classic Michigan dry fly · 1930s or 1940s
Cooper's Hopper
Likely origin Ken Cooper is the tyer in every source; the decade differs.
History
Ken Cooper worked this hopper out after a summer of watching grasshoppers along the Au Sable's banks. The tent-style turkey wing and trimmed green hackle give it a hopper's profile and color.
Sources disagree on the decade. One places it in the mid-1930s, another in the mid-1940s.
Materials
| Hook | 2X long, sizes 8 to 12 |
|---|---|
| Tail | Dark claret hackle fibers |
| Body | Light tan chenille |
| Rib | Green hackle, palmered and trimmed |
| Underwing | Red squirrel hair |
| Overwing | Mottled turkey, tied tent style |
| Hackle | Reddish-brown |
Sources
Know more about this fly's history, or spot a mistake? Send a correction.
No photo yet. Every photo on michfly is of a fly tied for the site, so they're added a few at a time.
Original recipe cards for many Michigan patterns are kept at the Michigan Dry Flies archive, built by the late Tom Deschaine.