Variations on the Chubby Chernobyl

The Chubby Chernobyl has been around for years, yet this fly is still the go-to fly for many fly fisherman and guides here in Montana.  Chernobyl-style flies have been catching fish for decades, starting with the basic, but deadly chernobyl ant back in 80′s, to the chernobyl hopper in the 90′s, to the present day chubby.  There is really nothing new about the chubby, as far as basic profile goes, yet the addition of a poly wing really makes this fly one of the most versatile flies ever for imitating adult stoneflies, grasshoppers, crickets, cicada, and even caddis.  The poly wing helps float this fly, with or without a heavy dropper nymph, in fast choppy water.  Also, the bright wing is easy to see in virtually any light conditions, making sure the angler doesn’t lose sight of his or her fly, and miss any subtle eats.

The standard Chubby Chernobyl does a great job of imitating bigger stoneflies and grasshoppers, yet with a little imaginative alteration, chubby-style flies can be tied to closer imitate smaller stoneflies and caddis, like black winter stoneflies, yellow sallies, skwala’s and october caddis as well.  I have tied effective chubby’s down to size 16 for yellow sallies and caddis, plus, size 16 chubby’s make great dry-dropper flies in the fall and spring during midge/baetis hatches because of their durability and floatability.

I have had great luck with Chubby Chernobyl flies in all size and colors.  Below are a few examples of chubby’s tied to imitate either specific bugs, or just general attractors.  I can’t wait to try the Royal Chubby Chernobyl this summer.  Tie some up and let me know how they work.

Variation #1:  Yellow Hopper Chubby

Tail:  Red crystal flash

Body:  Yellow dubbing

Foam:  Cocoa 2mm foam

Wing:  Poly wing, macrame yarn, mcflylon

Legs:  Medium barred brown/black rubber legs

Variation #2:  Bullet Head Chubby Chernobyl

Tail:  Pearl crystal flash

Body:  Brown UV Ice Dub

Foam:  Black 2mm foam

Wing:  White poly

Legs:  Purple sili-legs

Eyes:  Purple 2mm foam

Variation #3 :  Olive Chubby Chernobyl

Tail:  Pearl crystal flash

Body: Olive Ice Dub

Foam:  Olive 2mm foam

Wing:  White poly

Legs:  Tan sili-legs

Variation #4:  Norm Wood Chubby Chernobyl

Tail:  Pearl crystal flash

Body:  Goldenstone dubbing, orange dubbing near head of fly

Foam:  Tan 2mm foam

Wing:  White poly

Legs:  Brown silk-legs

Variation #5:  Fuzzy Foam Chubby – Purple

Body:  Fuzzy Foam Purple

Wing:  White Poly

Foam Wing:  Brown 1mm Foam.  I use a foam wing on this pattern to help push the wing back without using dubbing or a lot of thread wraps.

