Letort Hopper

The Letort Hopper is one of the most iconic terrestrial patterns in American fly fishing, developed by Ed Shenk in the 1950s for use on the Letort Spring Run in Pennsylvania. This spring creek was—and still is—notoriously difficult, with ultra-selective trout and gin-clear water. Shenk designed the Letort Hopper to imitate the slender, realistic profile of natural grasshoppers that often fell into the stream’s grassy margins. His goal was subtlety and silhouette over splash and bulk—an intentional departure from louder, more buoyant western hopper patterns. Tied entirely from natural materials like deer hair and pheasant tail, the Letort Hopper rides low in the film, creating a convincing impression of a real insect struggling on the water’s surface. Its minimalist design, flat wing, and splayed legs helped set a standard for terrestrial fly patterns. The Letort Hopper has since become a go-to fly not only on eastern spring creeks but also on freestone rivers and stillwaters where fish key in on terrestrials.

Staggered Drift: Use a short, twitchy retrieve with pauses to mimic the erratic kicks of a hopper struggling to regain land. On windy days, cast upstream of grassy banks and let the wind do the work—no mending, just tension.