Fly Tying Demonstration by:
NIFTy Member Curtis Watts
Demonstration Date:
11/09/2015
Pink Pookie
Materials (listed in the order they are tied on the hook)
• Hook: Dai-Riki #730 Size 8 thru 12
• Thread: UNI 6/0 or Veevus 8/0 in Red
• Body: 2mm Pink foam
• Under-Wing: Natural deer hair
• Wing: 2mm Tan foam
• Post: 2mm Orange foam
• Legs: Medium yellow/black barred rubber legs
About the Fly:
The Pink Pookie foam hopper, created by Dean Reiner out of Hatch Finders Fly Shop in Livingston, Montana, is one of the more popular hopper patterns in the Livingston-Bozeman area and for good reason. The Pink Pookie just flat out catches fish. This hopper pattern, with its foam bullet-head and foam wing, floats like a cork. The pink foam body of the fly seems very unnatural for imitating actual grasshoppers, yet the trout see something in the color pink that they identify as being food.
I have fished this pattern in the Driftless area in the late summer and early fall and the Brown Trout love it. On breezy days, fished close to the banks, by standing grass or casted just into the grass, with the winds help, and popped into the water it can be deadly.This pattern and additional hopper patterns can be found on the Hopper Fishing website: http://www.hopperfish.com .
Tying Instructions:
Step 1: Create a thread base on the hook. I usually do a 3-layer thread base. Building a 3-layer thread base seems to keep the hopper body from twisting or rotating on the hook. Stop thread at hook point.
I have fished this pattern in the Driftless area in the late summer and early fall and the Brown Trout love it. On breezy days, fished close to the banks, by standing grass or casted just into the grass, with the winds help, and popped into the water it can be deadly.This pattern and additional hopper patterns can be found on the Hopper Fishing website: http://www.hopperfish.com .
Tying Instructions:
Step 1: Create a thread base on the hook. I usually do a 3-layer thread base. Building a 3-layer thread base seems to keep the hopper body from twisting or rotating on the hook. Stop thread at hook point.
Step 2: With Foam Cutters: Using foam cutters, stamp out 2 pieces of foam. Use a small foam cutter for the pink belly and a medium sized foam cutter for the over-wing.
Step 3: Remove hook from vise and slide the pink strip of foam onto the hook. Pierce foam strip 1 hook gap from tapered end of foam strip.
Step 4: Bind down foam strip with 4-5 firm thread wraps.
Step 5: Begin forming segments on body: Advance thread forward on hook only to just in front of point of hook. At this point, bind down foam with 4-5 firm thread wraps.
Step 6: Form next segment in body. This segment should be just less than half-way to eye of hook. Bind down foam with 2-3 thread wraps only. At this 3rd segment, we will tie in deer hair, over-wing and legs, so keep thread wraps to a minimum here.
Step 7: Advance the thread to just shy of hook eye.
Step 8: Bind down foam with 2-3 thread wraps. Next, trim remaining foam as close as possible just behind hook eye. You can push single blade of scissor behind hook eye to saw foam piece off against the blade or with fine point scissors, just trim foam strip right behind hook eye.
Step 9: Cover trimmed ends of foam with thread and try to keep thread wraps to a minimum here.
Step 10: Advance thread back to 3rd body segment by crossing the thread over the top of the foam body.
Step 3: Remove hook from vise and slide the pink strip of foam onto the hook. Pierce foam strip 1 hook gap from tapered end of foam strip.
Step 4: Bind down foam strip with 4-5 firm thread wraps.
Step 5: Begin forming segments on body: Advance thread forward on hook only to just in front of point of hook. At this point, bind down foam with 4-5 firm thread wraps.
Step 6: Form next segment in body. This segment should be just less than half-way to eye of hook. Bind down foam with 2-3 thread wraps only. At this 3rd segment, we will tie in deer hair, over-wing and legs, so keep thread wraps to a minimum here.
Step 7: Advance the thread to just shy of hook eye.
Step 8: Bind down foam with 2-3 thread wraps. Next, trim remaining foam as close as possible just behind hook eye. You can push single blade of scissor behind hook eye to saw foam piece off against the blade or with fine point scissors, just trim foam strip right behind hook eye.
Step 9: Cover trimmed ends of foam with thread and try to keep thread wraps to a minimum here.
Step 10: Advance thread back to 3rd body segment by crossing the thread over the top of the foam body.
Step 11: Take over-wing and lay it on top of pink foam with tapered ends of foam even. Next, mark the foam with your fingernail just beyond end of hook eye.
Step 12: Flip foam piece over. Tapered end should now be extending over eye of hook. Line the fingernail mark in foam up with just beyond hook eye. At this point bind down the foam over-wing.
Step 13: Bind down over-wing with 2-3 firm wraps of thread.
Step 14: Advance thread over top of pink foam to hook eye. Lightly stretch tan foam over-wing and bind down foam with 4-5 thread wraps.
Step 15: Trim butts of tan foam at original tie-in point as close as possible.
Step 16: Advance thread back again to 3rd body segment.
Step 17: Stack a clump of deer hair and tie in so tips of hair extend beyond pink foam under-body.
Step 18: Bind down deer hair with 4-5 thread wraps. Again, keep wraps of thread to a minimum here.
Step 19: Apply some super-glue to butts of deer hair for durability.
Step 20: Lightly pull foam over-wing back over body of hopper. Bind down foam over-wing with 2-3
firm thread wraps.
Step 21: Cut a thin strip of 2mm orange foam. Strip of foam should be narrower than bullet-head of hopper.
Step 22: Bind down foam post with 2-3 wraps of thread, then trim the post to desired length.
Step 12: Flip foam piece over. Tapered end should now be extending over eye of hook. Line the fingernail mark in foam up with just beyond hook eye. At this point bind down the foam over-wing.
Step 13: Bind down over-wing with 2-3 firm wraps of thread.
Step 14: Advance thread over top of pink foam to hook eye. Lightly stretch tan foam over-wing and bind down foam with 4-5 thread wraps.
Step 15: Trim butts of tan foam at original tie-in point as close as possible.
Step 16: Advance thread back again to 3rd body segment.
Step 17: Stack a clump of deer hair and tie in so tips of hair extend beyond pink foam under-body.
Step 18: Bind down deer hair with 4-5 thread wraps. Again, keep wraps of thread to a minimum here.
Step 19: Apply some super-glue to butts of deer hair for durability.
Step 20: Lightly pull foam over-wing back over body of hopper. Bind down foam over-wing with 2-3
firm thread wraps.
Step 21: Cut a thin strip of 2mm orange foam. Strip of foam should be narrower than bullet-head of hopper.
Step 22: Bind down foam post with 2-3 wraps of thread, then trim the post to desired length.
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