The hopper myth?

"Dave LaCourse" wrote

It wasn't a hopper, but a butterfly.



I've had more faith in ( which usually translates into success with ) adult
damsel patterns than hopper patterns in mid summer on the weedy spring
creeks I usually fish.

The biggest moving water trout I've ever hooked was on tiny Loving Creek,
underneath the old train bridge down from Hayspur. I watched that fish
for an hour or more and decided that more than one drift to it without
spooking it was impossible, it was a one shot situation. It was laying in
swirling weeds that made a subsurface presentation seem impossible too (
although it was feeding subsurface )

Finally, I noticed a blue damsel get blown off an emerging weed and mired in
the film. It didn't float by the big fish, but it did inspire. I went
back to camp and found a gawdawful deer hair bass bug, more or less tied to
represent a blue damsel in my stuff.


Back I came and sent the bug down stream to the fish, using a "Fall River
Twitch" ..... the fish rose, sucked it in, ... I set. Roughly 3/4
nanosecond later that fish was a disappearing wake on the other side of that
barbed wire fence across the creek down there, and my line was limp..again.

Breathing rapidly, but not too disappointed, I turned to leave and 'hiding'
on the bank was a DFG guy I knew from my years of staying at Hayspur. He
had seen me trying for the fish and came to witness. He worked in the
Hayspur hatchery and was accustomed to seeing big brood stock fish and
judging their size ... the poundage he mentioned as his guess on 'my' fish
stretches even my ability to believe me, so I'll remain mute G

Since then, I've had several good sessions with adult damsels on windy hot
weather spring creeks.