Charlie Boy Hopper Fly Tying Instruction - Tied by Charlie Craven

I developed this pattern almost 20 years ago while guiding on Colorado’s Tarryall Creek. My clients were going through Dave’s Hoppers at an astounding rate and I figured there had to be a better option. While Dave’s fly works fine, it becomes waterlogged after a couple fish and is a pain to tie. The Charlie Boy Hopper (named after my son) meets all of my requirements in a hopper pattern: active rubber legs, incredible durability, realistic silhouette, good visibility, and great flotation. The best part is it is especially easy to tie. I like to fish Charlie Boys in the standard tan color, as it seems to be the most common color of the naturals, as well as in yellow, green, olive and even blue/green. The blue/green color (with red rubber legs) matches the hoppers found in the hay meadows along many of our mountain streams here in Colorado. The Charlie Boy Hopper also works great as an indicator dry with a dropper. Its high visibility and superior flotation make it a natural for this application.

Hook: TMC 100SP-BL #8-10, or TMC 5212 or TMC 5262 #4-8
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Thread: Tan 3/0 Monocord
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“Binder” Strip: 2mmX2mm Piece of foam

Body: Tan 2mm Thin Fly Foam
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Legs: Brown Medium Round Rubber Legs
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Wing: Natural Deer Hair
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Glue: Zap-A-Gap CA Glue
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Double Edge Razor Blades
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