Bodkin / Patterns

Bob Hopper

Dry Fly · Terrestrial · Trout · Advanced · 1 version

Tyer Recipe

  • Hook Umpqua U204 hopper (or dry fly), #14
  • Thread Red Uni 6/0

Materials

  • Foam body, 2mm, Beavertail-style cutter (small) Pink foam mm (1 pre-cut body with 2 punched holes)
  • Congo Hair / EP Fibers (wing) White craft fur (1 length)
  • Grizzly Micro Legs, silicone Olive grizzly micro legs silicone (2 per side)
  • Foam, 2mm (indicator post) Yellow mm foam (small piece)
  • Super glue Clear head cement (1 drop)
  • Black Sharpie (eyes) Black ostrich herl (2 dots)

How to tie it

  1. Lay a solid base of red thread from behind the eye back beyond where the foam body will sit. The exposed red gives color and the thread gives the glue something to grip.
  2. Cut the body from 2mm pink foam with a small Beavertail-style cutter and punch two holes: one in the tail section and one just forward of center in the fat section.
  3. Thread the rear hole over the hook eye and slide the body back onto the shank; secure it with a couple of thread wraps, then advance the thread to the eye in front of it.
  4. Push the front hole over the eye so the fat section folds forward, take a couple of wraps there, keeping the eye clear, then X-wrap back to the original tie-in point.
  5. Tie in a length of white Congo Hair at the mid tie-down as the wing, trimmed so it extends just past the body.
  6. Put a drop of super glue on the tie-down area, fold the front foam flap back over it, and trim off the excess foam.
  7. Tie in two olive grizzly silicone legs per side at the same point, front legs trimmed a little shorter than the rear ones.
  8. Tie in a small strip of yellow 2mm foam on top as an indicator post with just a couple of wraps, then whip finish.
  9. Trim the indicator foam short, even up the rear legs, and dot two eyes on the head with a black Sharpie.

Tying videos

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