Start 70 denier thread on the hook. Pierce the foam strip dead center with the hook point and slide it onto the shank, 70 denier rather than 140 because a short shank leaves little room and you don't want to crowd it with thread.
Lay a good bed of thread well back into the bend, bring the foam down over it and lock in the first segment, then add a small drop of super glue over the wraps. The glue sandwiches everything together so nothing slips.
Work out where the segments fall. This fly drops one segment compared with the full-size Hopper Juan, so you get a rear segment and a middle one. And tie the second segment the same way, gently, with a drop of glue.
Trim the little nubs of foam left at each tie-down and cover them with flattened thread so the body reads smooth. Take the thread up to the front segment; everything else gets built there.
Optional: tie in a few strands of crystal flash as an underwing with a couple of wraps. The full-size pattern skips it because of bulk.
Tie in a clump of natural deer hair as the wing, a little longer than the body, deer compresses better than elk on this fly, and clip the butts off cleanly. Trim the crystal flash slightly shorter than the wing.
Tie a set of tan barred rubber legs in on each side. Put super glue not only on top but down into the trimmed butts to lock everything in.
Bring the foam back over the top, stretching it slightly since it's thicker here, and hold it with a couple of wraps. The glue does most of the holding. Trim the front at an angle, checking the legs are still where you want them.
Lay three strands of indicator yarn on top, take a few wraps, then lay a second bunch of three on top of that and secure it.
Instead of whip finishing, coat the thread with super glue and wrap it in, keep the legs clear, then cut the thread.
Fan the indicator out and trim it short, set the legs to the angle you want, and trim the rear legs a little longer than the body.