# Hoppers and droppers



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Time for hoppers and droppers.


----------



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Awesome!


----------



## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

Loved it. Those were some fat fish. I'm guessing that was a cutty at 2:10? I've never seen one other than pics. I was under the impression that the cuts were generally at higher elevations than the browns. Is that correct? May I ask at what elevation you were fishing?


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

One great thing with cutts is that you can find them in lower elevation streams mixed in with browns. The Sevier has them all the way from its headwaters (both East Fork and main fork) all the way down to Yuba. And most of the tribs along the way.

if you want to get into some really, really, really good stream cutthroat fishing, Clear Creek would be the spot to hit. Like, right now.

I was fishing about 7000ft.


----------



## BG1 (Feb 15, 2013)

Amazing how well they can hone in even in stained water. Nice work!


----------



## Wasatch Wings (Sep 29, 2015)

Nice work! Thanks for the share.


----------



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

I hit one of my favorite streams for cutts a week ago and the hopper dropper rig was the ticket! This is one of my favorite times to hit the river!


----------



## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

I'll be passing through the Beaver Utah around the 21st of August. Is it likely that this pattern will still be the ticket then?


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Steve -- travelling north or south through Beaver?


Yes -- you should be able to get fish on hoppers/droppers on the Beaver. I'm just wondering if you should make a little detour over I-70 and fish Clear Creek instead? Coming from the north you could exit at Scipio onto highway 50 to I70, south on I70 to the Fremont Indian state park area (exit at highway 89 then take the Clear Creek Canyon road), stop and fish Clear Creek, and then continue on I70 back to I15 and on to your destination. It would only add about 30 minutes drive time...


----------



## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

I will be travelling South, coming back from WY antelope hunt hopefully with a cooler full of delicious meat. I wanted to fish the Upper Beaver River because after a week in a treeless prairie I think I'll be craving an uncrowded high elevation stream, but I have been looking at Clear creek at it is tempting.

It may come down to where are my odds better for a cutty. Size isn't critical, but a fish or two in the 12" range would be nice.


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Steve G said:


> It may come down to where are my odds better for a cutty. Size isn't critical, but a fish or two in the 12" range would be nice.


If this is the criteria, then Clear Creek is the clear winner.

But, I also understanding wanting to head up on the mountain.
Good luck with the decision. If you need any help, you know where to turn.


----------



## Ifish (Aug 22, 2008)

Very nice work! Thanks for sharing.


----------



## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

Wow! Thanks for sharing that looked like a blast. Question is: Were they taking that Twisted Hopper more or the dropper more?

Those browns looked very healthy.


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Was it you that sent me those twisted hoppers years ago?? I'v also got some pink humpies that someone sent me that I still use...

to be honest, they wouldn't touch that twisted foam hopper. I think it was all color. I tried stimulators, humpies, mosquitoes, pmd's....they wouldn't look at any of them. Finally put on a black hopper and started catching fish.

It was about 50/50 hopper to nymph. I also tried a bugger for a little bit, and picked up that cutthroat.


----------



## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

I was going to say, yes it was me that sent you the Twisted Hoppers, but since the trout wouldn't touch them, I'm sure someone else sent them to you -O,-.

I use that Twisted Hopper up here a lot from July to when the snow flies with pretty good success. Once in a while the trout will follow it and nip at it and I have to go to something smaller. I've always wondered about that. Why do trout, which I've been taught will only expend so much energy after a food source, follow a fly and nip at it, or just look at it then turn away. Then I tie on a smaller fly and the next few trout take it eagerly?


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

HighNDry said:


> Why do trout, which I've been taught will only expend so much energy after a food source, follow a fly and nip at it, or just look at it then turn away. Then I tie on a smaller fly and the next few trout take it eagerly?


I tried smaller. I tried different types. I had nothing that looked like what they were taking off the surface (a CDC biot comparadun in black with white would have been perfect, or anything else for a dry midge). So I went with something not at all close to size (much bigger) but black. It worked.

I think fish have really small brains that work something like a plc.

If you can ever figure out why they take one fly and not another, you'll be in a pretty good place!

Thanks for the hoppers. I think I'm down to the last one. They served me well over the years.


----------



## Steve G (Nov 29, 2016)

HighNDry said:


> I was going to say, yes it was me that sent you the Twisted Hoppers, but since the trout wouldn't touch them, I'm sure someone else sent them to you -O,-.
> 
> I use that Twisted Hopper up here a lot from July to when the snow flies with pretty good success. Once in a while the trout will follow it and nip at it and I have to go to something smaller. I've always wondered about that. *Why do trout, which I've been taught will only expend so much energy after a food source, follow a fly and nip at it, or just look at it then turn away. Then I tie on a smaller fly and the next few trout take it eagerly?*


I think the answer is what I learned to be called predator focus. As you said fish want to maximize their return on energy spent so they learn to focus on what is most readily available, hence a match the hatch scenario. I suppose at some point the target food source begins to wain and they become less selective on the once abundant food source, and either switch to a new source or become more generalists until a new food source becomes dominant. I can't provide any support for this but it is something I recall my brother doing research and tests on with some species of salt water fish while he was going through his marine biology studies.


----------



## HighNDry (Dec 26, 2007)

PBH said:


> Was it you that sent me those twisted hoppers years ago?? I'v also got some pink humpies that someone sent me that I still use...
> 
> to be honest, they wouldn't touch that twisted foam hopper. I think it was all color. I tried stimulators, humpies, mosquitoes, pmd's....they wouldn't look at any of them. Finally put on a black hopper and started catching fish.
> 
> It was about 50/50 hopper to nymph. I also tried a bugger for a little bit, and picked up that cutthroat.


Water in the video looked a little tinted. I wonder if the black color was easier for the fish to see, thus more rises, and the tan/pale yellow hopper blended in with the water more?

I have a neat black bodied fly I fish for a cicada pattern. maybe I'll
send some down for you to try.


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

HighNDry said:


> Water in the video looked a little tinted. I wonder if the black color was easier for the fish to see, thus more rises, and the tan/pale yellow hopper blended in with the water more?


maybe.

After driving for 90 minutes, my first view of the river was disappointing. In fact, I let a couple expletives fly. Kingston Canyon was brown. Usually this means that the river will also be brown in Black Canyon and above. The water coming out of Otter Creek Res is clear, which means the mud comes from the EF bypassing the reservoir.

Going through Antimony the canals didn't look as bad -- but figured I was just being optimistic.

Going through Black Canyon you don't get many good views of the river until Osiris Mill and the bridge. The view from the bridge looked surprisingly good! I was happy when I got to my spot, and could see that it was fishable. I was even more happy when I spotted a couple fish rising before I ever even got down to the water.

the weird thing is that after fishing the first section I decided to drive another mile or so upstream. When I got down to the water at that spot it was crystal clear. I'm guessing a beaver dam had been blow out this spring, and silt was still washing out of it, causing the turbid water below.

I'm guessing that Kingston Canyon was muddy due to the amount of water coming out of Otter Creek -- looking at the website, it looks like they increased flows from ~28CFS to over 225CFS 3:00am Saturday morning. That would definitely affect Kingston Canyon. They then dropped it back down to 73CFS by 11:00 am. Makes you wonder what happened....

I'd like to get back over there. Bad thing is that these stupid ungulate hunts start in another week....

....ugh...


----------

