Joe's Hopper

Joe’s Hopper, also known as the Michigan Hopper, is one of the earliest commercially available grasshopper patterns in the United States. It was created in the 1920s by Art Winnie, a barber and fishing guide from Traverse City, Michigan, whose deep knowledge of northern trout streams led to this influential design. By the 1950s, Joe’s Hopper had become the primary hopper pattern tied and sold commercially, well before the era of modern foam or deer hair designs.

This traditional pattern features a red hackle fiber tail, a dubbed or floss body, a mottled turkey quill wing, and rooster hackle palmered through the thorax and collar to imitate both legs and movement. Unlike contemporary hopper patterns built for extreme durability or flotation, Joe’s Hopper depends on its buggy silhouette and lively profile to draw strikes.

It remains a highly effective fly on smaller creeks and meadow streams, especially where fish respond well to subtle, natural presentations. Joe’s Hopper continues to hold its place in history as a tribute to early American fly-tying ingenuity.

Fish it downstream with a controlled slack-line drift. Let the fly land gently and dead drift into feeding lanes under overhanging grass or along undercut banks.