Rubicon Hopper The Rubicon Hopper   

Hook: Tiemco TMC 100 # 10 - 12

Thread: Olive or Green 6/)/0  

Tail: Orange Pheasant Tippets

Body: Yellow Chenille

Legs: Orange Pheasant Tippets

Overwing : Church Window or similar Pheasant

Head: Deer Hair- Combination Olive-Green-Yellow

1/ Start by tying in your thread. This time we will start near the rear of the fly as we want to leave the hook shank bare in places so that the deer hair spins more easily. We are using a green thread as the hopper we are tying is more the early season version that is not yet brown. Tie in as shown and move onto the next step..

 Step 1

2/ Next up grab your bunch of orange pheasant tippets. These are handy to have on your bench as they are a fundamental part of a large number of Australian fly patterns, especially the beetles and grasshoppers. Trim a small bunch of them, and measure off against the gape of the hook. Tie in at the rear as shown. When they are secured trim the excess.

 Step 2
3/ Get your chenille out and break a piece off. I usually tie a bunch of hoppers in the one sitting so a long piece of eighteen inches or so should suffice. Now strip the fibres away from the thread centre as shown so that you have a nice section to tie in with. While not that important when tying hoppers we should always try and minimise any unnecessary bulk where possible. Step 3

4/ Tie the piece of chenille in. You can use green chenille for this hopper but the hint of yellow we have found works better than an all green hopper. Chenille for these flies should be sourced from haberdashery stores rather than from fly shops as considerable savings can be made.

 Step 4

5/ Now that the chenille is ready to go pull it down and out of the way and secure it against the thread to make a sort of rope. This kills two birds with the one stone. Instead of winding the thread forward and then the chenille you do both at the same time which is much more efficient. Also it strengthens the chenille, giving it binding as it is wrapped.

 Step 5

6/ Now make the body of the fly using the chenille rope you just constructed in the previous step. Wind the chenille in a clockwise direction around the hook shank moving forward with each wrap until you reach the mid way mark. This will make an attractive body.

 Step 6
7/ The body of the hopper is now almost complete. Tie off the chenille with the thread binding it hard against the hook shank. Take a couple of extra wraps to make sure it is secure and then trim the excess chenille. This is about the ideal amount of chenille and it is typical of the version we tie for the shop. Next up we do some of the fiddly stuff. Step 7

 8/ Grab your pheasant tippets again. Select a smaller bunch this time, the same sort of length but just little sparser. Tie this in, almost parallel to the hook shank bit angled at roughly 35 degrees out from the hook when viewed from above (see Step 9 photo). This represents the flash of orange given off by the inside edge of the hoppers legs.

 Step 8
9/ This is the same step as the previous one just shown from above rather than from the side. You can see exactly how the legs should be positioned. We will repeat this process on the other side now and then trim the excess. Step 9
10/ As in the previous step we will add legs to the near side of the fly. Tie in this side legs as per the the steps just completed. One thing I should mention is to not make the first turns too tight as you do not want the pheasant tippets to flare too much. Start tying them with loose turns nearer the chenille and then getting tighter as you move forward towards the hook eye. Step 10

11/ Again I have put in the extra photos to show you what you should now have. A pair of legs angled back as shown in this and the previous photo. I like to take a couple of extra turns over the two 'stubbs' to the right of the chenille to really bind the pheasant tippets in place. Once you are happy with the way your fly is looking trim the excess and move on.

Step 11

12/ Find your pheasant feather that you wish to use for the overwing. We like a mottled on to give the fly a nice pattern as per the naturals. Tie this feather in shiny side up, making sure that it just overhangs the rear of the hook. Secure with a few wraps and trim.

Step 12
13/ This is the view from above of the previous step. Don't worry too much about getting a perfect shape to the over wing, or for that matter any part of this fly. One leg slightly longer than the other, a tail too short or too long, an overwing not perfectly; placed will make one iota of difference to the way this fly sits of performs. Step 13
14/ Taking you deer hair cut a small bunch from your yellow and a small bunch from your green/olive. I will not give specifics as to exactly how much as this is something for you to learn by practising. Stack the hair between your fingers, letting the hair tips fall on their points on the bench. Pinch in on top of the hook, split the thread as in step 11 of the Miss Knobby X and tie in. Don't spin this section. Step 14
15/ Push the deer hair you just tied in towards the rear of the fly with the thumb and fingers of your right hand to make way for the next bunch. Take another stack of mixed deer hair, mostly green and spin onto the hook shank. Spinning deer hair takes a few goes to learn so don't get too frustrated with your early attempts if they don't go to plan. Step 15
16/ Again push back the deer hair to make room for the next lot of deer hair by pushing back as shown. You can use a biro tube for this but I like the gentle control only possible by using your fingers. The only word of caution needed is in relation to pricking your fingers when doing this. While not a real problem and those of you tying a bit will soon develop tough skin on your finger tips pretty quickly. Step 16
17/ I thought we need one more bunch of hair here so I have added some more. You can pack the hair in as dense as you like. Some use a little less, some use a lot more. Use your discretion and remember that while this is an excellent, tried and true pattern there are no absolutes in flytying. Step 17
18/ Now instead of whip finishing we are going to do something much simpler and quicker. Use a tube, or the end of a dubbing needle to add three half hitches. You can see here that all we have done is added a loop to the tube by wrapping the line around the tube. You then simply slide this knot down over the eye and pull tight. Two to three of these with no head cement is all that is needed to finish off. Step 18
19/ Trim the fly as shown. You want a bulky head so don't make radical incisions, rather use small cuts and then check it as you go. If you have a rotational vice like I do, trim it off in the vice. Continually turning it over to make sure it looks right. Step 19
20/ This is the view from above. A bulky head is very important when imitating grasshoppers. The green coloration is desirable early on in the season and this fly works well on all waters where hoppers are found. It is particularly good on the Rubicon. Step 20
   

The Pattern

This pattern was developed by David Pickering for fishing on his favourite water, the Rubicon River at Thornton. Those of you familiar with this water will have noticed the small hoppers that start getting about by early December and by the time Christmas arrives the grasshoppers, while not fully mature are indeed sizeable and active and on the menu of the trout. It is at this time that the Rubicon Hopper comes into its own. Being smaller than most commercial ties available and in the correct colour it has proven itself time and again on early season hopper feeders.

David insists that his hoppers have the small bunch of pheasant tippets at the rear of the fly and this is in keeping in line with many other Australian grasshopper patterns. The head shape is a little different to most hoppers with an over emphasised bulky head creating the desired profile. The hint of yellow in the underbody seems to work better than a fly tied with green chenille but it can be tied either way.

Fishing this fly is the same as with all other hopper patterns. Search out areas that hold fish. Especially around steep, undercut banks and also structure such as log jams and pockets behind boulders. Fish the fly with a deliberate plop to alert any fish on station as to its arrival. Fish used to hoppers are tuned in to the splat of the landing insect and will come looking for the newly arrived meal. A bit like Pavlov and his dogs. The splat of the hopper akin to the ringing of the dinner bell.

So tie a few up or if you don't tie drop in and pick some up. They work a treat whenever trout are targeting grasshoppers.

 
Antony, David and Geoff