Tom Ukena-hopper:30
Generally speaking it’s true that drag free dry fly drifts increase opportunities for catching fish significantly. But there are times when purposefully imparting a bit of motion is a good thing and fishing hoppers is certainly a case in point.
Yesterday while floating the Kootenai, Bostonians and like minded Red Sox fans Tom and Sue Ukena and I had a great morning sniping trout with long leaders and size 16 pmd spinners. During lunch, with bright sunshine and the heat of the day coming on, we decided the best plan of attack was to switch to big bugs and try some hoppers.
I shoved the boat out of the shade, felt the blast of heat from the sun, and readied myself for bank slamming hopper:30. From the front of the boat Tom snapped a cast and landed his hopper six inches from the bank. Sue fired hers next and both anglers got great drifts down the edge of the boulders through one of the best runs. But neither got a strike. Hmmm…that’s not right. It’s the end of July and these fish should at least be looking up for something big once in a while I thought. After about a mile and no strikes, I decided to try something different.
“Guys, start skitching those hoppers a little bit as soon as they hit the water, ” I told my anglers.
Next drift, as soon as their hoppers hit the water, Tom and Sue gave the bugs a little movement. Bang, a nice rainbow slammed Tom’s hopper and a second later, Sue was hooked up too. Our first double of the day.
The above anecdote clearly illustrates the fact that there are times when it’s very effective to purposefully break the rules surrounding drag free dry fly drifts. Fishing a hopper with motion can bring big success. But it’s not a free for all when moving your hopper. There are a few rules to keep in mind.
It’s important to consider that a little bit of movement goes a long way. Be sure to go easy on the movement you give your fly. Think more about vibrating the fly, much like natural hoppers act, and not swimming it two feet at time. I like the word skitch. ”Skitch it, then let it ride ten feet,” I tell my clients. That way, the fly hits the water, immediately vibrates and struggles, and then floats downstream without motion for a while.
Be aware that fish react differently to hoppers. Sometimes immediately after you skitch the fly, they’ll crush it. Sometimes they’ll come up slowly, follow it downstream, and then hammer it. Often they’ll bump it with their nose, see what happens, and then slurp it down. It’s important to keep your adrenaline in check. Depending on how the fish rise to your hopper after you skitch it, obviously determines how you strike. Hit hard if they hit it hard, strike slowly and give them time to close their mouth if they nose up and slurp it. If they bang it but don’t eat it, get ready for them to hit it again since it’s likely they’re trying to drown it.
By imparting movement with little skitches of your hopper, you can increase hook-ups on days when trout are wary and not necessarily inclined to hammer the big bugs. By keeping a few simple rules in mind, and by not overdoing the action on your fly, you’ll find increase success with hoppers during the heat of the season.