TerrestrialbeginnerMidwest & Driftless
Dave's Hopper
$4.50
Available Sizes#8 - #12
Color Variations
YellowTanOlive
Dave Whitlock looked at a grasshopper, looked at a fly vise, and somehow made deer hair, turkey feathers, and yellow yarn into something that makes trout completely abandon their survival instincts. When the wind blows grasshoppers into Driftless spring creeks in August, the trout station themselves along grassy banks and wait for the next meal to fall in. This fly lands with the authoritative splat of a real hopper hitting the water, at which point the largest trout in the pool materializes from nowhere to eat it. Hopper fishing is not subtle. It is not supposed to be.
Quick Facts
TypeTerrestrial
Difficultybeginner
SeasonsSummer, Fall
Target SpeciesBrown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout
Sizes#8 - #12
Best LocationsWhitewater River, MN; Timber Coulee Creek, WI; Current River, MO
Where to Fish It
Whitewater River
MN · Spring Creek
Timber Coulee Creek
WI · Spring Creek
Current River
MO · Ozark River
Map unavailable. Locations for Dave's Hopper: Whitewater River, MN; Timber Coulee Creek, WI; Current River, MO
Related Reading
region guide
Driftless Area: Spring Creek Paradise
Tucked into the unglaciated hills of southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa lies the Driftless Area — a landscape of cold spring creeks, limestone bluffs, and wild trout that rivals any destination in the country. This is the complete guide to fishing the Driftless.
hatch guide
Terrestrial Fishing: Hoppers, Ants, and Beetles
Terrestrial insects — hoppers, ants, beetles, and crickets — are not aquatic hatches, but they drive some of the most exciting and productive dry-fly fishing of the year. From midsummer hopper banks to fall ant flights, this is your guide to fishing the land-based food sources that trout cannot resist.
You Might Also Like
TerrestrialbeginnerFoam Beetle
$3.50Midwest & Driftless
#12 - #18
Closed-cell foam beetle with rubber legs. Low-riding silhouette is irresistible to trout feeding along wooded banks.
BlackOliveCinnamon
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →
TerrestrialbeginnerFlying Ant
$3.50Midwest & Driftless
#14 - #20
Two-humped foam ant with CDC wings. Deadly during summer ant falls when flying ants swarm and land on the water surface.
BlackCinnamonRed/Black
Brown Trout · Brook Trout · Rainbow Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →
TerrestrialbeginnerAmy's Ant
$3.50Rocky Mountain West
#12 - #18
Foam ant pattern with a visible indicator post. Two-tone foam body segments with rubber legs. Floats all day.
BlackCinnamonRed/Black
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →TerrestrialbeginnerFoam Beetle
$3.50Rocky Mountain West
#12 - #18
Simple foam-backed beetle pattern with peacock herl underbody and indicator post. Imitates the beetles that tumble into streams all summer.
BlackPeacockBrown
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout · Brook Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →
TerrestrialbeginnerChubby Chernobyl
$3.95Rocky Mountain West
#8 - #14
Foam-bodied attractor dry. Indicator fly for dropper rigs. Floats anything you hang below it.
TanRoyalGoldenPink
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →TerrestrialbeginnerDave's Hopper
$3.95Rocky Mountain West
#6 - #12
Dave Whitlock's grasshopper imitation. Turkey wing, deer hair collar, yellow body. The definitive hopper pattern since the 1970s.
YellowTanOlive
Rainbow Trout · Brown Trout · Cutthroat Trout
SprSumFallWin
View Details →