Flies For All Seasons - The Olive Hopper

Les Lockey brings you a dry fly for those educated, fussy feeders, sipping dries in flat-calm conditions… the Olive Hopper

There can be few more frustrating and challenging scenarios for the still water fly angler than being afloat in a flat calm while surrounded by rising trout randomly sipping down seemingly unseen morsels from the surface. The absence of a helpful wind to turn the flies over cleanly, and the lack of a convenient ripple to camouflage a leader that stubbornly refuses to sink, means all the advantages lie with the trout and they will not be easily deceived.

The dilemma of whether to tackle these difficult rising fish with dries or sub-surface nymphs can be a hard call, but I relish the dry-fly challenge and the Olive Hopper works remarkably well in these conditions.