The hopper myth?

The hopper/dropper thread down the page a bit reminded me this.

One day, several years ago, by weaving back and forth downwind, I managed to
herd about 40 or 50 hoppers in front of me and out onto the 'Bonefish Flat'
section of the HFork. I've read, over and over, about the 'smashing rises'
that were going to occur and I excitedly followed the hapless flotilla
downstream, expecting to mark the location of many big fish.

Well, after following 40 live hoppers maybe 500 yards ( all the way down
into the fast water near the midway bridge) I had seen exactly one rise and
it appeared to be a small fish. 40 times 500 yards is a hell of a lot of
float to get one rise.

Since that I've never gotten up much enthusiam for tying on a hopper, but I
still carry a few.

Actually, I've never experienced 'hopper fishing' that struck me as more
effective than big attractor dry fishing would have been, same time and
place. ( one exception, a high country lake with a patch of grass that had
hundreds of hoppers along the edge...there the fish were hopper selective ).

When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:35:24 GMT, "Larry" wrote:

When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

It wasn't a hopper, but a butterfly.
The spray from a waterfall hit the insect and forced it on the surface
of the water. I stopped fishing to watch the hapless thing try to get
airborne. It drifted no more than five feet when a big brookie
porpoised and sucked it in with barely a splash. Unfortunately, I
didn't (and still don't for obvious reasons) have a butterfly fly in
my box.

Dave

"Larry" wrote in message
...
The hopper/dropper thread down the page a bit reminded me this.

One day, several years ago, by weaving back and forth downwind, I managed
to herd about 40 or 50 hoppers in front of me and out onto the 'Bonefish
Flat' section of the HFork. I've read, over and over, about the
'smashing rises' that were going to occur and I excitedly followed the
hapless flotilla downstream, expecting to mark the location of many big
fish.

Well, after following 40 live hoppers maybe 500 yards ( all the way down
into the fast water near the midway bridge) I had seen exactly one rise
and it appeared to be a small fish. 40 times 500 yards is a hell of a
lot of float to get one rise.

Since that I've never gotten up much enthusiam for tying on a hopper, but
I still carry a few.

Actually, I've never experienced 'hopper fishing' that struck me as more
effective than big attractor dry fishing would have been, same time and
place. ( one exception, a high country lake with a patch of grass that
had hundreds of hoppers along the edge...there the fish were hopper
selective ).

When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

I have had caught trout on my favorite stream, Upp_r Cree_, on hoppers.
Usually, it is in the dead of summer, when terrestrial are in full bloom, so
to speak. Of course, our trout are opportunists and jump at the chance to
take a morsel as large as a hopper.

However, even in the heat of summer, I don't often fish hoppers, as I like
fishin' dainty patterns cause they light on the water so nicely.

Op --that's right, I ain't much of a fisherman, but I so like wadin' a cool
stream, regardless of my success--

Larry wrote:
snip
When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

Slough Creek, Yellowstone. On windy afternoons from mid-August
into September the big cutts won't touch much of anything else.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Like RW says below, cutthroats are addicts.
I do occasionally catch rainbows on hoppers,
but not that often. Cuts and browns, on the other
hand, love'em.

I talked earlier about using a hopper-dropper.
When I do that on the Missouri, for instance
(when conditions are right), at the end of the
day almost 100% of the rainbows I catch
are on the nymph. 2 or 3 browns, at most,
will take the hopper. But those 2-3 browns
are often, by far, the biggest fish of the day.

So, in general terms, I'd say rainbows don't
like hoppers that much. Browns like them
a lot more than rainbows, and cutthroats
can't resist.

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:53:12 -0700, rw wrote:

Larry wrote:

When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

Rock Creek Clave, maybe three years ago. It was outstanding. The cutts
were taking hoppers like crazy along the cut banks on the upper part of
the creek.

I caught a bunch of browns on them in the middle part of the creek too, and they
worked well on the Yellowstone when Warren, Willi and I fished it prior to the
clave.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

"Larry" wrote...


When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.


In my limited, Mid-west experience, I've found that tossing a hopper right
up to the bank can be very productive.

The Black Earth in Wolfgang's Curdistan has a very weedy shoreline that
teems with hoppers once the heat gets going. On a windy day, the things are
all over the water, and some rises can be seen. I'm no expert on this
water -- fished it mebbe a dozen times, but from what I've seen, heat +
hoppers = fish. IIRC, I used a Madam CDC (Chuck Vance's DDFS fly in 2005)
and Big Dale's Klod Hopper with pretty good results.

In Michigan, the PM near Claybanks (by the stairs) has a very high
cliff-like shoreline. It's also very weedy. Lots of tall grasses and the
like. The banks have been reinforced with logs in places to help with
erosion control. In mid-summer, tossing a hopper (Dave's is the pattern of
choice there, but I've gotten fish on a Madam X, too) to the log at the base
of one of the cliffs can make for a fun afternoon. Again, no expert here,
just some limited experience.

Dan
.....keywords: "limited experience"

wrote

So, in general terms, I'd say rainbows don't
like hoppers that much. Browns like them
a lot more than rainbows, and cutthroats
can't resist.


VERY interesting ...

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote


Slough Creek, Yellowstone. On windy afternoons from mid-August
into September the big cutts won't touch much of anything else.



I've heard this one from many trust worthy sources

My wedding anniversary is August 14th ( 30 years this year ) and I've been
coming home for it and maybe going back out, but not as far as Yellowstone,
later. I've never done the Fall in Yellowstone :-(

I think I may have been successful in re-negotiating my contract so that I
can stay until mid Oct this year. I mentioned to the bride that for the
big three-oh we could renew our vows. She smiled. I then added that we
could do it mid-Winter and change our anniversary to that Winter date, ...
so it didn't conflict with my fishing trips. Not sure you would call it a
smile, this time, but it was a reality accepting, always extremely
supportive, "oh, you're impossible" look that I've grown to recognize ...
and dearly love ...followed by, "You don't have to come home in August, we
can celebrate our 30th year any old time, but fishing is only good part of
each year. You should stay and fish."

Larry wrote:

When and where have you experienced good fishing to hopper patterns and
thought that 'hopper' was a key to the fish? I'm tempted to think such
situations are actually far more rare than the stories about them in the
magazines.

Rock Creek Clave, maybe three years ago. It was outstanding. The cutts
were taking hoppers like crazy along the cut banks on the upper part of
the creek.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.