Hopper Time

It be hopper time y'all. Wow, that sounds dorky, but it is true. The weather is warming up and all manners of terrestrial insects are finding there way into the bellies of hungry trout. So far most of the action has been on ants and beetles, but this week fish have started to take hoppers.

Terrestrials provide some of the best action of the year. Fish ant, beetle, and hopper patterns near the banks and get ready to see some impressive takes.

My top five patterns for summer terrestrial fishing are:

1) Logan's Hopper (pictured above)- these take awhile but the float like crazy. Let me know and I can tie some up for you.

2) CDC Beetle- not pictured but we have them in stock at the shop.

3) Dave's Hopper- A classic pattern. It has always been a top producer

4) Chernobyl Ant - I was doubtful the first time I saw these, but they are killers.

5) Brown Fur Ant- Not a fancy pattern, but it always works.

Bighorn Fly Fishing

The Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming offer a great summer get away for Black Hills residents. An easy 3 hour drive from Rapid City, Buffalo, Wyoming, makes a perfect jumping off point. From Buffalo it is roughly an hour and a half to the northern Bighorns or the southern Bighorns.

My wife Christine and I have made it a point for the last 3 summers to spend a weekend or two in the Bighorns. This past weekend we traveled to the West Tensleep trail head for some camping and fishing. We usually pack in and spend a couple days at a mountain lake. However, on this trip we opted to stay near the trail head and make day hikes into mountains.

The bugs were terrible again this year, but we had a great time hiking into Lost Twin Lakes. The wildflowers were in bloom and views were spectacular. Here are a couple photos from the trip.