FISHING HOPPERS AND STREAMERS

by Dennis Schule

Fall is a tremendous time to be fly fishing on the White and Norfork rivers in Arkansas, even better than the rest of the year as the crowds have diminished and the weather is much more pleasant.  Guides are thinking more about big articulated streamers and hoppers than any other time of the year.

We have been throwing hoppers since early June with great success.  Right now the hoppers that I am seeing on the rivers are starting to get a little lethargic which means the hopper season is just starting to slow down.  Don't get me wrong, we still have plenty of time for hopper fishing.  I had my clients casting hoppers until December 5th last year.  

This hopper season has been just a little different from years past.  Usually a nice clear day with a slight breeze is perfect for hoppers.  This year we have been banging fish on hoppers in the fog, drizzling rain, clear days with or without wind early and late.  All of this is good for the fishermen.

Clients are always asking what kind of hoppers are we going to fish today.  I usually respond by telling them only the fish know that answer.  I usually start out with my usual favorite foam hoppers, usually one in pink and the other in tan, red or purple. Then I switch off regularly to find the key to what they want.  However, what works in one stretch of the river may not turn a fish 100 yards down river.  So, the answer is to have a good assortment of patterns, colors and sizes.  I usually have my clients fish the hoppers on a 9' 6 weight rod, weight forward line with a 7 1/2' tapered leader down to 4X.  This set-up seems to work great and will turn over those big nasty foam hoppers with ease.  

The biggest problem I have with clients fishing hoppers is the early hook set.  Until they learn to hold off on the hook set for just that extra second they will tend to miss a lot of fish.

Over the past month we have been pretty fortunate to have a fair amount of water being released from both the Bull Shoals and Norfork dams.  Plenty of water means only one thing,  STREAMER FISHING!  I find that when we have an adequate flow the bigger browns and rainbows tend to push closer to the bank in an attempt to avoid the heavier current.  They tuck into anything that will break the current and provide them with a good ambush point.  

When fishing streamers my clients are fishing anything from floating lines all the way up to 375 grain sink tip lines.  Line selection depends on water generation and how far we have to get the flys down to the strike zone.

If we have a fairly weak flow the floating line or the Rio streamer line with a clear tip is usually the answer.  When the water is really flowing you usually have to step up to a heavier sink tip line, usually a 250 grain all the way up to a 375 grain. 

Leaders are another issue.  I see a lot of people fishing sink tip lines with a 7 1/2' - 9' leader.  They are defeating the purpose of the sink tip line.  The sink tip is down in the strike zone but their fly is floating three or four feet out of the zone.  I usually fish the big articulated streamers with a short 3-3 1/2' piece of 20 pound fluorocarbon tippet material. 

A lot of the guides usually only fish big streamers during the fall and winter.  I prefer to fish them all year long whenever the water is right.  Big fish eat big streamers all year long.

I really get excited when I get clients that can really handle a fly rod and  can cast right where I tell them to whether it is a streamer or a hopper.  The end results are usually camera worthy. 

If you really enjoy fishing hoppers or big streamers and want a true chance at some big fish, give us a call and let us help you obtain that goal. 

Dennis Schule