Legs:  White/black barred round rubber legs

Variation #6:  Pink Bodied Chubby Chernobyl

Tail:  Pearl crystal flash

Body: Pink dubbing

Foam:  Tan 2mm Foam

Wing:  Pink Poly

Legs:  Barred rubber legs

Variation #7:  Yellow Sally Chubby

Body:  Goldenrod Round Foam Body

Wing:  Fine Poly Yarn

Legs:  Fine barred rubber legs

Variation #8:  Fuzzy Chubby Salmonfly

Tail:  Brown crystal flash

Body:  1mm black foam with orange fuzzy foam

Wing:  Charcoal Poly Wing

Legs:  Brown silk-legs

Variation #9:  Royal Chubby Chernobyl 

Tail:  Brown biots

Body: Peacock herl, red floss

Foam:  Brown 2mm Foam

Wing:  White poly

Legs:  Barred white/black sili-legs

Variation #10:  Brown Chubby Chernobyl

Tail:  Brown crystal flash

Body:  Brown Ice Dubbing

Foam:  Brown 2mm foam

Wing: White poly

Legs:  Brown barred super floss

Vatiation #11:  Black and Tan Chubby

Tail:  Pearl crystal flash

Body:  Tan Ice Dubbing

Foam:  Black 2mm foam

Wing:  White poly

Legs:  Black and Gold silk-legs

Variation #12:  Skwala Chubby Chernobyl

Egg Sac:  Black 2mm Foam

Under-wing:  Tape wing

Body:  Olive Ice Dubbing

Foam:  Olive 1mm foam

Wing:  Fine gray poly, or cdc

Legs:  Fine sili-legs

Variation #13:  Fuzzy Chubby – Realistic Goldenstone

Body:  Fuzzy Foam – Realistic Goldenstone

Wing:  White Poly

Foam Wing:  Brown 1mm Foam

Legs:  Gold barred rubber legs – brown

Carnage Hopper Tutorial

PATTERN DESCRIPTION:

The Carnage Hopper from MFC is a great hopper pattern that should be in everyone’s terrestrial fly box. This realistic foam hopper has a unique segmented body, eye-catching red rubber legs, and a durable over-wing.  There are days when the fish seem to really key in on the color red incorporated into certain patters like the legs on the Carnage Hopper and Stalcup’s Hopper, or the red tail on the Streambank Hopper and Dave’s Hopper.  This pattern is a durable, high-floating grasshopper that is fun to tie and catches fish. Tie some up and let me know how they work.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Hook:  2 x-long, 2 x-strong nymph hook.  For the last few years I’ve been tying all my foam hoppers on nymph hooks because of their durability, plus my hoppers seem to land upright more often with the heavier hooks.

Thread:  UTC 140 denier.  The best foam pattern tying thread because of its strength, and the fact that it doesn’t cut fly tying foam because its a flat thread.

Body:  1mm foam

Over-wing:  MFC Flex-wing.

Back Legs:  Hareline round medium legs.  Natural color

Head:  6mm foam

Post: White poly yarn

Front legs:  X-small rubber legs.

Dubbing:  Dry fly dubbing to match body color.

Step 1:  Place a thin needle in the vise.

Step 2:  Cut a thin, tapered strip of 1mm foam.  Strip of foam should taper from 1/2 gap of hook at the narrow end, to 3/4 gap of hook at the thicker end and be 3-4 inches in total length.

Step 3:  Place narrow strip of foam on needle as shown above.  You want about a 1/2 inch of foam extended above the needle.  Next, apply some dubbing wax to the needle.  The wax will keep the foam from bonding to the needle after the super-glue is applied in the next step.

Step 4:  After applying the dubbing wax to the needle, brush on a thin layer of super-glue to the foam strip.

Step 5:  After applying the super-glue, hold the short end of the foam strip with one hand.  With the other hand, wrap the foam strip around the hook, overlapping the foam with each turn.

Step 6: Continue to wrap the foam forward until you have 4-6 wraps of foam around the hook.  Notice the slightly tapered foam strip is forming a gradually tapered body.

Step 7:  After 4-6 foam body segments are formed, you should be able to let go of the foam strips.  Remember, a thin layer of super-glue will bond better than a thick layer of super-glue.  Next, slide the foam body off of the needle.

Step 8:  Form a thread base on the hook.  End thread as pictured above.

Step 9:  Apply a thin layer of super-glue to the end of the thread base.

Step 10:  Place the extended foam body on top of the hook.  Notice that the tapered foam strip is facing down and on the back side of the hook.  Also, the edge of the foam strip is in line with the barb.

Step 11:  Apple a thin layer of super-glue to the extended body, as pictured above, and along the foam strip.

Step 12:  Wrap the foam strip around the hook/extended body.

Step 13:  Next, apply a thin layer of super-glue along the foam strip and on the hook up to the bobbin thread.

Step 14:  Wrap the foam strip forward to achieve the desired segments.  Usually 4-5 segments will create the desired look.  Above, I applied 4 wraps/segments for a size 10 hopper.

