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Fly Fishing
Hopper time
Uploaded on July 25, 2011Here is a controversial opinion you more than likely never heard anywhere else, but from this fly angler, and that regards hopper fishing. It has been my observation that over many days on the water guiding, and personal days, that you seldom ever see a hopper on the water. Yet you see written about how many hoppers there will be this year, and what a good hopper season it will be. It takes a hurricane to get one to stick on the water, and stay. I've caught hoppers, and flung them down on the water from inches away, and they'd fly off, and I was a baseball pitcher! When hoppers get first hyped this month, and in Aug. few hoppers end up on the water. Once a freeze hits, then they can fly poorly, and can end up on the water, but not until late Sept. and into Oct. for many of us. What happens is....most of the hatches have concluded, and fish will rise and take a big bunch of protein gearing up for the cold water months, but as a specific hooper? I question that, and why I do not tie specific hoppers, but just big morsels like Chernobyl ant types, and big stimulator types.
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No one has an observation?..just blindly follow the journalist reports that the river is full of hoppers?
I'll weigh in here. You're right, seldom if ever are hoppers ever seen on the water, but for that matter, neither are beetles, crickets, or ants, unless there is a flying ant "fall", but the trout still eat 'em. I've fished hoppers as early as late April, and done well with them. The caveat: these are small, wingless(wings not developed yet)hoppers, about a size 14, babies if you will. Walking through a meadow one year, late April-early May, I was astounded by 1000's of little hoppers exploding every which-a-way. So, of course, I tied some up and fished 'em. Lo and behold, they caught fish! Granted, these were not pressured fish in a food-rich environment, but they were wild trout. Beyond that, I'd guess the proliferation of hopper patterns one sees is a product of the fact that hopper patterns are fun to tie and fiddle with. Heck, some of 'em don't even have a hopper-like profile. I too have caught them and flung them on the water, after tearing their wings off(in the name of science, mind you) and they will paddle their way off the water if they're not eaten by using the powerful rear legs.
Story..My guide buddy on the Yakima River in WA. and I stopped by a meadow and set up lunch for our clients in late Summer. We anchored and got out at the top end of a rocky bank, deep water side of the river, and a spot we often saw a number of good sized rainbows feeding along this rocky bank. The thought was that after lunch we'd get our clients to short cast along this bank, and a good chance of hooking up on hopper patterns. Nothing was coming up. I caught several hoppers and tried to force slam them down into the water, and get them to float along the bank...they would fly off. I couldn't slam them on the water, and get them to stay. My guide friend and I caught a bunch, put them in a container, and after lunch, and the clients armed and ready we pulled their wings off, and started a chum line along the bank. Up came some trout, and our clients caught several of them. I know hopper patterns work, just question if the fish think they are a hopper, or just a big bunch of protein that looks good.
That's a new one for me backcast on the young ones coming out of the ground in the Spring time.
That's a new one for me backcast on the young ones coming out of the ground in the Spring time.
Yep, it's true. Keep in mind this is in Pennsylvania. Could've been a drier than usual spring too, I don't recall.
Saw my first hoppers of the year fishing Maryland this week.
Sayfu, I will partially agree with your statement. There are more bugs on the water than you think. I pull a small handful of bugs off my pool every morning but I will agree you rarely see them floating on a river. Maybe they are gobbled up too fast or washed under by the current.
You have hoppers on your pool every day? I fish the current seam along grassy banks a lot, and have never seen a hopper on the water along a bank.
They kick and flutter. I think I would have seen them. I see very small bugs well. Beat myself up yesterday floating the entire 25 miles of the South Fork Snake River canyon..high water, very hot, and the wind blowing straight up river. I didn't want to cast, or row after awhile. First time I have been skunked on the SF. Slept for 12 hrs. when I got home. Now, I see this morning that the river has been lowered 2,000 CFS down from 15.5 K. I'll wait for a few more thousand before going again.
I really question that as well sayfu. I have never seen a hopper on the water. Even when I throw them out there they don't stay on long.
badsmerf...they write articles like the water is full of them when the adjacent fields have lots of hoppers, but I have never seen it. Now when you get a freeze in the Fall, or when it comes, a breeze can blow them in when they are clumsy, but I don't see it happening much in the heat of Summer.
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No one has an observation?..just blindly follow the journalist reports that the river is full of hoppers?
I'll weigh in here. You're right, seldom if ever are hoppers ever seen on the water, but for that matter, neither are beetles, crickets, or ants, unless there is a flying ant "fall", but the trout still eat 'em. I've fished hoppers as early as late April, and done well with them. The caveat: these are small, wingless(wings not developed yet)hoppers, about a size 14, babies if you will. Walking through a meadow one year, late April-early May, I was astounded by 1000's of little hoppers exploding every which-a-way. So, of course, I tied some up and fished 'em. Lo and behold, they caught fish! Granted, these were not pressured fish in a food-rich environment, but they were wild trout. Beyond that, I'd guess the proliferation of hopper patterns one sees is a product of the fact that hopper patterns are fun to tie and fiddle with. Heck, some of 'em don't even have a hopper-like profile. I too have caught them and flung them on the water, after tearing their wings off(in the name of science, mind you) and they will paddle their way off the water if they're not eaten by using the powerful rear legs.
Story..My guide buddy on the Yakima River in WA. and I stopped by a meadow and set up lunch for our clients in late Summer. We anchored and got out at the top end of a rocky bank, deep water side of the river, and a spot we often saw a number of good sized rainbows feeding along this rocky bank. The thought was that after lunch we'd get our clients to short cast along this bank, and a good chance of hooking up on hopper patterns. Nothing was coming up. I caught several hoppers and tried to force slam them down into the water, and get them to float along the bank...they would fly off. I couldn't slam them on the water, and get them to stay. My guide friend and I caught a bunch, put them in a container, and after lunch, and the clients armed and ready we pulled their wings off, and started a chum line along the bank. Up came some trout, and our clients caught several of them. I know hopper patterns work, just question if the fish think they are a hopper, or just a big bunch of protein that looks good.
That's a new one for me backcast on the young ones coming out of the ground in the Spring time.
That's a new one for me backcast on the young ones coming out of the ground in the Spring time.
Yep, it's true. Keep in mind this is in Pennsylvania. Could've been a drier than usual spring too, I don't recall.
Saw my first hoppers of the year fishing Maryland this week.
Sayfu, I will partially agree with your statement. There are more bugs on the water than you think. I pull a small handful of bugs off my pool every morning but I will agree you rarely see them floating on a river. Maybe they are gobbled up too fast or washed under by the current.
You have hoppers on your pool every day? I fish the current seam along grassy banks a lot, and have never seen a hopper on the water along a bank.
They kick and flutter. I think I would have seen them. I see very small bugs well. Beat myself up yesterday floating the entire 25 miles of the South Fork Snake River canyon..high water, very hot, and the wind blowing straight up river. I didn't want to cast, or row after awhile. First time I have been skunked on the SF. Slept for 12 hrs. when I got home. Now, I see this morning that the river has been lowered 2,000 CFS down from 15.5 K. I'll wait for a few more thousand before going again.
I really question that as well sayfu. I have never seen a hopper on the water. Even when I throw them out there they don't stay on long.
badsmerf...they write articles like the water is full of them when the adjacent fields have lots of hoppers, but I have never seen it. Now when you get a freeze in the Fall, or when it comes, a breeze can blow them in when they are clumsy, but I don't see it happening much in the heat of Summer.
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