Dry FliesMSA Hopper
Loren Williams' MSA Hopper builds a size 8 grasshopper from olive-dyed Argentinean hare, palmered with a dirty badger saddle hackle and finished with an olive deer hair wing and black round rubber legs. Pearl Krystal Flash in the abdomen adds a spark of attraction for summer hopper takes.
Spring, Summer, Fall
Intermediate
Trout
Feb 2026
Overview
Running the same dirty badger hackle through both the abdomen and thorax gives the fly a full, buggy silhouette without needing a separate palmered rib, and the olive hare dubbing keeps the color consistent front to back. Deer hair over the top adds bulk and a visible wing profile on the water, while the round rubber legs kick when the fly lands or gets twitched. It's built for the same crash-landing presentation as a real grasshopper, fished tight to banks and grassy edges through summer.
Where to Buy This Fly
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Materials
- Hook:
- Partridge BIN #8 (or equivalent medium wire 2XL hook)
- Thread:
- Benecchi 12/0, black
- Body Hackle:
- Whiting saddle, dirty badger
- Abdomen:
- Argentinean hare, dyed olive
- Flash:
- Krystal Flash, pearl
- Wing:
- Deer hair, dyed olive
- Legs:
- Round rubber, black
- Hackle:
- Whiting saddle, dirty badger
- Thorax:
- Argentinean hare, dyed olive
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Grasshoppers crash-land on water during windy summer days, kicking their powerful hind legs and creating substantial disturbances. Their large size and commotion trigger aggressive strikes from fish who recognize these terrestrials as rare but substantial meals.
Where Trout Eat It: Trout target this large terrestrial tight to grassy banks where hoppers land after windy jumps, especially in agricultural areas with active grasshopper populations. Fish hold in feeding lanes along undercut banks and near overhanging vegetation where substantial insects crash-land.
How to Fish It: Dead drift tight to banks within 6 inches with occasional 'skitch' movements—small twitches that vibrate the fly like a struggling hopper rather than swimming it across surface. The high-floating foam body allows for confident strikes without immediate hook sets.
Best Water: Focus on banks with active grasshopper populations, tail-outs with calm water adjacent to grassy shorelines, and foam lines along undercut banks. The pattern excels in shallow bank runs and slower edges where trout can inspect the large profile.
Strike Type: Expect aggressive slashing strikes tight to banks where trout explode on the large foam profile. Fish often create violent surface disturbance that sends the fly airborne.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 9-12 foot leader tapering to 5X tippet for delicate presentations. Apply floatant to the body and hackle.
Seasonal Timing: Most effective during peak feeding periods at dawn and dusk. Water temperatures between 45-65°F typically produce best results.
Pro Tips: Focus on banks with active grasshopper populations. Make your casts count by targeting within 6 inches of the bank where trout expect terrestrials to land.
Entomology
Grasshoppers crash-land on water during windy summer days, kicking their powerful hind legs and creating substantial disturbances. Their large size and commotion trigger aggressive strikes from fish who recognize these terrestrials as rare but substantial meals.
- Order
- Orthoptera
- Family
- Acrididae
- Common Name
- Grasshopper
- Organism Type
- terrestrial
- Life Stage
- adult
