classic Michigan dry fly · early 1960s
Top Hopper
Likely origin Two Deschaine columns (one author) agree on tyer and date; no independent source found.
History
Josephine Sedlecky-Borsum of Ed's Sport Shop in Baldwin designed the Top Hopper in the early 1960s. A loop of chenille runs back over the tail as an extended butt, and over time it presses the tail fibers into a downward angle.
Tyers who still fish it most often use a lime green body; other versions change the tail color or swap the woodchuck wing for turkey quill. She chose it as one of her three original flies to tie at the 1987 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Materials
| Hook | Standard dry (Mustad 94840), sizes 8 to 12; size 6 on request |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 6/0 |
| Tail | Orange hackle fibers (red or yellow also used), straight back |
| Body | Dark olive chenille (lime green was most common), looped back over the tail |
| Wing | Woodchuck hair, trude style, past the bend; or two turkey quill sections laid over the body |
| Hackle | Brown, heavy |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "Jo's Flies." Just Old Flies, Fly Anglers Online, September 12, 2011.
- Deschaine, T. "Josephine Sedlecky-Borsum: A First Lady of the Vice." Just Old Flies, Fly Anglers Online, August 15, 2011.
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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.