Your best dry fly fishing days ever will come on hoppers once you know how and when to fish them. I'm about to give you all the details you need to become a hopper fishing junkie.
After 42 years of fly fishing my favorite time of year for fishing trout is hopper season. Followed closely by stonefly season. I can't help it. I'm a freak for throwing big bugs at big trout and watching the toilet flush grabs they create.
One of my favorite days fly fishing was on Hot Creek Ranch in The Eastern Sierras. It was late summer. There was enough wind to blow hoppers onto the water but not so much that you couldn't cast accurately.
As I walked through the high grass of the stream side meadow, grasshoppers were popping everywhere. I knew immediately it was gonna be an epic day.
The trout in Hot Creek are very well fed. Unlike most spring creeks, the bug life is prolific. So these trout grow large for this small body of water.
The trout in Hot Creek are also very well educated. They see countless flies presented by countless fisherman every year. Hot creek is a small piece of water. So a couple encounters between angler and trout tends to smarten them up in a hurry.
When grasshoppers start hitting the water though, all that goes out the window, and these huge torpedoes crush hoppers like teenagers hammer pizza. No concerns about the results.
Standing back from the edge of the creek to hide my presence, I tied on a size #10 Homeboy Hopper. I scanned the creek looking for the best holding lie to make my first cast. The far bank had a beautiful undercut bank that had to hold a monster.
I stripped enough line off my reel to make the cast and mend I'd need for a drag free drift. I picked the landing zone for my bug, then I let'er rip. A couple false casts to get enough line out of the rod tip and then a double haul and I shot my line over the far bank. At the last second I made an aerial mend and dropped my hopper 2 feet upstream and 8 inches from the bank, right on the seam that would guide my hopper to the hidey hole and what I hoped was a huge trout.
Part of the fun fishing hoppers is how visual the game is. Hopper strikes are usually decisive. I also love casting mayflies at sipping trout, but smaller flies don't create the grabs that a hopper fly pattern does. It's clear from the way trout eat them that they love hoppers.
I watched my Homeboy Hopper (one of my favorite hopper patterns) float directly down to the top of the undercut bank. Six inches from destiny I gave it a slight twitch. Just enough to get the rubber legs wiggling. Immediately A huge golden head emerged and engulfed my fly. The take was explosive. Not the relaxed sip of a cutthroat taking emergers. I swept my rod tip downstream then up and I came tight to a massive brown trout. The fight lasted about 5 minutes.
When I landed this giant he measured out at just over 26 inches. He had a full blown kype and looked like the stream-boss.
With nobody around to take a picture I revived him and sent him on his way. That would have been a great day if it ended right there. But my next 5 casts landed 3 more fish that were similar in size and appearance as the first. Four fish totaling roughly 100 inches of trout in six casts. What a way to start the day!
That's why I love fly fishing hoppers. If you love catching big trout on big bugs you definitely need to fish hoppers too.
So, how can you tell it's time to dust off the terrestrial box and start tying on Hopper patterns? Great question! For most streams and rivers late summer is the peak of hopper season. Mid July into September is a great time to throw hoppers. Hopper fishing should be productive until the first frost kills them off on most rivers.
You can always start with a nearby fly shop for intel on the stream you're gonna fly fish. Drought, wet weather and various environmental conditions (including man made issues) will affect the timing and abundance of hopper hatches. So, get as much local knowledge as possible.
Once you're on the stream, pay attention to what's going on as you approach the river. Are hoppers popping as you walk through the grass? Even a few hoppers hitting the water is enough to key in trout to their presence. If natural hoppers are flying, a well presented grasshopper pattern will likely catch fish.
Generally when we're fly fishing we're going for a drag free drift. When you're fishing hopper patterns though, adding an occasional twitch can be deadly.
