Were in the midst of a good hopper season in Montana. From the Yellowstone to the Madison to the Bitteroot, it seems like everyone is talking Hoppers. Same on the Mo’. The hoppers were late – like all the other hatches – but they’re thick now, and hopper fishing is about as good as you can expect. Reliable.
I asked out shop staff what the best selling hopper patterns are, and I got a shrug. “It’s all over the place”, said Sara. All staff present concurred. So I asked them to collect what the group thought were the 10 best right now.
I won’t bother naming them, as it doesn’t seem to matter that much. But I do see a few common denominators like pink and purple. Medium in size. Eyes.
Seems like the entire season has been like this. Ask 6 different anglers what they’re getting them on and you’ll get 6 different answers. Not unusual during hopper season, but it seems like there is typically a certain pattern or two that are constant producers. This year there are either lots or none depends on who you ask. Me? I like the Whitlock Hopper.
Q: Does anyone use a Joe’s Hopper anymore?
So if you’re headed out to search for big trout with hoppers, it likely pays more to fish the right water instead of worrying about the right fly.
Back when I was in high school in Billings, I was taking a fly tying class and the instructor told us that we were going to tie a Joe’s Hopper. I proceeded to whip one out right quick. He then roped me into tying 30 dozen for the upcoming season. Only comercial tying I ever did.
I keep a couple tied up and ready just doesn’t seem right some how not to have them. I used them a lot back in the day