Flyfishing Hoppers for Trout

Flyfishing hoppers with Troutfit Guiding

Hopper fishing is summer fly fishing at its most fun. When grasshoppers are thick in the grass around the lakes and rivers, a well-placed dry can draw a confident, visual take, and it is often the bigger fish that come up for such a solid mouthful. It is exciting, active fishing and one of the styles we most look forward to guiding through the warmer months on the Snowy Mountains and Central Highlands waters.

There is real satisfaction in watching a trout track and eat a hopper on the surface, and it is fishing that anglers of most levels can enjoy and do well at with a bit of coaching.

The hopper season

Hoppers come into their own in the heat of summer, once the grass has dried off and the insects are up and active. The best of it usually runs through the hottest months, when warm, blustery days push grasshoppers about and the trout have learnt to look for them along the edges. It is a window worth planning a trip around.

Windy days put hoppers on the water

A breeze is your friend when you are hopper fishing. Wind blowing off a grassy bank knocks terrestrials onto the water, and trout patrol those windward shores waiting for the next easy meal. We work the banks that are catching the wind, fish the edge water hard, and pay attention to any bank with good grass right down to the shoreline.

Patterns, presentation and prospecting the banks

We fish buoyant, visible hopper patterns that land with a bit of a plop, because that small disturbance often draws a fish in. Cast tight to the bank and let the fly sit, twitch it now and then to suggest a struggling insect, and be ready for the take. A lot of hopper fishing is prospecting, covering likely edge water with accurate casts rather than waiting for a rise, so accuracy and a good drift matter. On a guided day we help you read the banks, place the fly where it counts and hold your nerve when a good brown lifts to eat it.

Hopper fishing is a great way to spend a summer day on the water. Get in touch to book a guided trip and we will chase them along the banks when the conditions are right.