If you've ever seen a real grasshopper in the water, they kick and flail as they struggle to stay afloat and reach dry land. This is a trigger for predatory fish to eat. Don't drag your fly like a streamer. Just give it a little movement like the real thing every 5 or so feet and watch how the fish react. If they eat it keep doing it. If they refuse your bug try a dead drift. Let the trout tell you what technique to use.
This is a great way to search for holding water when you're fishing a new river or stream.
Using a hopper as part of a dry -dropper presentation is absolutely deadly when the timing is right. First, with a hopper on the surface you have a great bug up top. Second, for those fish that aren't quite keyed into hoppers yet, a delicious little nymph 6-18 inches below might do the trick.
If the trout eats the hopper, Bob's your uncle. A good hook set gets it done and you're tied in.
If they take the nymph, the hopper acts as an indicator letting you know to set the hook.
A nice bonus to this game is that the hopper attracts fish. If they refuse it they may discover the nymph as a good second choice.
Dry dropper also makes it easier to fish undercut banks and weed beds as opposed to Nymph and indicator. This is a great technique when fishing from a drift boat or wading in the middle of the river casting back toward the bank.
Hoppers hatch when the river is low and clear. The Hopper-Dropper can make the difference between a slow day and a great day.
That said, you may want to hold off on the dropper early on. With bright skies and gin-clear water the fish can see everything clearly, especially your dropper and tippet attached to your Hopper.
If fish are eating the dry, that's way more fun anyway. So give the dry a chance by itself before adding the dropper and any time you see fish refusing the hopper.
Remember the summer sun heats up the water too. When temps get into the mid 60's trout will seek more oxygen which means faster water. Definitely fish the banks, seams, and edges, but don't be scared to fish faster runs, riffles, and tailouts in the middle of the river too if you're not finding fish where they're supposed to be.
Quite honestly there is no more realistic looking hopper pattern from below. This is one of the simplest patterns to tie and fish. Give it a light twitch and the legs add life on the water's surface.
The Morrish Hopper is a great bug when trout are eating a smaller size grasshopper. Fly fishers should carry these in sizes #8-#14 in various color combinations.
Hook: 3XL Curved Shank Hook Size 6-12
Thread: To Match Body Color
Body: 2mm yellow foam under 3mm tan foam, glued together and cut to shape (River Road Cutters are great for this)
(Color variations can include yellow, grey, tan, red, pink, purple, and even black)
Legs: To match Foam Color
Indicator: 2mm Orange Foam
I designed the Homeboy myself. A great multi-use bug, it also works for Golden Stones. This fly casts great in the wind and always lands hook down, which can be a problem for some of the other big foam bugs.
Small twitches bring this fly to life and the fish love it. You'll have to tie this one yourself because I was never that interested in getting my flies produced commercially.
The ingredients are below and here's an instructional video to help you with the steps.
Hook: Tiemco 5262 (or similar hook) size #10 - #14
Thread: Danville 8/0 Waxed Flymaster Tan (Color to match)
Under Body Dubbing: Hareline Ice Dub Pale Yellow (or color to match)
Body: 2 or 3mm Craft fur Tan (or color to match) cut to the width of the hook shank
Legs: Barred Rubber Legs tan/black (or color to match)
Underwing: 2-3 CDC Feathers Sulphur (or color to match)
Wing: Web Wing or MFC Wing material Sulphur ((or color to match)
Shoulder/Neck: Ice Dub Matching color
Hotspot (optional): Orange Foam
One of the most popular grasshopper patterns across the U.S. The parachute design means this fly floats low in the water. Pheasant tail legs add the finishing touch that drive trout crazy. This is a great fly for educated trout across Montana and Idaho. The white, high riding parachute post means this fly is also easy to see. This fly is an oldie but a goodie. It has caught a bunch of fish when trout are shy of other patterns.
Hook: 3XL Size 6-14
Thread: Tan 70D Danville Flymaster
Wing Post: White Calf Tail Or EP Trigger Point Fibers
Rib: Brown Floss
Abdomen: Tan Sparkle Yarn.
