How Many More Hopper Days Left?

Today, I floated mighty Yellowstone with my guide friend Graham again. We went down low, way below town of Big Timber. It's a big, wild, and diverse section. It was mostly cloudy in the morning and only two boats ahead of us. We both started with streamers targeting only BIG browns. Graham had some tugs and a few bites but I had none. Wind was manageable but the Sun/cloud were taking turns every 15 minutes. It just didn't seem a typical streamer day at 'Stone. Just before lunch break, I was fishing with my hopper rig. It looked like a light "sip" but once I set the hook, it leaped so high for 5 or 6 times!!!! It was a handsome rainbow in almost like a fall coloring. Very beautiful and healthy. I was screaming "Hopper Boy!! Hopper Boy!!"

I caught some more little ones and saw a couple of large fish came up to my hopper. Graham experienced pretty much the same. He caught a couple of 12 to 13-inch that fought more than their sizes. Then we witnessed a funny moment. There was a rise toward Graham's hopper but the fish missed it. So he recast barely a foot apart quickly. Another rise and this time it was on. Nice hard-fighting rainbow!! There was a possibility that some of those we missed could have been brown trout but all we landed are, from little ones to the picture ones, rainbow trout.

Weather forecast in our area calls for apparent temperature drop from September. This summer feels like really short for everybody in Montana. Especially for fishing and guide business, area river started to fish only since middle of July. Yellowstone became "fishable" and "floatable" only a month ago and dry-fly actions started only half a month ago!!

September is the month of transition from summer to fall. I hope we can fish with hoppers and terrestrials as long as we can but also I have already had enough fun with hoppers. So I want to review my best hopper for the season. This is "Carnage Hopper" from Montana Fly Company.

If you click above, you can see a high-speed tying instruction!! This hopper is simply realistic and indestructible. One fly lasted through all the assaults from too many cutthroat until one got away in its mouth.

Do I tie these myself? No way. These kind of flies are worth buying rather than trying to tie.

I hope we have some more fun with hoppers and other terrestrials. Then when the fall is knocking on the door, that will be fine with me too!!