The Charlie Boy Hopper was designed in the early 2000s by Colorado fly tier Charlie Craven. Craven created it to specifically imitate the grasshoppers found along Colorado's rivers in late summer.
With its simple foam body and rubber legs, the Charlie Boy Hopper is easy to tie and very effective at mimicking a struggling grasshopper or cricket on the water's surface. It was first featured in Fly Fisherman magazine in 2002.
The Charlie Boy Hopper can be fished dead drift like a standard dry fly. But its best action comes from small twitches or skates that make the rubber legs kick, simulating an injured hopper. It works well fished upstream for drifting trout or cast near the banks for lurking fish.
The fly is highly effective at catching selective trout, including rainbows, browns, cutthroats, and brook trout when grasshopper activity is high near the water. The Charlie Boy Hopper's simple profile and impression of life entice finicky trout to strike. It has become a popular hopper pattern across North America.
