Summertime is a great time for fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains. The run-off is complete, rivers are running clear and grasshoppers are at their most abundant stage of the year. The plethora of insects that appear in mountain lakes and streams throughout the year offer fish a wide variety of food sources. However few insects draw the attention of fish the way grasshoppers do.
Grasshoppers Offer a Big Easy Bite
Undoubtedly the main reason a food source such as grasshoppers excite feeding fish so much is their size. Grasshoppers are one of the largest insects available to fish throughout the year. Fish, like other wild animals must feed in a manner that offers the most nutrition for the energy expended. The nutrition gained by feeding on one grasshopper can equal that of literally hundreds of mayflies or caddis flies. The energy saved by feeding once as opposed to multiple times makes grasshoppers very attractive to fish, especially those in rivers where feeding opportunities come on the current.
An actively feeding fish will move farther to take a well presented hopper pattern than it normally will to take a much smaller insect. Also fish that are not actively feeding will often take a hopper rather than pass on such a feeding opportunity. But it's not only size that matters to these fish.
Other large food organisms that fish are accustomed to feeding on are present in their natural environment when in the water. Minnows, crawfish, leeches and frogs spend their lives in the watery world of fish and have the ability to flee avoiding capture. Fish are aware of this and rarely give chase in order to feed. When a grasshopper gets trapped on the water it is in a foreign environment with little means of escape. The struggling grasshopper trapped on a lake or stream triggers a survival instinct in fish that somehow recognize the insect as an easy meal. I've witnessed trout move from depths of 15 feet in a favorite clear mountain lake to take a grasshopper from the surface.
Where to Fish Hopper Patterns
Many times fishing a hopper pattern is as simple as placing it on the water in the vicinity of active fish. No matter the species you're after if they commonly feed at the surface a good hopper pattern will take fish. Land areas with heavy vegetation near water are a good bet especially if the grasshopper population is high. Natural causes such as wind and area migrations often place grasshoppers on the water's surface thereby conditioning fish to expect them.
Lakes and streams near cultivated fields can be exceptionally good at harvest time when the insects are herded out of the fields by people or equipment. A higher number of insects will inevitably occur on the water alerting fish to their presence often creating a feeding frenzy. Once grasshoppers start hitting the surface fish will move great distances to get into the feeding area.
The prevailing winds can offer an excellent clue as to where fish may be conditioned to seeing grasshoppers. Presenting your flies on the prevailing, upwind side of a lake is always a good place to start. Much like the harvest scenario an afternoon with heavy winds can have the fish alerted to be on the lookout for grasshoppers on the water.
On streams and rivers look for areas downstream of fields or high banks that have good populations of grasshoppers. Banks with heavy vegetation overhanging the water are excellent upstream markers as places to try hopper patterns.
These aren't the only places to try hopper patterns but they do increase the odds of fish recognizing them and readily feeding on them.
Hopper Fishing Techniques
Something to remember when fishing hopper patterns is that grasshoppers don't behave the way most other insects do on the water. Most aquatic insects emerge at the surface and either rest motionlessly or drift still on the current. Grasshoppers move, often frantically when on the water. Trapped on the water grasshoppers struggle trying to swim creating a surface commotion that alerts fish to their presence. This is especially important to remember when fishing lakes where it is necessary for the angler to animate the fly. There are many ways to animate a hopper pattern on the water. Just about any type of movement whether frantic or slow will result in a take at one time or another; however some types of animation work better than others. Observation of a live grasshopper on a lake surface can help you understand the natural behavior.
Through trial and error as well as observation I've determined the most often successful technique involves long pauses and short bursts of movement. To execute this technique cast the fly on the surface and allow it to sit for up to a minute. Give the fly one or two short (1 inch), sharp strips and allow it to sit again. Repeat this behavior gradually adding more short, sharp strips to the sequence. Strikes usually occur during the strips or just after.
Stream and river fishing with hoppers can be done by either dead-drifting, skating or twitching the fly. All three techniques have worked successfully for me. The type of water encountered usually dictates what works best. As a rule of thumb the rougher the water surface the less action the angler needs to impart.
On long smooth pools twitch the fly across the surface much like the action used on a lake or use the current to skate the fly across the surface. Another successful technique is to combine the skating drift with short twitches. In rough areas or where the current is swift allow the fly to drift and concentrate more on line control letting the water impart the action needed to attract takes.
Whether you are a novice or seasoned fly angler give a hopper pattern a try. Stillwater or moving you may catch some of the biggest fish of the season by using these guidelines.
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