Step 15:  Bind the foam strip down with a few wraps of thread.  Next, trim the remaining strip of foam flush, at an angle.

Step 16:  Trim the remaining strip of foam off the tail of the hopper body.  Wind thread to 2-3 eye lenghts behind eye of hook.

Step 17:  Cut a strip of 6mm foam to form the head of the hopper.  The strip of foam should be 6mm tall (or 1 hook gap tall), and 4mm wide (or 3/4 hook gap in width) and 1/2″ long.

Image of foam dimensions.

Step 18:  Bind down 6mm foam strip with 3-4 firm wraps of thread.  

Step 19:  Firmly bind down the hopper head and body with a few more wraps of thread.  Try not to crowd the eye of the hook with thread wraps.

Step 20:  Trim head of hopper to shape as shown above.  Notice the cut with the scissors is vertical.

Step 21:  Cut a strip of MFC Flew wing to shape.  The wing should be about a hook gap in width, and length of the hopper body.

Step 22:  Bind down hopper wing with 5-6 firm thread wraps.

Step 23:  Apply a strand of poly yarn for the post.

Step 24:  Double the poly yarn over, and secure with a few wraps of thread.

Step 25:  Trip the post to length.  Post should extend to barb of hook.

Step 26:  Make a pair of knotted hopper legs.  Next, color the legs black and red with a Sharpie pen.

Step 27:  Secure the hopper legs on both sides of the hopper.  The knots in the legs should extend to bend of hook.

Step 28:  Trim the hind leg tag ends flush with the thread wraps. Next, bind down the front legs of the hopper as shown above.

Step 29:  Cover the thread wraps with dubbing and whip finish fly.  Add eyes and body marking with permanent marker.

Completed Carnage Hopper

The Boulder Hopper Tutorial

PATTERN DESCRIPTION:

The Boulder Hopper is a newer pattern that I created for catching fussy fish in low, clear water.  By using thin foam for the body and wing, this hopper looks very realistic in smaller sizes.  I tie this hopper in sizes 8-16, but a size 12 seems to be the one to have.   For sizes 8-10, I use 3mm foam for the body and 3 strands of rubber for the legs.  For sizes 12-14, I use 2mm foam for the body and 2 strands of rubber for the legs.  For size 16, use 2mm foam for the body, and a single rubber strand for the legs.  Tied in tan, goldenrod, and apricot for body colors along with a tan, cinnamon or brown 1mm over-wing, this hopper can be tied to match any shade of grasshopper.  If your looking for an ultra-realistic,  high-floating, durable smaller hopper, tie up a few Boulder Hoppers and let me know what you think.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Hook:  2 xl 2 xs nymph hook

Thread:  UTC 140 denier

Body:  3mm foam (sizes 8-10)  2mm foam (sizes 12-14)

Flash:  Rootbeer micro flash

Under-wing:  Elk hair

Over-wing:  1mm foam

Legs:  Medium round rubber legs, 3-strands (sizes 8-10)  2 strands (sizes 12-14).

 Eyes:  Small strip black 2mm foam (optional).

Post:  1mm hi-vis foam

Step 1:  Form a 3-layer thread base on hook.  End thread between barb and point of hook.

Step 2:  Taper a strip of foam as shown above.  Strip of foam should be about width of gap, and twice as long as hook in length.  Above, I have a small Pre-cut body that is about 1 1/2″ long, and 1/4″ wide for a size 12 hook.

Step 3:  Bind down foam strip with 4-5 wraps of thread.  Tapered end of foam should extend 1/2 hook length beyond tie in point.

Step 4:  Cross thread over the top of the foam strip and create a body segment with 2-3 wraps of thread as shown above.

Step 5:  Criss-cross the thread forward on top of foam strip.  Create a new segment just in front of hook point with 3-4 wraps of thread.

Step 6:  Advance thread forward to eye of hook.

 Step 7:  Bind down foam body strip with 2-3 wraps of thread.

