Hopper dry flies are exciting to watch, but trout probably see and eat more of the real insects after they sink, making beadhead patterns such as the Busted Hopper or Tak’s Drowned Hopper more effective. (Rick Takahashi illustration)
August 31, 2024
By Eric Ishiwata & Rick Takahashi
This article originally appeared in the September 2008 issue of Fly Fisherman.
Hoppers living along streambanks frequently find themselves in the water due to ill-directed flights and gusts of wind. Riding in the surface film, some struggling grasshoppers become easy prey for opportunistic trout, but most hoppers—especially those in the riffles—are eventually pulled under the surface and drown.
In trout terms, these drowned hoppers present an important feeding opportunity because: 1) they are a substantial, high- calorie meal; 2) they require minimal energy expenditure since they are lifeless and near the bottom; and 3) they are relatively safe since they allow trout to circumvent all the risks involved with surface feeding.
Thus, while breezy summer days sometimes make it tough to resist tying on a dry hopper, there are certain scenarios where a drowned hopper works better. Bait anglers have proved this a hundred times over.
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The idea of fishing sunken hoppers is not new, but a few years ago it was new to us, and we were surprised to find a dearth of good drowned hopper patterns. Most fly fishers using sunken hoppers merely add weight to drag dry hoppers below the surface.
The impetus for Eric’s Busted Hopper stemmed from a conversation with Rico Moore, a guide in Rocky Mountain National Park and stellar tier in his own right. As part of his ongoing effort to get clients into the park’s scarcer, hefty browns, Moore tried dragging dry hoppers under the surface, allowing them to roll through riffles and circulate in plunge pools. After hearing Moore tell of one particular brown that repeatedly rejected a dry hopper fished in this manner, Eric hit the vise.
His idea was to design a heavily weighted hopper, one that would target larger browns that live deep and rarely feed during daylight. Eric thought these big fish could be convinced only if a large, irresistible food item drifted near their lair.
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Dry hoppers are too stiff to appear realistic underwater—they are designed to be viewed from the bottom. A good drowned hopper needs to be appealing from all angles and sink quickly to where the largest trout live. With this in mind, Eric worked on crafting a dead hopper that looked like it had taken a beating and was now tumbling along the river bottom.
The result was a hopper with a dark tungsten bead to drive the fly deep, and an Australian possum abdomen ribbed with Ultra Wire. A bundle of pheasant-tail scraps gave the appearance of damaged wings, and a turn-and-a-half of partridge around the collar produced the appearance of a busted thorax and legs. These elements produced tantalizing subsurface motion and cued strike triggers from all angles. Last, borrowing from classic grasshopper patterns such as Joe’s Hopper and Dave’s Hopper, Eric added a red tail of hen hackle in hopes of making his Busted Hopper more eye-catching as it rolled through the depths.
Tak’s Drowned Hopper is lightly weighted and best used as part of a dry/dropper rig. (Rick Takahashi illustration) Fishing Down Under There is really no illogical or bad time to fish dead hoppers, since a sunken terrestrial could theoretically circulate for a long time until an opportunistic feeder gobbles it.
However, one ideal time to use sunken hoppers is just after an afternoon thunderstorm. Any angler who has waited out these squalls knows that rain grounds the naturals and presumably washes some into the water. Moreover, it often takes a while for the water to settle and for the fish to start looking up again.
Another situation where Busted Hoppers excel is at dusk. This past summer, in the absence of a substantial evening hatch, we used Busted Hoppers with tremendous success, dredging runs and the heads and tails of deeper pools. It makes sense that with hoppers falling in the stream all afternoon, browns feeding in the evening gloom look for them.
Last but not least, the Busted Hopper is ideal anytime you want to target those larger, warier browns that hunker down in deep holes and pockets. The weight of the fly allows you to hang it right in front of their noses, while its bulk and built-in motion presents an opportunity too enticing to pass up.
Since they are designed to emulate long-deceased hoppers, Busted Hoppers are obviously best fished deep on a dead- drift much the same way you would fish nymphs. Like a double-nymph rig, we typically use a tandem setup with one nymph and a sunken hopper.
Starting with a 7 1/2-foot 4X leader, attach a 16- to 18-inch piece of 4X fluorocarbon tippet. Tie on the Busted Hopper and add a 12-inch section of 5X or 6X fluorocarbon from the hook eye for a T connection. Add a split-shot to the knot above the hopper to help drive it deep.
