Suppose I could have a fly with the profile and fish catching abilities of a Letort hopper, but the buoyancy of a Chernobyl Ant? If such a fly exists, I would likely fish it every day all season long. It would only get removed when fish tuned in to specific insects or I needed to fish deep.
| Component | Material |
|---|---|
| Hook | Tiemco 200R Size 10 |
| Body | 2MM closed cell foam strip, color of choice |
| Thread | Yellow 3/0 or color to match body |
| Legs | Yellow round rubber legs, medium |
| Wing | Deer hair |
Charlie Boy Hopper
In one of my fishing magazines I spotted the Charlie Boy Hopper, created by local Denver fly designer, Charlie Craven. I love the fly shop owned by Charlie in Old Arvada called Charlie’s Fly Box. I checked out Charlie’s web site and printed off the tying steps for making Charlie Boy Hoppers and planned to create some of my own during the winter of 2010. Unfortunately, by the time I refilled all my proven inventory, I ran out of time.
Deer Hair Wing on Top
However, 2011 is a new year, and I prioritized making Charlie Boy Hoppers for the coming season. I had everything required to make these flies except Zap-A-Gap and a sharp razor blade, so I visited a fly shop and picked up these necessities. The tying instructions were quite voluminous, but once I’d done my prototype, I discovered they are fairly easy to tie. I was so optimistic that this fly will be a winner, that I made 15-20 of them in different sizes and color combinations. I tied 5 tan and 5 yellow in size 10, and then 3 bright green in size 10. I then added 3 tan and 3 yellow in size 12.
Segmented Foam Underside
I’m quite anxious to test these flies on the streams in 2011. The foam bend back style should really provide a lot of buoyancy, yet I feel like the profile is close to that obtained with the Letort hopper. If these work as expected, I’ll have no problem floating two medium size beadheads through delicious pockets and runs.