Fed’s Top Shelf Hopper Variant
Fed’s “Top Shelf” Hopper is a variant of a fly I found on the Drew Ross’s LooknFishy YouTube channel. The original version comes into two styles – single foam and double foam version for hopper/dropper rigs. Its been a really productive pattern for Drew in recent years. Originally a grass carp pattern based on the foam back humpy, Drew later added a second layer of foam.
Materials
- Hook: Firehole curved 10 and 12
- Foam: 2mm any light and dark foam combination.
- Thread: Woolly nylon.
- Body: Ice dub or flash dubbing brush.
- Under-wing: Sparkle flash.
- Over-wing: Poly yarn could be any color.
- Legs: Round rubber barred.
- Hackle: Dark colour.
Tying Steps
- Apply Sally Hansen’s to the hook.
Cover hook with thread.
- Tie in dark foam.(dark foam ends on top).
Tie in light foam.
- Cover hook with sparkle flash brush.
- Fold the light foam over and tie it down.
Fold over the dark foam and tie it off.
- Advance thread to just behind the eye, leave room.
- Fold both foam pieces over and tie in behind the eye.
- Fill in the space with wraps of thread.
- Tie in the poly yarn.
- Fold the poly yarn back over and tie it down, wrapping it with thread..
- Tie in the hackle.
Tie in the rubber legs using the “Begley technique”.
- Wrap hackle behind the legs, over the middle and in front of the legs.
Tie it off.
- Bring thread in front of the foam and whip finish.
- Trim the foam and round off the head.
Trim the legs.
Trim the wings.
