The original Hopper Juan fly was developed by Juan Ramirez from Colorado Springs. When I first started thinking about getting into fly tying, there were two flies that really got me excited to learn, the parachute Adams and the Hopper Juan. Juan’s pattern can be found on his site, the Hopper Juan, with a detailed recipe and material list. I really like this pattern and have had great success with it. I recently tied up a batch for a fly swap on a local forum and was asked for the recipe. The bugs I tied were a variation of the original Hopper Juan. Here is my variation:
1. Foam – 2-3 colors – bottom, top, indicator (the 2mm stuff from the craft store works just fine)
2. Thread – I like the thread to match the top layer and I really like to use 6/0 Uni-Thread
3. Dubbing – I prefer the Hare-Tron Dubbin, but anything will work
4. Deer Hair
5. Super Glue
6. Leg material
7. Something sparkly for the underwing – I use Krystal Flash because that is what I have…
Take your bottom piece of foam cut in a 1/4 inch wide strip. Pierce it onto the hook shank.
Tie on thread and secure the bottom layer of foam to at the back of the hook. Add a drop of superglue right on the thread and foam.
Tie in top foam with 3-4 wraps.
Open those two pieces of foam up and wind thread forward. This takes some forward thinking because ultimately you are going to have three body segments ahead of you. Make sure you space it evenly so that all the segments are the same size.
Secure bottom layer of foam with a couple of wraps and drop a dab of superglue in the cup-like area that you just created. Then tie in the top layer.
Repeat until you reach just behind the eye of the hook. Firmly secure the bottom layer of foam.
Carefully and as close as you can, cut the bottom layer of foam and cover the extra foam with thread wraps.
Tie in the top layer but do not cut it.
Wrap back to the last body segment with one cross wrap. this is usually the best time to trim the tail. (I have no idea if the tail should be cut like this, but I think it makes it look nice…)
Note: At this point, all the rest of your material will be tied in at this point. Try to limit the amount of wraps because it will get bulky real quick.
Tie in Krystal Flash (or whatever other flash material you have).
Tie in deer hair.
Trim and had dubbing. (Dubbing hides a multitude of sins…)
Add your legs. Right here I add one more drop of glue in the dubbing and on the exposed foam.
Bring back your top layer of foam and secure with 1-2 wraps then add in a very thin piece of bright foam as your indicator. You can whip finish right there in the foam or you can take the thread back up to the eye of the hook. I think the whip finish in the foam works just fine. Trim foam.
What you have is a bullet-proof bug that will float all day, catch fish, and act as an indicator for any dropper you throw underneath it. A quality fly created by a quality tier. I have tied up a bunch and look forward to throwing these on the Deschutes during my upcoming trip. Thanks Juan for a great bug.
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Wow, what a great tutorial. I don’t tie, but think I could try it with your detailed steps. I’m going to send Dustin this way to try his hand at it.
Thanks Stephanie. It’s a ton of fun to tie and always nice to try out different color combos. Let me know how Dustin does. Thanks again.
Ben
Nice job!!
Thanks Antonio. It’s a great bug that is really fun to tie.
Ben
When I think of Hoppers…the first two that come to mind are the Hopper Juan & your mini hoppers. I’ve already tried you mini hopper recipe, looking forward to trying this HJ variant.
Thanks Mike. Putting the minis in the same category as the Hopper Juan is an honor. Glad you tied some up. Let me know how they fish for you. Thanks again.
Ben
When I tie in the third segment I make 2 wraps. This is the point where the flash, deer hair, and legs get tied in. This took some trial and error. I have been putting the little plastic bar bell eyes in, they look good. Ben I will have some for you. My thread is the opposite of yours as mine matches the bottom piece of foam. My favorite colors are gray/ black, orange/ brown, and yellow/ green. This is truly a great fly to have in a fly box. Great simple instructions.
Hey Ben, you should post a fly of the week with instructions and pictures. Your favorites.
Thanks Gary. Good info on the thread wraps. I wish I could do a fly a week. My vice is burning up with all the mini-hoppers I’ve been tying. Thanks for the kind words. Look forward to getting those bugs.
Ben
Ben,
God job there! Thanks for posting this. Have you seen the Juanna Be? It’s the mini version of the HJ and it will work well for the smaller streams/fish of the high country. Great job on all you do. Keep up the great work.
Juan
Thanks Juan. I just saw the Juan Be the other day. Great looking little fly that I’ll have to tie up. Thanks for putting together such great patterns.
Ben
Hmmm….anyone interested in a hopper swap? That’s a nice tie!
Done deal. I got a couple I could swap. Shoot me an email with some details and will figure something out. Thanks Owl.
Ben
I’ll play. I don’t do that often anymore and I hate tying hoppers but I’ve been streamlining a small handful of patterns over the years and have settled on a couple faves that look very little like yours…
Very cool Mike. I’d be interested to check them out. Good info on the long legs. Thanks.
Ben
I know you carry an old pair of tying scissors in yer quiver.
In the event of the apocalypse, you will probably find me combing riverbanks for these things. Cool use of the dual-body and superglue, nice tie!
Thanks David. Juan gets all the credit for this one. It is a really fun bug to tie. I often think about the apocalypse and how the streams will pretty much be devoid of fishermen and how I’ll have all the big brown trout to myself. Thanks man.
Ben
I have everything but the leg material. I’m going to have to try these. Nice write up Ben.
Thanks Bill. I appreciate kind words. It’s a great fly and you’ll have fun tying it.
Ben
I am tying several of these for my yearly retreat to the juan. I am also tying some mini hoppers that are not so mini. A size 6.
Excellent Gary. Looking forward to a report. Take some pictures.
Ben
Great site, I’ve fished in Sedona a couple times. I always wanted to try other places. If you ever want to see what fishing in NC is like check out my blog. Fishwithkev.blogspot.com
Thanks Kev. I like the site. Keep up the good work.
Ben
and a little tip. I trim my legs l-o-n-g when I tie in the fly. the action is a little better in the water and if they are too long – say you get short strikes and refusals, trim the legs to suit.
Hey Ben, nice tie. Gotta quick question… What sizes are you tying in? I often tie my hoppers in 10’s and 12’s. Although, I’ve seen bigger ones.
Dave, Thanks for the kinds words. I am usually tying them in #10s and #8s although there are couple floating around in my fly box that are a size bigger and smaller. I like tying them on the Allen Hopper hooks. They have a nice bend to them. I can’t wait for summer.
Ben