It is a dry fly fisher’s fantasy. The fish are looking up and a hopper plopping on the water is like the ringing of the dinner bell. The trout slips quietly out from under the dark under cut, noses up under the struggling Orthoptera.
It is a great time for beginners and experts alike to be on the water. For the beginner it offers exciting visual fishing with plenty of opportunities to try to hook a trout. Not too much finesse is needed with the presentation, in fact it is better to plop the fly down hard. For the expert, there is a chance to bag a big one, as the larger trout, usually more circumspect by day, are willing participants in the sport when hoppers are about. To fool a trophy, demands accurate casts within inches of the bank, or under an undercut.
However it is only the most natural drift that will fool the wily older ones, so you need to get a drag free drift. Many missed hookups, and refusals are as a result of drag, or micro drag, where the fly slips across the surface, instead of eddying and drifting with the micro-currents.
Hoppers come in many sizes and colours, it is good to have a few different patterns in your box, so you can match size and colour. I like simple foam hoppers in tan or green, with some rubber legs.
Sadly hopper fishing is fast coming to an end as I write this post, but soon the Autumn may fly hatches will begin.
Twig & Stream Fly Fishing 