Step 8:  Cross the thread back over the top of the foam body and create the next body segment as shown above.  Notice the segment behind the eye of the hook is the largest segment.  This large segment is going to be the head of the hopper.

Step 9:  Tie  in 8-10 strands of micro-flash.  Ends of micro-flash should extend just beyond end of foam body.  Keep thread wraps to a minimum since the rest of the hopper is going to be tied in at this point.

Step 10:  Bind down a small clump of elk hair with 5-6 firm wraps of thread.  Ends of hair should extend just beyond foam body.

Step 11:  Add a small amount of super-glue for durability.

Step 12:  Form the head of the hopper by pulling back the strip of foam extending over the eye of the hook and binding down with 2-3 thread wraps.

Step 13:  Top view of head of hopper.

Step 14:  Create legs by tying a loose over-hand knot in the rubber leg material.  Next, apply a small dab of super-glue to the knots and tighten knots.

Step 15:  Tie in legs on both sides of the hopper.  The knots in the legs should extend to end of foam body.

 Under-side view of tied in legs.

Step 16:  Taper a strip of 1mm foam as shown above.  Width of wing should be about gap of hook in width.

Step 17:  Trim butts of bullet-head flush as shown above.

Step 18:  Bind down over-wing with 2-3 firm thread wraps.  End of wind should extend just beyond elk hair under-wing.

 Top view.

Step 19:  Cut a small strip of 1mm hi-vis foam to be used as a post.  Width of hi-vis foam should be narrower than foam wing.

Step 20:  Bind down post with 2-3 thread wraps.

Step 21:  Trim butts of post and foam wing flush.  Whip-finish at this point.

Step 22:  Finished Boulder Hopper.

Size 10 Boulder Hopper with a 3mm foam body, and black strip of foam placed between bullet-head to simulate eyes.

Improved Thunder Thighs Hopper Tutorial

PATTERN DESCRIPTION: 

The Improved Thunder Thighs Hopper was my go-to hopper pattern last summer in sizes 8-14 in tan, goldenrod, and flesh.  As the summer went on, this hopper seemed to fish better and better.  The realistic silhouette of this grasshopper pattern with its thick foam/rubber legs, bullet-head, large eyes and flashy wing seemed to trigger trout consistently throughout the summer, even in low, clear, late summer conditions.  The realistic legs on this pattern set this terrestrial apart from most other hoppers.  I  also used this fly as part of a hopper/dropper setup with great results.  The fly seemed to always land upright and supported heavy tungsten bead-head copper johns 0r pheasant-tails without a problem.  This fly also works great with a thick poly-wing substituted for the thin foam-wing.  The poly-wing aids in floatation and visibility making this a must-have pattern when fishing from a drift boat.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Hook:  2 x-long nymph hook.

Thread:  UTC 140 denier.  Great foam tying thread.

Body:  Two-Tone foam with a total thickness of 4mm.

Underwing:  Micro flash, rootbeer color.

Wing:  1mm tan foam.

Legs:  Thinly sliced two-tone foam, super-floss material.  You can knot on any rubber leg material. The super-floss material is very durable and stays knotted to the foam strip with a simple over-hand knot.

Eyes:  2mm black foam strip.

Post:  2mm hi-viz foam strip.

Dubbing:  Tan dubbing of choice.

Step 1:  Form a thread base on hook.  End thread at hook barb.

Step 2:  Prepare a 4mm thick piece of foam body.  Taper end as shown.  Size of foam body should be about gap of hook in width, and twice the length of hook.  Above, I have a pre-cut, two-tone cocoa/tan body (size medium) that is about 2 inches long.

Pre-cut foam body that is about as wide as gap of hook.  This will be placement of foam body on hook.

Step 3:  Bind down the hopper body with 3-4 firm thread wraps. 

Step 4:  Form a body segment by crossing the thread over the top of the foam strip. Next, wrap 2-3 times to create first segment.

Top view of first body segment.

