TFTG THE HIPPIE STOMPER by Hennie Viljoen

The mastermind behind the Hippie Stomper is Andrew Grillos, a well-known US fly tyer & designer, famous for several successful fly patterns. His flies are also commercially tied and sold by Umpqua.

Andrew brings almost two decades of guiding experience gained while working for some of the industry’s top outfitters in Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand to the table, all while fanatically tying flies all along the way. Grillos designed the Hippie Stomper with the purpose of having a highly buoyant, visible fly that attracts fish.

Hennie Viljoen was the guest fly tyer at the Guild’s meeting in March 2019. He tied the Hippie Stomper, which has proven to be a very effective fly pattern for Smallmouth Yellowfish on Sterkfontein Dam.

Hook: TMC 3761, 6-18 or similar Thread: Ultra Thread, 70 denier, Black Tail: Black Deer hair Underbody: Olive ice dub & red holographic flashabou Overbody: 2 Layers of foam: 2mm black on top, 1mm olive underneath Overbody Sizing:

Size 6-10: black layer is 2mm foam, green layer is 1mm foam Size 12-16: both layers are 1mm foam Size 18: black is 1mm,

green layer is 0.5mm foam

Wing: McFlylon or Polypropylene Yarn Hackle: Grizzly Legs: Fine round rubber, barred (white & black)

“A couple of years ago I read a blog post on Midcurrent titled: “Where Have All The Hippie Stompers Gone?” and after that it was love at first tie...”

I don't really fish small CDC ant patterns, etc. like most other guys on Sterkfontein, I believe in the Hamburger Theory... "Give 'em some meat and they'll come up to eat"

- Hennie Viljoen

HIPPIE STOMPER - ROYAL Step-By-Step

Lay down a thread base and tie in your black deer hair, about equal to the hook length.

Cut two foam strips equal to or slightly wider than the hook gape. I use about 1cm for a #8 hook. One will be the black overbody and one will be the green underbody.

To avoid creating a bulky tie-in cut the end of the strips into a point and then tie them in.

Add a small amount of dubbing and then add the flashabou. Add another small amount of dubbing, after which you the pull your underbody foam forward and tie it off.

Put a tiny drop of superglue on the top of the underbody and then pull the overbody forward and tie off.

Trim the foam “head” so it’s equal in length to the thorax.

Tie in legs on either side of the hook shank.

Densely wrap your hackle and tie it off. I use about 6-8 wraps for a nice thick hackle collar.

Carefully pull the foam head and wing out of the way and tie off and glue your thread at the eye of the hook. Trim the rear of the wing so it’s half the length of the foam overbody. Trim the front of the wing so it’s a little bit longer than your hackle. Trim the legs so that they’re slightly shorter than the overall fly length.

Trim the underside of the hackle nearly flat on the bottom. This doesn’t affect the fly’s buoyancy and ensures that it will float upright on nearly every cast. Trimming the hackle also forces the fly to sit lower in the water, giving the fish a better look at their next meal.

For more information on the Hippie Stomper, please visit Andrew Grillos’ website at www.andrewgrillosflyfishing.com