For a dropper, a #18 Go2 Caddis has been the most productive for us over the past two years, but other caddis and mayfly nymphs and emergers also work, depending on location and season.
Tak’s Drowned Hopper Eric’s Busted Hopper was the inspiration for Tak’s Drowned Hopper. Where Eric’s heavy fly works best dead-drifted on a double-nymph set-up through deep water, Tak’s Drowned Hopper is better as part of a dry-dropper rig.
The green brass bead is not only lighter, but may be a color-based strike trigger. Since grasshoppers come in so many colors and sizes, the possibilities to vary colors and materials are endless.
Final Thoughts We are certainly not the first to put a bead on a hopper, and we are not making that claim here. However, given the vigorous takes that drowned hoppers entice from larger-than-average fish, it’s an approach that deserves more attention from fly fishers.
It is our hope that you will not only add these patterns to your summer arsenal, but also adjust them to the specific demands of your own waters—and most important, have fun doing it.
Busted Hopper Fly Tying Recipe HOOK: #10-14 Tiemco 5262 or Dai-Riki 710.BEAD: 2.8mm black tungsten.THREAD: Yellow 8/0 Uni-Thread.TAIL: Red hackle fibers.RIB: Copper Ultra Wire, Brassie size.ABDOMEN: Australian possum dubbing.LEGS: Brown hen hackle feathers.WING: Olive pheasant-tail scraps.COLLAR: Partridge.THORAX: Australian possum dubbing.Step-by-Step Fly Tying Steps for the Busted Hopper Slide the bead onto the hook and attach the thread. Wrap the thread back to the bend of the hook and tie in a short red hackle fiber tail. Wrap the thread back to behind the bead and tie in the copper wire, wrapping back to the bend. Slide the bead onto the hook and attach the thread. Wrap the thread back to the bend of the hook and tie in a short red hackle fiber tail. Wrap the thread back to behind the bead and tie in the copper wire, wrapping back to the bend.
Use Australian possum dubbing to build a cigar-shaped abdomen covering about 75 percent of the hook shank. Wrap the wire forward to create segmentation and add durability. Tie off and clip the excess wire. Use Australian possum dubbing to build a cigar-shaped abdomen covering about 75 percent of the hook shank. Wrap the wire forward to create segmentation and add durability. Tie off and clip the excess wire.
On the far side, tie in one hen hackle by preening the fibers away from the tip. Then, make one wrap just behind the hackle tip and slowly pull the tip toward the rear until you reach the desired length. Secure the hen hackle with two firm wraps. Do the same thing to make a leg on the near side. Add a thin coating of Dave’s Flexament over the tie-in point. On the far side, tie in one hen hackle by preening the fibers away from the tip. Then, make one wrap just behind the hackle tip and slowly pull the tip toward the rear until you reach the desired length. Secure the hen hackle with two firm wraps. Do the same thing to make a leg on the near side. Add a thin coating of Dave’s Flexament over the tie-in point.
Tie in two or three bundles of pheasant-tail scraps for the busted wing. Tie in a partridge feather by the tip as you would for a soft- hackle. Tie in two or three bundles of pheasant-tail scraps for the busted wing. Tie in a partridge feather by the tip as you would for a soft- hackle.
Wrap the partridge feather one and a half times, tie off, and clip the excess. Pull the upper fibers down to the sides to give the effect of the front legs. Dub over your wraps and build up the thorax to the bead. Whip finish. Wrap the partridge feather one and a half times, tie off, and clip the excess. Pull the upper fibers down to the sides to give the effect of the front legs. Dub over your wraps and build up the thorax to the bead. Whip finish.
Tak’s Drowned Hopper Fly Recipe Tak’s Drowned Hopper HOOK: #8-12 Tiemco 2457 or Dai-Riki 135.BEAD: Olive Spirit River or Umpqua painted brass bead.THREAD: Olive dun 6/0 Uni- Thread.TAIL: Red hackle fibers.ABDOMEN: Strip of 1/4-inch latex.UNDERWING: Natural CDC fibers.OVERWING: Montana Fly Company mottled brown Wing Material and Coq de Leon dark pardo feather fibers.LEGS: Olive Metz Hopper Legs.HACKLE: Olive Whiting Farms Brahma hen hackle.THORAX: Wapsi dark olive Crawdub dubbing.COLLAR: Peacock Ice Dub.Rick Takahashi is an Umpqua Feather Merchants fly designer and regular contributor. Eric Ishiwata is an assistant professor of Political Science and Ethnic Studies at Colorado State University.
