Hopper Fishing the Goulburn Valley

The pool was small, about the size of a billiard table nestled between the overgrown tussock grass. With a distinct ‘SPLAT’ the artificial landed on the waters surface. Before the spreading rings could reach the edge of the tiny pool the fly was smashed from the top sending a shower of spray skyward. The hook was set, the big fish jumped and shook his head, and was at once, gone. Hopper fishing at its finest.

This is a very typical scenario while fly-fishing in our part of the world anytime from December until the first frosts in April. Grasshoppers are such an important source of nutrition for Australian trout that I know of a few fly fishers who never clip them from their tippets all summer long. 

So where are Grasshoppers found? What sort of flies should be used to imitate them? What techniques are required to successfully fish  them? For the answer to these and many more questions click on the links on the banner above and learn all you need to know to enjoy 'Hopper Fishing the Goulburn Valley.

Insect Info

Grasshoppers belong to the Order of Orthoptera. They are herbivorous and lay their eggs in the ground or on vegetation. The eggs hatch in late Spring early Summer depending on weather conditions into a nymphal stage which basically look like a smaller version of the adult. These nymphs pass through a number of instars or moults typically between 4-5. Most grasshoppers will survive throughout the summer and rains will trigger further hatchings of new nymphs. The demise of the grasshopper is brought about by the colder weather in Autumn and the first frosts really signal the end of the hoppers.

Grasshoppers are characterised by their very large strong, hind legs which are used for the incredible jumps they complete. They have a blunt, squarish head and large prominent eyes. Many of the adults are winged and are quite skilful fliers. 

Grasshoppers thrive in the hot dry conditions that characterise the Australian summer. Contrary to popular belief they can be found in the very upper reaches of our headwaters and as such are an excellent pattern in most locales. They do have an aversion to the cold and rain but fortunately (as far as hopper feeding trout are concerned) hardly any of our rivers fall into this category during summer.

With this in mind the importance of grasshoppers to the fly fisher can be seen. From the highest reaches of our mountain creeks to the pastoral meandering lowland rivers, they thrive and fall into the water to provide trout with an easy meal. They particularly like the areas bordering rivers because of the band of greener grass that surrounds them.  This is usually where they get scared in by cattle or blown in by the wind, and rivers with overhanging vegetation and undercut banks are ideal.

Patterns

Grasshopper patterns fortunately are both easy to tie and extremely durable. As with other imitations certain requirements must be met in order to ensure consistent success. Size, shape, colour and function are the four critical factors.

The size of most local hoppers is around a #10. Early season in late November and early December the immature hoppers can be seen throughout the district and these are #12-14. We also see the yellow winged or locust hopper a little later, usually after consistently hot weather and these huge insect's are a # 4-6. These grasshoppers can be of importance when they happen to go in on extremely windy days and something of this size should be carried for those special times. But by and large they are good fliers and seldom find their way onto the water. When they do though the fishing can be first class with the biggest fish in the river materialising from the depths to take from the top. These big hoppers are not as important in the over all scheme of things when compared with the more common, smaller variety. These hoppers (about a #10 - 12) are absolutely prolific and fishing a fly this size there is always a chance of raising a big brown. 

Grasshoppers are a very bulky item and have a definitive shape. They have a large profile from both below and from the side requiring materials, which can be used to create a similar looking imitation. Hoppers also have a very bulky, blunt  head, which also needs imitating. This is why so many imitations of them use chenille and deer hair in their construction. The chenille is a bulky material and absorbs water. So it gives the required profile as well as sinking into the film of the water just like the real thing. Coupled with a deer hair head, which is trimmed, to accurately represent the real insect and give it just the correct amount of floatation. These two materials present the perfect combination for tying hopper patterns.

