Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 22

Grasshopper flies like Joe's (upper), Dave's
(middle) and parachute (lower) hoppers are
generally easy to cast and visible for fly anglers
keeping track of their fly on the water. (Photos
by Parker Loew/WGFD)

of these from the floating fast-food menu.
Grasshopper imitations are probably the
most widely used flies from the array of terrestrial insects. They're on the large side for
flies, easy to cast and keep in sight on the
water. An internet search for hopper patterns
reveals an enormous number of variations.
Old standbys such as Joe's, Dave's and the
parachute hoppers compete with a never-ending assortment of new creations. Some look
very much like the real thing, others not so
much. For some fly-tiers, creating the most
colorful, bizzare imitations seem to be the
goal with hoppers.
Many of the newer hopper patterns, such
as the Morrish hopper, utilize foam for the
body of the fly. These tend to float higher
in the water, don't require as much attention
to floatant and are generally superior when
using a dropper. The above refers to the common practice of suspending a nymph pattern
below a dry fly, typically 12 to 18 inches of
tippet with a hopper.
Some fly patterns often used by Western
anglers are creations that don't perfectly represent a grasshopper. They could be hybrids
that might suggest the outline of a spider or
cricket. These include Turck's tarantula and

the Madame X, two creations found in fly
boxes of many Wyoming anglers.
Nowadays there are countless variations of
multi-colored foam strips tied to big hooks,
sprouting wobbly rubber legs with names like
the Chernobyl ant and the club sandwich.
Once fish acquire a taste for terrestrials in
midsummer, they'll sometimes go for these
bizarre patterns, much like the four 4-yearold who's certain he's ready for his first Big
Mac.
The best indicator fish will look favorably
on your "hoppertunity" is the presence of
the real thing in the vicinity. Grasshoppers
leaping from dewy grass as you pad down a
streamside trail in the morning is a reliable
indication trout will rise to a hopper fly at
midday. Small grasshoppers also inhabit the
alpine zone where I've caught many a fat
cutthroat on such patterns.

Out-of-this-world fishing

No matter what pattern is plied, a few
tricks will up the odds of its success. Typically, hoppers that find themselves swimming upstream or are blown into a lake by
a spate of wind plop into the water near the
land. Thus, it's a far better tactic to stand

Mountain lakes in mid to late summer are
good destinations for terrestrial fly patterns,
including grasshoppers. Land-borne bugs are
frequently consumed by high-country trout.
(Photo by Lisa Ballard)

22 | September 2020	



Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wyoming Wildlife magazine

Table of contents
Cover
From the director
A couple pennies
Letters to the editor
Opening shot
News
Project profiles
Ask Game and Fish
Case files
In the Field
The terrestrial extra
Elk and Elke
Earrings with info
Still in Love
Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Cover
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - From the director
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Table of contents
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - A couple pennies
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Letters to the editor
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Opening shot
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 7
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - News
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 9
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 10
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 11
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 12
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Project profiles
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Ask Game and Fish
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Case files
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - In the Field
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 17
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - The terrestrial extra
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 19
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 20
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 21
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 22
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 23
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Elk and Elke
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 25
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 26
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 27
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 28
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 29
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Earrings with info
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 31
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 32
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 33
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 34
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 35
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 36
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 37
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Still in Love
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 39
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 40
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 41
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 42
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 43
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 44
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 45
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - Wild country dispatch
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 47
Wyoming Wildlife magazine - 48
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