Hopper problems

[Fish For Life 0]

Has anyone experienced any problems with foam hoppers not landing properly in the water?? Im about to tye up some hoppers and am not sure what hook to use. I was thinking of using dry fly hook but wasn't sure if it would have enough keel weight to flip the fly the right way. For foam hoppers would it be better to use something that is heavier like a streamer hook?

 

Thanks

[Stmflies 0]

Ya it will help. I had the same problem so I started using streamer hooks for foam hoppers and Chernoble ants.

[tidewaterfly 0]

I had a problem with a large foam stonefly pattern, but have not had a problem with hoppers. That Stonefly had a double wing, with a cut foam material & bucktail. Every time it landed it would fall over on it's side. I solved the problem by cutting off the wing. That particular fly was given to me, so when I copied the fly & went with a wider gap hook which also solved the problem. A heavier hook might help in most patterns, but I think that fly I had was too top heavy & the weight of the hook, which was a #4, 3XL streamer hook was too close to the center of balance for all the materials above the shank. The wider gap moves some of that weight further out, away from the center of balance. More weight, meaning a heavier hook can help, but better balance might be what you really need. If you go with the dry fly hook, you might want to over size the hook.

 

I like the heavier wet fly/nymph/streamer style hooks for most foam flies anyway, but that's not always the best choice. I'll use dry fly hooks too.

[AZWoolybugger 0]

I like a heavier hook for foam for that reason.

 

Give this a look http://hopperfishing.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/fuzzy-foam-grand-hopper-tutorial/ and his comments on hook selection.

[add147 0]

AZWoolybugger,

That's a cool looking grasshopper...I am a newbie and I bet those would work great on a summer evening fishing for bass on a stock pond. I'll have to give that a try!!!

[flytire 0]

You may need a heavier leader as well

[BBBruce77 0]

Adding a heavier hook seems counter productive as you are usually using foam to improve floatability. Using a parachute hackle will help the hopper land right side up and stabilize it while on the water.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Adding a heavier hook seems counter productive as you are usually using foam to improve floatability.

 

I agree to some degree, but in reality, hoppers do not float especially well since they're not an aquatic insect. They're clumsy in the water. I've found that I want a fly to float well for long periods of use, so foam is a good material, but may want them to float in the surface film rather than high, up on the film. Compared to materials such as deer hair, foam does float better & longer and absorbs less water.

 

Mayflies & other aquatics sit on the surface, terrestrials usually end up in the surface film, struggling to get out. When I make poppers, or sliders or other floating "bugs" or critters like mice, I like them low in the film, which IMO is more natural looking, and tends to make them easier for fish to engulf. On the surface, often they get tossed around instead of eaten as the fish breaks the surface while attempting to eat them. At least that's my theory on why hoppers should not necessarily float high & dry!

[Gene L 0]

The bend of the hook and the point should be enough weight to turn the hopper the right way. I tie a lot of foam hoppers, made from the sole of a flip-flop. They float forever and while they don't necessarily look like a hopper to the human eye, apparently do to a fish. Legs will give them a killer appeal.

[bighornbuster 0]

The video was quite instructive. I suspect that the slit cut in the foam helps with the way it lands by lowering the center of gravity a little. The heavy leader idea is also good as hoppers tend to twist leaders badly. The best thing about the video was the making of the wing. I would never have thought of that !