Thirdly there is colour. Despite the fact that hopper feeders can sometimes be caught by anything big splashed down in front of them, colour is important when imitating these insects. The controversy over what trout actually see will be with us always (I hope) but suffice to say that yellow and orange are the secret ingredients. A little or a lot of yellow for the body is a very important aspect of most hopper patterns. Add some orange in the form of pheasant tippets for the legs, some natural coloured deer hair and you will have as good a hopper pattern as you can find or will need.

Another important aspect of choosing or tying a hopper pattern is in the choosing of the materials. Choosing materials so that the fly itself helps with the presentation. Heavy hooks, heavy materials tied in with the required bulk. All these factors enable the imitation to be presented in the correct manner and that is with a ‘SPLAT’. This is possibly the most important part of the equation in fooling a trout with a hopper pattern. Its not only the visual aspect of this landing that provokes a response but also the pulse in the water created by the 'PLOP' of the arriving hopper alerts the fish to its presence. Also part of this is using deer hair which is extremely buoyant to float the fly but on the other hand using heavy hooks and chenille to make it sit low on the water.  

Using the above criteria it is hard to look past the ever faithful Knobby Hopper. Many fly tiers continually try to reinvent the wheel and this is a very necessary and enjoyable aspect of the craft of which I am guilty also. But when all is said and done I would pick the Knobby Hopper above all comers without a shadow of a doubt. Variations of this theme with different colour combinations are successful and matching the hatch is the way to go but I wouldn't feel ill equipped having only a handful of #10 Knobby Hoppers tied with yellow chenille body and pheasant tippets for legs. One recent development locally is the success of the Chernobyl Ant (see photo on right). It is a very useful attractor and could represent just about any terrestrial from spiders to hoppers to cicadas. This pattern is indestructible and will take fish at hopper time although it has to be said not as successfully as the Knobby Hopper.

Techniques

There are many habitats in which hoppers are found locally and several deserve individual attention.                   

Stillwaters

While not considered very important from a fly fishing perspective the Pondage can offer good hopper fishing at times. High banks that are overgrown with vegetation and drop off into deep water offer the perfect meeting point of trout and hoppers. Stalking these edges the technique is to spot fish first. During a normal year when the lake has water in it and consequently the Pondage is clear, stalking these high banks with the sun overhead will reveal fish cruising in very close to the edges. This is not dissimilar to backwater fishing in the Goulburn and suitable hunting skills come into play. More often than not the fly is dropped in the way of an approaching trout. These fish can be big and anything up to around 10 lb should be expected. One thing I think I should mention was the fly fisher I bumped into one day on one of these high banks. He had a bucket with cicadas in it and was breaking off one of  the wings of these bugs and throwing them onto the water at regular intervals. Before too long he had a line of fish between 4 and 10 lb swimming about taking them. He caught and released one on of about 8lb in my presence (before I am ostracised I am not condoning this sort of behaviour!). Point being, although these are ex-hatchery fish they will quickly work out what is going on at times and will take a large insect such as a cicada/hopper without hesitation so it can be worth a look.

Small Rivers/Creeks

These streams are perhaps the easiest to fish with the hopper as the pools are the only holding water in them. This makes targeting fish easier. Approach from behind keeping low and fish the pool with several casts depending on the size, starting from the tail. In a lot of these small local waters a good rule of thumb is one fish per pool but if you are lucky and can drag them over the drop off quickly, you can sometimes take several trout from the one pool. While hoppers work fantastically in this water I have suspicions that as food is hard to come by in these creeks that just about anything would be scoffed. In fact you will be amazed at how quickly a fly is taken in such places. These intimate rivers require 3-4 weight rods and  9-foot leaders. Fine tippets of 2 lb are used and anything heavier than this really is overkill considering the size of trout and water.  