Step 5:  Advance thread back, on top of foam body, to create second body segment.  Form segment with 2-3 thread wraps.

Step 6:  Advance thread to hook barb by criss-crossing thread forward over the two body segments.

Step 7:  Advance thread forward, on hook only, just in front of hook point.  Next, bind down third body segment with 3-4 firm thread wraps.

Step 8:  Advance thread forward, on hook only to just beyond 1/2 way point on hook shank, as pictured above.  Next, bind down foam hopper body with 3-4 firm thread wraps.

Step 9:  Advance thread forward, on hook only, 1/2 the distance between hook-eye and body segment as pictured above.  Try not to get too close to the hook eye because the rest of the hopper is tied in at this point.

Step 10:  Bind down foam hopper body with 2-3 firm thread wraps.

Step 11:  Tie in 6-10 strands of micro flash.  Trim so ends extend just beyond body of hopper.

Step 12:  Shape a piece of 1mm tan foam for the wing of the grasshopper.  The wing is gap of hook in width and about 1 1/2″ long.

Step 13:  Trim out small notch in end of wing.

Step 14:  Bind down wing with 2-3 firm wraps of thread.  End of wing should extend to just beyond hopper body.

Top view of wing.

Step 15:  Trim wing butts.  Next, bind down hi-viz 2mm foam post with 2-3 firm wraps of thread.

Step 16:  Trim a small strip of 2mm black foam.

Step 17:  Fold foam body over the small strip of black foam as shown above.  Here we are forming the bullet-head of the hopper.  Notice how the fold of foam extends beyond the eye of the hook.

Step 18: Bind down head of hopper with 4-5 firm thread wraps.

Top view of hopper.

Step 19:  Trim butts of body flush, as pictured above.  Next, trim black foam strips flush with the head of the hopper to form the eyes.  You can also leave the eyes a little long for a more dramatic effect.

Picture of trimmed hopper.

Step 20:  Bind down foam butts that you just trimmed with 8-10 wraps of thread.

Step 21:  Thunder Thighs.  Trim a thin strip of two-tone foam.  Next, cut strips of foam at angle, like the angle pictured above.   Tie an over-hand knot in rubber material, insert pointed end of foam strip in over-hand knot and tighten rubber material around the foam strip. For more detailed instructions on making these foam legs go to the original Thunder Thighs tutorial, steps 10-14.

Step 22:  Tie in Thunder Thigh legs.

Notice, legs extend to last body segment.

Step 23:  After tying in both legs, trim butts of legs. Next, wrap over butts of legs with a few thread wraps.

Step 24:  Tie in front legs of hopper.

Top view of front legs tied in.

Step 25:  Apply dubbing to thread.  Next, cover any exposed thread wraps with dubbing.  Finally, lift up head of hopper, and tie off hopper behind hook eye.

Step 26:  Completed Thunder Thigh Hopper

Top view of killer hopper pattern.

Side view of hopper. Notice I marked the belly of the hopper with a bronze Prismacolor marker.

360º View of “New” Thunder Thighs Hopper

Enjoy the view! Tutorial coming soon.

12 Variations on the Pink Pookie

     As a fishing guide, I enjoy tying the majority of the nymphs, streamers and dry flies for my clients. Not only is tying flies cost effective, but having clients catch fish on hand tied flies that are a little different than what can be found in every fly shop, seems to make a difference.  I noticed early on in my guiding career that store bought flies certainly catch fish. But after a season of seeing the same  flies, the trout would refuse those patterns fairly regularly.  I began experimenting with tweaking flies, either by changing the colors or using different materials for common flies.  I noticed that substituting golden-dyed deer hair and brown legs for a Madam-X resulted in a great Golden Stone imitation.  Change the colors on the deadly parachute hopper to olive, add some short rubber legs, and you get a great Skwala pattern.  What I began to realize was I could have an arsenal of the same killer pattern, in various sizes and colors to imitate anything from caddis to Salmonflies.  But more importantly, now I had flies that no one else was fishing resulting in more fish caught.

