SHOP NOTES | C.J. BOVA RODS

 Personal criteria for my favorite grasshopper patterns:   1 ~Use of all natural materials 2 ~A pattern that can be tied in less than eight minutes 3 ~Least wind resistant geometry on a hook no larger than a #10 4 ~A pattern that casts well using tippet down to 6x 5 ~Create a geometry that can be fished wet or dry successfully 6 ~A wing that does not use turkey feathers or other primary feathers 7 ~A hybrid pattern an attractor/imitation 8 ~Legs wispy and very flexible as not to influence a take or hook set 9 ~Can be tied as small juvenile or adult (variables only in hook sizes) Davie McPhail is an outstanding Scottish fly tyer. Davie grew up in the south west of Scotland and fished rivers such as the Stinchar, the Nith, Girvan, and the river Doon while growing up. After watching Davie tye flies over the years, both traditional and contemporary I quickly came to realize that he definitely has a particular point of view and unique methods that make him stand out in a ...

 I pre-package all of my double knotted hopper legs because I size  them for both adults and juveniles, each package contains  enough legs for two hoppers. (x4 legs per juvy hopper) One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the grasshoppers geometry is its hind legs or “jumping legs”. These legs are often over dramatized or under dramatized in many patterns. Many of the pre-knotted legs we get from catalogs or fly shops are pre-knotted legs made from several hackle fibers of pheasant tail. Often these look like bottle brushes or the business end of a broom. If you look closely at a juvenile grasshoppers legs they are fairly slender and are most definitely tapered. By taking just two hackle fibers of a pheasant tail and tying a half hitch at the very end of the fibers and a second half hitch in the middle of the fibers you get two joint sections in a single leg. (as seen in the anatomical diagram below and the above photo) Again you can see that the taper is ve...

If we go back in time and think about when we were playing in our back yards and had our first encounter with a grasshopper it was a simpler place in time. It is so easy to forget about the simplicity of these insects when it comes to their basic anatomy. When you look at the multitude of fly patterns imitating or interpreting this insect it is vast and overwhelming to say the least.   As a fly tyer I have scratched everything I know when it comes to tying grasshopper patterns. I decided to start with simple observations this season and keep a journal as well as an open mind. So I went on a collection rampage of juvenile grasshoppers in the months of June, July, and August. I also decided to match the uniform scale of the insects and fish them earlier than normal during the season. What I have found is neither astonishing or abnormal. In the U.S. hopper patterns are tied on hooks typically ranging from #6-12. In many cases you may as well be throwing a grenade into your f...