yellow body from the bend to the 2/3 point.
5. Palmer rib — Wind the ginger hackle forward over the body in open spirals. Clip the hackle on the bottom to allow the body to sit flat on the water.
6. Underwing — Tie in a small bunch of yellow/tan deer hair over the body, angling back at a low angle.
7. Wing — Tie in a matched pair of mottled turkey wing quill sections in a tent over the underwing.
8. Legs — Tie in one pair of rubber legs on each side, roughly mid-body.
9. Head — Spin and trim a small head of deer body hair. Whip finish and apply head cement.