Wing: Natural Turkey, coated with Flex-A-Ment or Sof-Tex
Legs: Knotted Pheasant Tail Fibers
Thorax: Tan Dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
This bug started off as the Monringwood Stone. The silhouette and presentation are similar but the color patterns make this a hopper. The legs add a lifelike feel and the poly wings make this bug easy to see on the water. A winner all around...anglers everywhere appreciate the Morningwood!
Hook: 200R #8-12
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 Rusty Brown
Body: Thin Fly Foam, Tan or Gold
Legs: MFC Sexi-Legs, Golden Yellow or color to match
Wing: Umpqua or MFC stonefly wing material
Wing Indicator: WHite Z-lon or EP Trigger Fibers
This pattern has probably caught more trout than all of the others combined. I remember fishing it as a teenager to great success. Designed by the legendary Dave Whitlock (I suggest you read his book. It will improve your fly fishing immediately. You can get it here) this fly is designed to float low in the water and make a splash when it hits, just like real grasshoppers do.
This is a great pattern for anything that eats hoppers from late summer through early fall. It works from California to Montana and everywhere else trout eat hoppers.
The foam version is a little more buoyant but they both work great as an attractor, hopper dropper combo or as a strike indicator for a tandem nymph rig.
Hook: dry fly 2XL sizes 6 - 12
Thread: gray
Tail: Red deer hair with a loop of yellow yarn
Body: yellow wool yarn
Hackle: brown palmered over body and clipped
Underwing: yellow calftail
Wing: mottled turkey lacquered
Legs: Pheasant tail feather fibers clipped and knotted
Collar: matural light deer hair spun
Head: natural light deer hair spun and clipped
The Rainy's Grand Hopper is subtle which is why I keep it in my box. When fish are feeling spooky with low clear water I fish this hopper in smaller sizes and it works.
This bug can be a little harder to see on the water's surface but when you need to tone it down this is the bug.
Hook: Dai-Riki 270 or Tiemco 200R hook, in a #6 to #12
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 color to match body foam
Body: 4-6mm Tan or Yellow foam
Under wing: Krystal Flash, Pearl or Yellow
Over Wing: MFC wing material or similar, color to match
Legs: Rubber legs of choice 3 strands up top 1 below the knee knot
Dubbing: Tan or Yellow to match foam
Marker: Use a sharpie to create dots and eyes
This bug is an obvious offshoot of the incredibly fishy Chernobyl Ant. It stands to reason that a fly that good would breed similar patterns.
Tied with a foam base and a deer hair wing it provides a tantalizing silhouette for opportunistic feeders. With a parachute post and sighter foam on the top it's easy to see from across the river. When trout are looking up the Chernobyl Hopper draws vicious strikes from long distances.
Hook: Tiemco 300, size #6-#12
Thread: 6/0 or 8/0 (color to match body)
Body: 3mm foam glued together
Legs: Barred or single color round rubber legs (Color to match)
Rib: Uni-thread, color to match the underbody
Wing: Natural deer hair
Sighter: Yellow or Orange foam
Parachute Post: White EP Trigger Point Fibers
Hackle: Grizzly sized to match
I love bugs that can serve several purposes. The Fat Albert does just that. You can throw it as a grasshopper, a cicada, a beetle, and an adult stonefly
A terrestrial fly box isn’t complete without a few bugs that mimic several hatches. From beetles to hoppers and cicadas the Fat Alberts get that done with gusto.
Hook: TMC 2302 size #6-#10
Thread: UTC 140 Denier - Or Uni 6/0 Dark Brown
Body: Fly Tying Foam - 2mm - Brown
Body: Fly Tying Foam - 2mm - Tan
Wing: EP Trigger Point Fibers - White
Indicator (over wing): EP Trigger Point Fibers - UV Green or yellow
Legs: Life-Flex Spandex Material - Tan
