Hopper Fishing on the Yellowstone

by: Kevney Dugan

Some of the most entertaining fishing the Yellowstone River has to offer is during the legendary hopper season. When the weather heats up, the grass starts to dry out and the wind begins to blow, we know it’s that time of year again to get your favorite hopper patterns out and watch monster fish come to the surface for the feast. The dry air of July and August combined with hundreds of miles of open grass fields that line the banks of the Yellowstone River make for one of the finest terrestrial habitats found anywhere in the world. If you haven’t experienced the sight of a large Brown Trout aggressively attacking a size 8 Dave’s Hopper, then you need to find a way to get here in late July through early September…

Not only is the fishing enjoyable, but the scenery and weather are equally as spectacular this time of year. I would argue that there isn't a better way to spend a summer day than floating down one of the most majestic and historic rivers in North America, while waiting for the big one to explode into your foam hopper like a pit bull at attack camp. Picture yourself in the heart of God’s Country enjoying your beverage of choice while experiencing fast paced dry fly action as the 80-degree sun melts you into total relaxation.

The best hopper fishing starts in mid July, when the grass starts to dry out and the the hoppers grow large enough to fly.  Then the winds that Livingston is famous for, give the angler a huge advantage.   Hoppers in the many hayfields along the river get blown into the river and then the fun begins.   Big trout move into shallower riffles downwind from these hayfields, especially during the hot afternoons on the lookout for the helpless hoppers.  We find lots of big trout in surprisingly shallow riffles and flats that we don't normally fish.  Earlier in the day these same fish will hold in deeper water along the seams, banks and drop offs, but once the day warms up, these fish move into areas where they have pigged out on hoppers in previous days.   When the wind isn't blowing too hard, it makes sense to concentrate on fishing the banks and current seams.   There are lots of hoppers along all the banks and they often get spooked by cattle and various other animals and end up jumping in the water, or a gust of wind shows up and off they go floating into the lion’s den. This is where the real fun begins. Most of the time the poor little guy doesn’t make it twenty feet before something takes a swipe at him. If the first attack fails there are sure to be many more as he runs the gauntlet, trying desperately to get to the safety of the bank.  90% of the time however, the hopper's efforts to kick towards the bank do not go undetected.  Like an FA-18 departing the catapult of an aircraft carrier, a nice trout launches out of his holding lie along the bank, his jaws putting an abrupt end to the hopper's fine summer day.     

Let's turn this into fishing jargon. Its nine o’clock and you push off, and catch a couple of early fish on nymphs or streamers waiting for the day to warm up and the hoppers to get active.  It's now 10 a.m. and the sun is high in the sky and you find yourself creeping towards a long undercut grass bank you've fished before, aka "the cave". You place a perfect reach cast just above the start of the undercut bank. It's so good, it doesn't need to be mended. It’s swirling perfectly in the current, the rubber legs make it look like the real deal struggling to escape and then it happens... a head appears and next thing you know your hopper has disappeared. You wait a slight pause to ensure it has been taken before you let him have it.  You slam him with a solid hook set and keep your rod tip high in the air.

Then it strikes you that this was no normal fish head that gobbled your hopper!   Your mind's instant replay compares the girth of his head to something prehistoric. You immediately begin to sweat; this what you came for. The fish goes straight to the bottom and engages a game of tug-of-war as it uses the current to its full advantage, taking you down stream.  5 minutes later your guide slips his net under the the brute of a brown and lifts it into the boat. Everyone is whooping and hollering - this is one that didn't get away! Hastily, you grab for your digital camera to record proof of this 24 inch, 5 pound brown to impress your fishing buddies at dinner.  The vivid black and red spots jump out at you from that golden yellow body.  Your guide quickly slips the fish back into the water and it revives rapidly, as you sit in disbelief.  The big brown gives one good tail kick and slides off into the depths of the Yellowstone.  

You don't care if you catch another fish the entire trip, but you still manage to reel in a handful of nice, bright 16 – 20 inch rainbows, cutthroats, and browns.  

It almost sounds to good to be true but let me assure you, that we hear reports like this from our guides and clients each summer.   Sure, most of the larger fish we are catching are in the 18-20 inch range, but these big browns (and rainbows) still exist, and the hopper season is one of the few times you can entice these big fish to the surface to take a dry fly!  Make this the year you try this mid to late summer hopper fishing on the Yellowstone.   You'll see why the guys at the shop are smiling near the end of their work day, thinking about the upcoming late afternoon hopper action.   

Here at the Yellowstone Angler we have dramatically increased our selection of hopper patterns for this glorious time of year, adding over twenty hot new patterns in various sizes.  You will love these new patterns like the Carnage Hopper, Robert's Rogue Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, Bloom's Parahopper and Swisher's new Tan Foam PMX hopper.   You can never have too much ammo when casting close to log obstructions, sweepers, undercut banks, and branches.  Often the more risk involved, the bigger the pay off... so get risky!