This is a fly I have recently developed in response to a few to many refusals on old reliables; Amy’s Ant and the foamulator. Let’s face it, those two flies have been so heavily fished they have lost their luster. Don’t get me wrong, they still pull their share of fish, but you should have seen it 4 years ago when we first started fishing it…wow! So I began thinking about those flies vs. other flies. I’ve had great success on other rivers with Charlie Boy Hoppers but they have never been all that effective for my on the South Platte. I began by asking myself, “what does Amy’s and the foamulator have in common that most other hoppers don’t?” The answer is they both have flash on the bottom of the fly. What I have done is taken the body of the Charlie boy hopper and tied it with Metz loco Foam to achieve the body flash I’m after. So far, the fish who call Deckers home are liking this fly. If you fail to believe that fish have the ability to learn go fish a private pond in April and then fish it in late August! Throwing a fly that is along the lines of what fish are eating but something that nobody else has in their box is what will give you the edge on the South Platte.
Materials
Hook: TMC 100 #8-12
Thread: Olive Ice thread
body: 2mm Beetle Green Loco Foam (also try gold and metallic yellow)
Legs: Hareline Buggy Nymph Legs to Match color scheme
Underwing: Chartreuse Krystal flash
Overwing: Deer Hair to match color scheme