The Hopper Hatch | Hopper Species | Patterns | Hopper Habits | Splat & Twitch

Hoppers are not the legendary "drives-them-wild, you-can-catch-them-on-anything" bug. Like most other terrestrials, hoppers only occasionally find themselves in the water, where their size and frantic struggling make them particularly attractive to trout, panfish, and bass.

In the height of summer, trout tend to feed most heavily from early evening into the night. They rest and digest during the early-morning hours and feed again approximately from dawn until the day warms. Insects are also active during these two periods, due perhaps to the mild temperatures. And these are the most comfortable times for the angler to be on the stream.

From mid-morning until evening the fishing slows to a crawl, and streams and lakes that were speckled with rises seem deserted, devoid of fish life. While some fly fishermen probe the pocket water with attractor drys or drift nymphs through the deeper pools, the hopper fisherman prowls undercut, grassy banks, watching for the telltale swirls of feeding fish. Both trout and bass become sullen during this time of day, and it takes a worthwhile morsel to break their trance. Off the bank hops a grasshopper.

Hoppers are most active during the heat of the day, when caddis and mayfly activity falls off--a nice arrangement for fish and fisherman. Even on a calm day they end up in the water with surprising regularity, and when there's a stiff breeze blowing, you can get a virtual hopper fall. The ideal situation is a grassy field bordering an undercut bank where the current is relatively slow. A rise to hoppers is not regular, and you may have to study a stretch of water for some time to locate a feeding fish--a leisurely and enjoyable pastime on a droopy afternoon.

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