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The original pattern was tied by a lady called Elsa. One of the benefits of this fly is that it lands much more softly than many other hopper flies. Still very graceful these variants are big and "buggy" and have the general form of a grass hopper with its wings outstretched.

Whilst the original tail was brown cock hackles I sometimes use grizzly cock hackles, and whilst the original body was yellow chenille ribbed with fawn chenille I prefer a yellow or fawn chenille body ribbed with a palmered undersized brown hackle and ribbed with fine silver thread. I also sometimes substitute turkey feather slips or bunched up church window feathers for the wings.

Materials

Process

A	Wind the thread in touching turns to the bend of the hook. Tie in a tail of hackle fibres about two thirds as long as the hook shank. Tails on flies Tie in a length of silver tinsel for the ribbing. Tie in a length of chenille for the body.

B	Wind the chenille forward in touching turns forming a uniform body covering the rear two thirds of the hook shank. Directly in front of the body tie in the body hackle. The hackle fibres should be around to equal to one and a quarter times the gape of the hook. Dry fly hackle

C	Wind the hackle back to the bend of the hook forming 4 or 5 segments. Whilst holding the hackle in place with your left hand pick up the ribbing material with your right hand and wind it forward forming 4 or 5 segments on the body of the fly. Body segments on flies Tie the ribbing material off and trim the excess. Trim the hackle fibres on top of the hook so that they wont interfere with the next step. Tie in an under-wing of red hackle fibres extending back at an angle with the tips finishing above and half way along the tail

D	Tie a hackle tip on each side of the fly extending along each side of the under-wing. Tie in the front hackle directly in front of the wings.

E	Wind the front hackle forward in toughing turns and trim the butt end. Build up a neat head. Whip finish and varnish the head.

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