1. Troutnut Forum
›
2. Fly Fishing Gear
›
3. Hopper Tippet

Recently, a local fly shop owner said to me and I quote, "grasshoppers don't work on these wild trout. you have to use a tippet that's too big, and you'll spook 'em." So I'm wondering, what size tippet should I be using with any given dry fly, specifically grasshoppers??? And second, why would one HAVE to use a tippet that's too big???

I use 3x on the streams I fish (smallish freestones). I however do not know if I a an accomplished enough fisher to know the difference, however, it is the dry fly that works the best for me bar none.

There are certainly some situations where a large fly plopping on the water can spook fish, Matt, and others where they'll nail the fly immediately. But I doubt that tippet size is the most significant factor in whether they spook or not. More often than not, fish react to the tippet's influence on the delivery and drift of the fly rather than its thickness/visibility.

The "rule of three" (divide fly size by three to find approximate tippet size) is often suggested, but I generally use 4X for dry flies #6-12, 5X for #12-18, 6X for 18-22, and 7X for #22-26. That said, there are plenty of exceptions that depend on the relative bulk or air resistance of the fly, the type of presentation desired, and the size of the fish. Sometimes I'll use 5X for hoppers as large as #8-10, and other times (especially when large fish are taking them violently) I'll use 2X or 3X for hoppers that large or larger.

There are times when a good hopper will be the only dry fly you need and other times when the fish won't give it a second look. This often has something to do with how many real (or fake) hoppers the fish are seeing or how receptive they are to a hopper-style presentation. The real bugs usually don't make a graceful entry onto the water, and they often kick around and make a bit of a fuss. When fish are in a "hopper mood," they'll usually respond pretty decisively to flies that do the same thing.

Shocked to see you not say anything about turning the fly over, Gonzo. I guess you hinted at it, though:



-Shawn

Yeah, I was also including turnover in the "tippet's influence on the delivery...of the fly." (Too subtle?) Tippet length, wind, and casting "style" are also factors. Good casting mechanics allow for a range of options, but adjustments to tippet size/length or leader taper seldom compensate very well for weak mechanics. Such adjustments may improve turnover, but accuracy and control of the resulting drift begin with good casting.

dare one suggest a smaller hopper? works for me! you can also wet the tippet with spit before the cast so it doesn't float and cast such a shadow. Gonzo is right though: when the fish want a hopper, nothing seems to bother them.

Casey,

Since we are talking hoppers here and you bring up spit...

I had a great-uncle Arlie who was a wonderful teller of tall tales...He would take me to the breakwalls along Lake Michigan to fish as a young boy; Manistee and Frankfort. I actually remember going there as a pre-schooler when I was up north visiting him when my family actually lived in Norfolk VA. He ran a very large fruit orchard near Bear Lake that was so big he had living quarters for migrant workers there.

He would tell me that what really helped when you were trying to catch perch there was to spit some chewing tobacco on your hook. Being that I was rather young and we went home with a bucket full of fish I came to believe what he had said.

When I was in the first grade my grandparents came to VA to visit us and my dad, grandpa, and I rented a small boat and fished some back-bays on Chesapeake Bay. At some point I told this story to them about what uncle Arlie had said and my dad had some chewing tobacco and began to spit it in to the water on his side of the boat...Well I caught the most fish that day and I explained it by saying that the tobacco juice had floated under the boat and over on to my side. When we got home my aunt gave me a quarter for catching the most fish.

Fast forward from the early 60's to the mid-80's and I was up north with my new bride and I took her out on the breakwall to the lighthouse at Frankfort to watch the sun set. There was a guy out there fishing by the lighthouse and he had caught a smallish steelhead and when I asked him how it was going he replied very slow...

When I told him that I had visited this same place in about 1959 and my uncle had told me about the chewing tobacco he just laughed...There was a real long pause and he finally turned to me and said, "You wouldn't happen to have any? Would ya?"

Any one of us who have ever picked up a grasshopper may have had it spit at him or her...Well to make the bug a little more authentic I suggest adding a little tobac to that spit you mentioned above...You know, just to hedge the bet a bit.

Spence

I'm not sure what the fly shop owner meant when he said "you have to use too heavy of tippet". I have used as small as 6x tippett while hopper fishing. You'll lose some fish that way, but there is no reason you can't use light tippets with hoppers.Whether such light tippets are actually necessary when fishing something like a #8 Hopper is a different story, and I don't know the answer.


I'm not sure about this gentleman's stream but the wild trout on the streams I fish tend to go crazy during hopper season.

Hi, I am a new member of forum spammer. Would a newcomer spammer be warmly welcome here? Good day you guys!!!

(off-topic spam link deleted)

What's up Janet...is that "986" in your username shorthand for month and birth year?

Guys, "Janet" is an online movie scammer. I doubt that we will hear from "her" again, unless it is to try to activate the link that was not activated the first time. These are standard spam lines (the first is from the recent thread "New here!"):

I'm one that has been using smaller hoppers given a lot of anglers fish hoppers along the same banks that I do. I match tippet to fly size wanting to match the diameter support I need to support the hook, and bulk of the fly I am casting. But I do always try to go fly first down the bank line when fishing a hopper. I want the fish to see my hopper coming, and not the leader and the fly.

My favorite hopper is the old Joe's Hopper in size 10, nails 'em in beaver ponds with grassy banks. Tippet? 3x-4x, depending on water depth and clarity, probably on the lighter side these days what with low, clear water...dang, I'm out of hoppers, need to sit down at the danged tying bench!

Jonathon

Several thoughts on hoppers...I greased up Muddler makes for a good hopper, and for the last several years I have been throwing a lot of "bugMyster" flies as hoppers with great success. What a floater, no foam if you don't care for foam, and lands good, and very visible