Start body-colored thread on a 3X long curved shank hook. Cut a hopper body from 3 mm foam, or glue two 1.5 mm sheets together for two-tone, and cut it long enough at the front to fold over into a head.
Catch the foam in at the back of the body with the darker side down, using a wrap under and over and under and over again to stop it spinning around the shank.
Advance the thread slightly and tie in the light chenille for the belly, then take the thread forward to where you want the middle segment to end.
Wrap the chenille forward to the thread and tie it off.
Fold the foam forward over the chenille to form the middle segment. Take one medium wrap, then a slightly tighter one, then a few more before pulling really tight.
Cut two leaf-shaped slips from a clear sandwich bag and lay them in as underwings, one angling off each side. Take a couple of light wraps, check the position, then lock them with tight wraps and snip the excess.
Tie in a fair-sized tuft of white calftail as the overwing, snip the butts fairly short, push the fibers up and take a couple of wraps through the middle of them to lock the overwing down, with the tips coming off a little to each side.
Lay the rubber legs across with two loose wraps so you can maneuver them off the sides and slightly down, then snip the long piece and add several tight wraps once the position is right.
Open the front piece of foam and fold it back over to form a bulbous head, stopping short of the eye so you can still get tippet through. Take a loose-to-medium wrap, then two or three tighter ones.
Whip finish by hand at the back of the head, working the wraps around the legs.
Trim the foam behind the whip finish, cutting a small V if you like, and trim the legs — front pair a little shorter than the back.
Put a drop of head cement or super glue on the underside where the thread wraps are and let it wick through.