Stop! Hopper Time!


To say this summer didn't go as planned would be an understatement.  Reflecting back to the spring I had visions of guide school on the Bighorn in my sights.  My buddy Randy Berndt from Wisconsin, a classmate from Montana State University and I were supposed to attend a well-known guide school on the Big Horn River.  To make a long story short; Randy got to go, and I didn't.  For me, life got in the way.  I am in the midst of yet another job change, a great opportunity that doesn't come around very often.  This threw my summer into a loop as it was a late development and by the time I got my ducks in a row, I ran out of time.  This forced me to live my life vicariously through Randy.  I kept up with his exploits through his blog "On The Fly" and it sounds as if he had a demanding, yet unforgettable experience. 
Depending on my new schedule on my job, maybe next summer will be my time.  So for now, I will practice my nail knots, improved clinch knots, surgeons loops, double surgeons loops, blood knots, tie some more flies and focus on another time: Hopper time.
Stop!  Hopper Time!

It's an inside joke, but everytime I think of hopper fishing I think of MC Hammer.  Notice the outfit--big, bold, and bright, just like a hopper imitation.  This summer has also been the most fishless summer I've had in recent memory, but I am hoping to remedy that this weekend.  It is hopper time on the White, Norfork, and Little Red Rivers in Arkansas and hopefully I can ease my pain with a few explosive strikes and a few nice fish.  I love fishing big, ugly, gaudy foam bugs to gluttonous trout!  Brings me in mind of the cicada hatch on the Green, and the Salmonflies on the Madison and Yellowstone.  It will also be the first trout trip with my new GoPro camera and I'm pumped about that, too.

My favorite hopper imitation is Craig Matthew's Improved Chaos Hopper.  The reason it's my favorite is because it's a fly that I can actually tie AND the foam indicator matches MC Hammer's shirt..
Improved Chaos Hopper


This is by no means the only hopper in my box, as I am a sucker for any new bright foam floater I see at the fly shop.  My box contains a plethora of bugs bright, big, and ugly enough to scare any pod of trout from here to Bozeman.

To quote Mick Jagger: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you get what you need."  A true statement indeed.  I am indeed blessed!  I'll write an update after I get back, post some videos and hopefully have a great hopper time!  As I sign off, I'll leave you a blast from the past: MC Hammer doing "Can't Touch This."  Wonder if he's a fly fisherman?

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