Thunder Thighs Hopper

Thunder Thighs, Flesh

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Tying Instructions

1. Flatten the barb of the hook with your vise and secure the hook at the bottom of the hook bend. Attach the thread at the 1/3 position of the hook shank wrapping a thread foundation to the bend of the hook.

2. Select about 6-8 stiff hackles from a spade hackle. You can procure these hackles from the sides of a cape or purchase a tailing pack with these hackles.

3. The length should be slightly longer than the hook shank. Attach the tailing fibers at the bend of the hook and wrap the tag ends to about the 1/3 position. Clip off the tag ends of the tailing fibers.

4. Select a 1/4 inch section of Turkey T-Base for the wingpost. Note how the T-base has a flat and even tip. You should clip this section with a cut that is parallel to the tips.

5. Keeping the tips aligned, roll the segment and position the tie-down at the area in front of where you trimmed the tailing butts. The wing post should be the length of the hook shank.

6. A.K. likes to hold the segment at a 45 degree downward angle in front of the shank. With 2 soft thread loops, the bundle will position itself on top of the shank upon tightening the thread.

7. Trim the butt ends of the T-Base and wrap to cover the clipped butts.

8. Try to wrap an even taper. Lift the wingpost tips and wrap 7-8 turns against the front of the wingpost to hold the wingpost upright.

9. Wrap 7-8 times around the base of the wingpost to give support to the hackle. This is easily done with a rotary vise rotating the wingpost towards you.

10. Select a hackle stem and clip the guill where the diameter of the quill is about the same as the diameter of the shank.

11. This clipped tip is then attached to the side of the hook shank and secured with thread wraps to the tail tie-off position.

12. Wrap the quill forward. At the wingpost, secure the quill with some tight thread wraps behind the wing post.

13. Then, bring the quill underneath and tie-off the quill in front of the wingpost.

14. Clip the butt and wrap over. Apply some UV Clear Fly Finish, Flow to the quill body.

15. Harden the coating with a UV lamp.

16. Select a stiff Dun Hackle about one size larger than the hook size. Clip three hook-eye lenths of fibers from the stem shiny-side up. This helps keep the fibers from twisting the hackle. Tie the butt end in front of the wingpost nearest you. Also put a couple of wraps around the base of the wingpost to anchor the hackle to the wingpost.

17. Build up a thread thorax and head covering the hackle and quill body butt ends.

18. Wrap the hackle 4-5 turns around the wingpost proceeding in a downwards direction. Wrap the thread at the base of the wingpost just above the tag end of the hackle 2-3 times to secure the hackle wraps.

19. Bring the hackle tip over the hook eye and underneath the thread. Bringing the thread over the hackle tip will lock the hackle into place. Wrap the thread around the hackle tip two more times before trimming the tip. Lift the hackles from above the hook eye and wrap to further secure and cover the hackle tip. Apply 2-3 half hitches.

20. Apply some head cement at the head and also at the base of the wingpost. The finished Quill Parachute, BWO.

Materials to Order Material, click the link
Hook	TMC 5212 #8-14
Thread	Uni Thread Tan 8/0
Body	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Flesh, glued.
Thighs	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Flesh, glued.
Legs	Grizzly Barred Rubberlegs, White/Black
Underwing	Midge Flash, Root Beer
Overwing	1.5 mm White Foam
Eyes	2mm Black foam strip
Post	2mm Orange foam strip
Collar	Tan Superfine Dubbing

Eric Paramore

Thunder Thighs Hopper

Eric Paramore, a fishing guide out of Livingston, Montana, designed this hopper pattern in 2010 and introduced some improvements in 2012. Umpqua Feather Merchants picked up the pattern and the pattern has become quite popular within the Sierra.

According to Eric, “This pattern has all the right qualities to be a real fish catcher. It has rubber legs, a foam bullet head and a very realistic silhouette. The legs of the hopper may seem a bit excessive, but I noticed last year that the trout, especially late in the season, liked this style of hopper with the over-sized legs, or Thunderthighs. This realistic foam hopper pattern is easy to tie, and it can be tied in any color combination. As the summer went on, this hopper seemed to fish better and better. 

The realistic silhouette of this grasshopper pattern with its thick foam/rubber legs, bullet-head, large eyes and flashy wing seemed to trigger trout consistently throughout the summer, even in low, clear, late summer conditions.  The realistic legs on this pattern set this terrestrial apart from most other hoppers.  I  also used this fly as part of a hopper/dropper setup with great results.  The fly seemed to always land upright and supported heavy tungsten bead-head copper johns or pheasant-tails without a problem. 

This fly also works great with a thick poly-wing substituted for the thin foam-wing.  The poly-wing aids in floatation and visibility making this a must-have pattern when fishing from a drift boat.”

Thunder Thighs Hopper, Orange

Hook	Daiichi 1710 #8-14
Thread	Uni Thread Tan 8/0
Body	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Orange, glued.
Thighs	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Orange, glued.
Legs	Grizzly Barred Rubberlegs, White/Black
Underwing	Midge Flash, Root Beer
Overwing	1.5 mm White Foam
Eyes	2mm Black foam strip
Post	2mm Insect Green Foam Strip
Collar	Tan Superfine Dubbing

Thunder Thigh Hopper, Yellow

Hook	Daiichi 1710 #8-14
Thread	Uni Thread Tan 8/0
Body	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Yellow, glued.
Thighs	Two Foam pieces, 2mm, Tan/Yellow, glued.
Legs	Grizzly Barred Rubberlegs, White/Black
Underwing	Midge Flash, Root Beer
Overwing	1.5 mm Tan Foam
Eyes	2mm Black foam strip
Post	2mm Orange foam strip
Collar	Tan Superfine Dubbing

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