     Dean Reiner’s Pink Pookie is a great hopper pattern.  This pattern has been around for years now and still catches fish.  The Pink Pookie floats like a cork and just looks buggy out on the water with its foam bullet head, deer hair over-wing and rubber legs.  This pattern reminds me of a foam Madam-X which has caught untold numbers of trout.  But there are days when the trout will not touch the original pink version of this grasshopper, but they will take a tan version, or goldenrod, fuzzy foam or black version instead.  Just by tweaking a great pattern to show the fish something different can make all the difference, even subtle changes in colors.  Pictured below are some alterations to the Pookie mainly using different colored foam, hair and legs.  With one pattern, I was able to adjust the size and color of the fly to imitate various hoppers, stoneflies, bees and crickets.

  Who knows, maybe that perfect pattern that you have been searching for this whole time for whatever hatch has been in your fly box all along…minus a few tweaks of course.

Variation #1: Yellow Grasshopper

Body:  Yellow 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Deer hair

Over-wing:  Tan 2mm foam

Eyes:  Medium plastic eyes

Variation #2: Foam Bee

Body:  Black 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Golden-dyed deer hair

Over-wing:  1mm yellow foam/ 1mm black foam

Legs:  Medium barred round rubber legs, yellow super-floss legs

Variation #3:  Tan Hopper

Body:  Tan 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Yellow-dyed deer hair

Over-wing:  Cocoa 2mm foam

Variation #4: Skwala Adult

Body:  Olive 2mm fuzzy foam

Under-wing:  Furled gray poly yarn/crystal flash

Over-wing:  Etha-wing, tape wing

Variation #5: Yellow and Green Hopper

Body:  Yellow 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Dun-dyed elk hair

Over-wing:  2mm green foam

Legs:  White barred sili legs

Variation #6: Salmonfly Adult

Body: Orange 3mm foam

Under-wing:  Elk hair

Over-wing:  Black 2mm foam

Legs:  Black medium round legs, orange super-floss

Variation #7: Fuzzy Foam Goldenstone

Body:  Brown 2mm fuzzy foam

Under-wing:  Golden-dyed deer hair

Over-wing:  Brown 2mm foam

Variation #8: Tan and Brown Grasshopper

Body:  Tan 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Elk hair

Over-wing:  Brown 2mm foam

Variation #9: Thunderthigh Pink Pookie

Body: Pink 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Elk

Over-wing:  Tan 2mm foam

Legs:  Medium round rubber tied to 1mm foam strip

Variation #9: Realistic Foam Hopper

Body:  Yellow 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Elk

Over-wing:  Green 2mm foam

Variation #10:  Tan and Cocoa Hopper

Body:  Tan 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Elk

Over-wing:  Cocoa 2mm foam

Variation #11: Foam Cricket

Body:  Black 2mm foam

Under-wing:  Black-dyed deer hair/organza

Over-wing: Black 2mm foam

Legs:  Medium black round rubber legs/superhair

The Hopper Store

It is a new year and I am excited to be able to share with all of you my new online hopper tying supply store. Over the years I have searched high and low for a variety of colors and thicknesses of foam for tying my own personal hoppers and other foam flies. Now with the Hopper Store I hope to provide you with the best of what I have found in one convenient location.

If you go check out the store, you will find fly tying foam from .5mm – 6mm thick in all the best colors. Along with sheets of foam, I have pre-cut bodies in various sizes, colors and thicknesses perfect for tying anything from 2mm Improved Chaos Hoppers to 6mm Morrish Hoppers. Some of my favorite foam to mix things up with lately has been the fuzzy foam and different two-tone combos. I plan to keep expanding the store as I discover new and better supplies. If there is anything that I don’t carry that you would like to see please let me know.

On a final note, I am offering free shipping on any item in the store from now until January 8th. To take advantage of the special, just enter the code FREESHIP2012 at checkout.

Happy tying and happy new year!