Medium Rivers

Rivers such as the Acheron and Rubicon fit into this category. Generally characterised by slower flows, deeper water with plenty of structure and flowing through farmland, these are probably the pick of hopper waters in the area. Undercut banks with overhanging vegetation abound with plenty of  timber in the water under which the trout live. The keys to success with these rivers aside from the usual staying out of sight, is in being absolutely methodical in your fishing. Fish every likely looking lie and make repeated casts to each possible holding spot. By multiple casts I mean up to ten presentations to the one spot. While a lot of fish will take the fly on the first cast, quite often in such an environment they have to be coaxed to take from the top. This thorough fishing takes time and to adequately fish say 500 metres of the Rubicon takes me the better part of a day. Sight fishing is an option here but only for those experienced at it and even then is difficult. Perfect gear for the Rubicon would be a 4-weight rod and tippets between 4-6lb. To the dictate the terms and keep large fish from making it to the underwater jungle. Leaders should be a minimum of 10 foot long with a long heavy butt section to help with correct presentation.

Large Rivers

This of course refers to the Goulburn River. Running high and cold for the duration of the hopper season the Goulburn thankfully has fish searching the flooded edges. These high water levels combined with abundant hoppers results in some fantastic fishing opportunities. Refer to the article on fishing Goulburn Backwaters for more detailed instructions. Fish cruise in the edge waters searching out food and quite often hoppers are on the menu. From December to March most fish in backwaters can be relied upon to take a hopper pattern and the fishing is both visual and extremely exciting.

The Goulburn however is not just about backwater fishing. Runs, undercut banks, glides, all offer traditional upstream fishing opportunities. Fishing a short line say 5-10 metres is the way to go. Using the shotgun method cast upstream let it drift a few metres back towards you, then pick up and put down again this time to the side of the previous cast. Keep doing this until all the water within in range has been fished and then move upstream a couple of metres allowing access to ‘fresh’ water. This technique is extremely effective when fishing hoppers. Another useful way of fishing the Goulburn is to find likely holding spots close to the edge and cast to them laying the fly line along the bank with only the leader and fly hitting the water. Many good fish fall victim to this tactic.

Gear for fishing the Goulburn is a rod in the 4-6-weight category with my personal favourite being a 5 weight. A quality 5 weight will cast large flies, long distances if need be and still be capable of delicate presentations. Leaders are longish with 12 foot being as short as Id venture. Standard tippets for me are 4lb but in amongst some of the heavily timbered backwaters I have been known to use 6 lb on occasions.

So me Final Points

One question that keeps appearing regarding hoppers is due to the fact that anglers don’t often see them on the water in any numbers and are therefore not confident to fish them.. This is not an issue. Fish get conditioned to the fall or struggling of a hopper and it usually doesn’t take much to trigger a response. Such a large item in a stream environment where the current will quickly take it out of reach results in quick decisions needing to be made by the trout. Consequently most takes are aggressive.

Fishing a sunken hopper can sometimes work. I am not particularly fond of this method as I prefer to fish on the top but nevertheless it can be the difference between not catching and catching. Fished like an upstream nymph no indicator is required as takes are usually very noticeable with sudden line movements as the fish takes the submerged fly. For more detail on this method read Phillip Weigall's article "Grasshopper Alternatives" in issue # 2 of FlyLife Magazine.

Indicator nymphing using a hopper as the dry fly indicator is very successful too. We quite often fish a small bead head a metre or two below a Knobby Hopper and this each way bet takes a lot of trout. Quite often the large dry brings the trout to the top and if he refuses it he sometimes takes the nymph on the way down.

Another effective method is the double hopper sliding rig. Simply thread the first hopper up your leader before tying on your tippet. After attaching the tippet with a double blood knot without trimming the tags too severely, tie on another hopper on the end of the tippet. This method gives a double plop similar to a scattering of hoppers caused by passing cattle on the bank. This also gives you the opportunity to fish two sizes of hopper at the same time.

It really is hard to adequately relate in words the feeling that one has when a large brown trout snaffles your artificial hopper from the top. A combination of the aggression exhibited to the audible ‘CLOP’ as he takes, make it hard to beat hopper fishing for sheer excitement and satisfaction. Give it a try this summer and see what all the fuss is about.