The Parachute Hopper was designed by Ed Schroeder and is a great hopper imitation of a low riding hopper on still water. Although the parachute post gives this hopper version high visibility when fished in swift water I have found that this fly works best in slow water where the fish have time to inspect the fly before the take. The knotted legs make this fly look quite natural when floating in the surface film of a slow run or pool. In the hot afternoons of summer in western Nevada this fly is a killer. Tie it in sizes from #8 to #14. Like the Henry's Fork Hopper, I have found that in the early spring the smaller sizes work best and as spring turns to summer increase the pattern size and progress to the largest sizes as summer turns to fall. Tie some because they do catch fish.
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1. When tying the parachute hopper I like to build a
twisted loop body because of the segmentation you can get without using a rib. Tie the thread in about one quarter hook length behind the eye and wrap to the bend of the hook. Hoppers have a fairly robust body so make your dubbing loop quite large at the rear and keep the size the same as you wrap to mid hook.
2. Cut a small bunch of calf hair or tail hair and even the tips in a stacker. The WING POST will be tied in slightly forward of the point where standard hackle tip wings would be tied in. Tie the hair in on top of the hook with very tight turns of thread. Lift and secure the wing post at a 90 degree angle to the hook. Trim the butts and add a drop of cement. Place more dubbing on the thread and wrap to the base of the parachute post. A dubbing loop is not necessary but if you want it go ahead and dub to the base of the parachute post with a dubbing loop. 3. From a treated mottled turkey quill cut a section equal to the width of the hook gap. Fold the quill in half down the length of the quill and with your scissors cut a 45 degree angle in the tip of the quill from the two edge side towards the tip of the quill. If after you unfold the quill you have a "V" notch in the quill you cut it in the wrong angle. The tip of the quill should come to a point not a "V". 4. With the thread hanging just behind the parachute post tie in the trimmed wing on the top of the body and secure it with three or four tight turns of thread back towards the bend of the hook. 5. If you have a knot tying tool the creation of the legs will be a lot easier but it can be done without the tool. Select two or three long pheasant tail fibers and tie a half hitch knot about one third the total length of the fiber from the tip. Hold the fiber butts in your right hand and slide your left thumb and forefinger down the fiber to the knot. This will help set the knot and the tips of the fibers at about a 45 degree angle to the butt ends of the fibers. Make a the second leg in the same way you made the first leg. 6. Place one of the legs on the near side of the hopper body with the tips facing the rear of the hook. When secured in you want the leg knot slightly above the body of the hopper with the jointed section of the leg angling down. The leg joint should be even with the end of the bend of the hook. Tie in the leg on the far side of the hook the same way the near leg was tied in. 7. Wrap the thread to the base of the parachute post. Select and prepare a good quality dry fly hackle by stripping the barbs off at the hackle base where it will be secured to the fly. About one quarter of an inch of the hackle stem should be bare of any barbs. Place the prepared hackle stem on the near side of the parachute post with the dull side facing the rear of the hook and make two tight wraps of thread over the stem and in front of the post. Secure the hackle up the parachute post about one eight of an inch and bring the thread back down the post to the body. Wrap the thread to the front of the parachute post and let it hang off the back side. 8. Place the hackle in your pliers and wrap the hackle from the top of the post down to the body with tight close wraps of thread. Leave the hackle in the pliers and let it hang off the back side of the body. With your left hand pull the hackle barbs back and make two or three tight turns of thread over the hackle tips to secure them in place. Remove the hackle pliers and trim the hackle tips. Add a small amount of dubbing to the thread and dub from the base of the parachute post to the eye of the hook. Whip finish, cut the thread and add a small drop of cement to secure the thread in place. Your hopper is now ready for the river. |