News from Sportsman's Elite

August is the best time for fishing grasshopper patterns. The grasshoppers are more prevalent this time of year than any other time of year. These insects provide the last big meals before the winter comes. Trout love gorging themselves on these big morsels, they get this kind of euphoric high from the chemicals inside of the hoppers, making them want more and more. Fishing hopper patterns during the feeding frenzy can be the best fishing of the year.

There are many ways to fish these patterns, my favorite being the "Spat and Twitch!" This technique mimics the natural grasshopper hitting the water. Watch how the real grasshoppers jump when you scare them. They flutter, flapping their wings franticly, then they suddenly stop and dive bomb into the water. They hit the water with a hard "Spat!" then they know what is coming so they kick their legs to propel them towards the shore. Trout key in on this and it makes casting these hoppers very easy. I hit the water hard and with a quick strip, I pull the hopper about 6 to 8 inches. Usually the trout takes it on the spat but if they become weary, the quick strip will produce the take.

The other technique I use is a "Drowning Hopper Imitation". This one is a little more difficult because of the water being fished is faster. With the "Spat and Twitch" you fish calmer pockets and drifts where the fish lay and wait. With this technique you actually purposely sink the fly, making it quite difficult with a big buoyant foam hopper. I prefer to use a Stimulator with legs or a traditional hopper to do this technique because they are easier to sink. What I do is look for places on the stream where clam pool suddenly drops into a fast shoot or riffle, cast just before in to the calm water and let the fast current sweep the fly under. I might need to pull the line just enough to submerge the fly, and then the current does the rest. Trout under the bank or hiding behind rocks will dart out grab the fly and try to return to their spot sometimes without you seeing it. You have to feel for the take and this happens so fast that the trout will set the hook on itself. Natural hoppers can have this fate when they don't make it back to the bank in time and the current takes them under and sweeps them away.

The last technique I like to use is "Rock" or "Bank Bumping". This can be a fun technique or a nightmare. Like the name, you are cast directly into a rock or the bank, bouncing the fly off of it and dropping it into the water. I like to do it gently so the fly lands right next to the bank where the fish can come from the undercuts and take the fly. The nightmare that can occur is you get hung up a lot on the grass, sticks, roots, or other vegetation. I try to pick spots or rocks where it is clear of any obstacles that I will hang up on. Nothing is more frustrating than spending more time trying to free your fly or retying a break off than catching fish.

I hope this will technique will help you this hopper season and like I said before this can being the most productive time of year so get out there and fish.
For more information or reports of hopper activity in the area please call Tim at:

Sportsman's Elite 915-587-4867 or email tim@sportsmanselite.com.