Things that eat hoppers

For those that paid attention to this blog last spring, you might have read about some large browns in tiny spring creeks. Due to being so busy through the summer, we had no chance to go back to these streams all summer. This week we have 3 days off the water for the first time in a long time. We had a choice of fishing the Red Deer in hoping something happened in the heat, or fishing one of two lakes - but the wind was a factor as we wanted to sight & target fish, not just fish water. Our other option was a few of our spring creeks, so we took a chance and hit one. The bright sun would be perfect for sighting, how they responded to drift flies would be another story.

The first trout we encountered held tight to a bank but lept 18" into the air to take something. Then a muskrat pushed it into the middle of the run. The trout was curious about the muskrat as it followed it for 10 feet before turning around. In the meantime AJ took a flyer of a cast back to where it had been holding. On the video (which is pretty good!) the trout is moving back to its hold and simply came and hammered the hopper.

Another of AJ's fish was holding dead still on the bottom. In New Zealand if a trout isn't moving, it's resting and you don't too often get takes. AJ popped her cast, landing it to the side and slightly below the fish. As it does, in the vid you get to see the fish arch itself. Upon the first twitch of the hopper, the fish went nuts and screamed up to take the hopper. Awesome.

We moved up and AJ had some more fun with a few more. We knew there were some big fish further up so we were fairly excited about the prospects of possibly, finally getting that monster of 30+"... and on the dry.

In between, I was able to have a lot of fun as well. We rounded one corner to find a 22" female holding in a classic tailout slick lie. She charged downstream to take something and returned. As she was swimming back I popped my hopper in behind her by 2 or 3 feet. She turned and came mach 5 to smoke the hopper.

Every fish we saw smoked the hopper.

I was able to work a few fish as well.

Finally, we came up to a run where we had seen a monster back in the spring. Today, well... today the table was clearly set. As we walked up, 2 massive trout were tailing in calf deep water. They were moving about, 6 or 7 feet from each other, one in an opening in a patch of weeds, the other under a leaning tree. Both had their tails out of the water much of the time. Coincidently, it was my turn. I really hoped to have a go at the larger of the two, but the smaller dropped back, saw us standing and scooted up to the other and they moved a little further up. Thankfully, it didn't end there.

I decided to cross over and get on the bank to hide behind a few spruce. I waded up to where the first had held and saw it coming back. The much larger fish continued to feed upstream 15 feet. I wanted to go for that one (32" and fat) but had to make a move on this one - you don't mess around with these kinds of chances. I flipped my hopper out, landing it 4" off shore. The fish heard it and saw it but wouldn't come where it couldn't swim, so I popped it 18" further out. It was a 9 foot cast, 8 of which were straight down, below my feet, me concealed by the spruce. The fish came, its huge head sucking in the hopper. SET! Miss...

The fish swirled to leave but held. I popped the hopper out 2 more feet. BAM! And away we went. 28".

We have a bit of time off at the end of the month. That 32" fish might get a visit. Stay tuned...