Best Flies for Idaho 4 - Parahopper - a Blackfoot River Must Have for July-September

Materials:

• Hook: 2x long dry fly hook like Tiemco 2312, size 6-14
• Body & Thorax: Tan Superfine or other dry fly dubbing
  
• Wing: Turkey Tail treated with flexible cement
• Legs: Pheasant Tail fibers, knotted. (1 on each side)
• Parachute Post: White Poly Yarn
• Hackle: Grizzly Saddle Hackle

For the Blackfoot River, a gray body and thorax is the best - sizes 6 & 8. For smaller Idaho streams (Tincup, Stump Creek, Upper Warm River, Moose Creek, etc.) carry some size 14 hoppers during the summer months and you'll likley catch 40-50 fish (6-12") in a few hours. The larger hoppers rarely hook any of these smaller fish even though they will try like crazy to take the fly.

I am still working on a better thorax/body that will allow the fly to remain on the surface when fished with a dropper. This pattern after a few casts tends to sink when fished with a dropper even when floatant is used. Anybody have any ideas or success stories on keeping the hopper on the surface? Let me know if you do.

Enjoy the last few weeks of fishing - if you enjoy wading through 6 inches of snow and battling sub-freezing conditions!