Hoppers...fact Or Fiction?

[toolman]

Brians coming in tommorow afternoon and we can check that emergence site to see if they are still in business.
They may be finished with the egg laying by now though and we would likely only see a few adults that are a week or two old. The adults become darker the older they get, both males and females and I am not sure how long they could live in the cooler temps of September.
The Stones we have seen flying around this week are a different species and I have been unable to locate an emergence site, nor collect one that I have seen in flight. I am guessing/hoping that they are Doroneuria, which should be the next and final species to emerge this season.

[maxwell]

well ive seen some fresh shucks the past week...so have you...so there will be a few adults...rick brett tom and i collected a male and female yesterday...below policemans...they will be happenin upstream too...bring the flashlights! and trout love to eat big juicy grasshoppers lmao

[toolman]

Another observation that I have made, is that these Claasenia's that have shown up in astronomical numbers this year, were eggs back in 2004 and survived massive flooding which scoured the river clean, creating a perfect environment for stoneflies. Likely the reason we had so many Salmon flys this year as well (Petronarcys Dorsata).

So get ready when this seasons eggs grow into the mother of all Stonefly hatches when they emerge 3 years from now, in 2010.

[maxwell]

yea dude thats hwo they get ehre in teh first place...once the river was cleaned up the eggs survived the journey further and further downstream from banff and i could see how the flood would have pushed billions of insects down.....next step fosheeze...same with the broonies being fall spawners...the bows survived yes butthe broonies had mroe than enough water lmao wich would have opened up alot more spawning grounds that year...6 more years!

[megalops]

Toolman - this is a question that I have also asked. Next time you get the chance, talk to some of the veteran guides around here (Jim Mclennan, Russ Thornbury or the old fart) about stoneflies on the bow. The response that I have gotten is that 20 years ago, stoneflies were a shadow of their currrent importance as a food source on the Bow. The theory being that the city has made many improvements to their water treatment facilities during the interving period and the stonefly population has taken off as a result of the cleaner water. Long and the short of it is that the fish ate hoppers back then too...

[toolman]

Of course that is what I also have heard from these Bow veterans. My point is not if trout will eat hoppers or not, of course they will, the point was that hopper fishing can run hot and cold over a cycle that is often years apart and that with the increasing anual abundance of Stoneflies, they are playing a minor role in the trouts diet in the Bow in the past few years.

I collected hoppers on the weekend and did not find very many any closer than a 100 meters from the water, as there was too much moisture along the river banks with the cool nights creating a lot of condensation. I did the collecting/observing at about 1:30pm on a hot sunny afternoon. I only saw a couple of flyers and it was pointed out to me today that the cool weather in August may have stunted their developement and thus not many have functional wings, so no migratory flights anytime soon.

Also, my point was that many folks have been fishing hoppers since early July with marginal success and that the trout were likely taking these Hoppers patterns as Stoneflys.

This month, my goal is to collect, identify, photograph and learn about the life cycle of the Hoppers along the Bow river.

[megalops]

Toolman- I definately agree on that there is a cycle to hopper fishing. From what I hear (this has to do with having spent way too much time in the office for the past summer or three), this year is one of the worst in recent memory for hopper populations. I do think that there is a correlation between the amount of stoneflies early in the year and the readiness with which a fish will take a hopper later in the year.

 

On another note, I do think that as long as they eat the bug, I don't care whether they ate it as a hopper or as a stonefly, and I can't believe that 'Skid Bitch' has actually become an accepted phrase to describe a female stonefly especially given the origins of the term...

[toolman]

Thanks to everyone for contributing their experiences and info. It has been a fun discussion and the reason I posted this was to learn more about what happens along our Bow river, not to prove a point, but to have an open discussion on the subject.

I wonder if anyone could tell us what species of Hoppers are found along the Bow or anything about their life cycle, hatching, mating, colonization, migrations, migratory flights, food sources, behaviors etc. ? Anyone?

[lonefisher]

definately not a hopper expert but this is a good link

 

 

http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/htm/dj_gh_guide.htm

[castor]

Toolman,

 

It doesn't seem to me like this was anything like an open discussion. It was more like a discussion of your opinion. Everytime someone posted an opinion different than yours, you jumped in with another expert reason why yours was correct. It seems more like the reason you posted this was not to learn more about it, but to show everybody how much you're learned about it.

 

You go too far to prove your opinion when you start assigning reason to the fishes behaviour (as in they think a grasshopper is a stonefly so they eat it, or that fish associate strike indicators with fishermen - so they strike to warn us?). You can't ever know a fish eats one thing over another, and it doesn't really matter, unless you want to show people how smart you are.

 

I think that fish respond to their environment and eat when it's available.

 

P.S. Esleech, what I wrote was not offensive, or cowardly. If you really want to learn about trout behaviour, I think you need more than one person's observations on one river, you can learn a lot more from a larger data set. Unbunch your panties.

[esleech]

P.S. Esleech, what I wrote was not offensive, or cowardly. If you really want to learn about trout behaviour, I think you need more than one person's observations on one river, you can learn a lot more from a larger data set. Unbunch your panties.

If you say so. I go commando. Me thinks, big talk for a guy with 5 posts.

[toolman]

definately not a hopper expert but this is a good link

http://people.uleth.ca/~dan.johnson/htm/dj_gh_guide.htm

 

 

That's an excellent link Lonefisher. Thanks for posting it.

 

 

RE:DELETED POSTS... We're running a family show here, Thanks.

[SteveM]

That's an excellent link Lonefisher. Thanks for posting it.

RE:DELETED POSTS... Were running a family show here, Thanks.

 

Family show? Typical dysfunctional family, ain't we?

[esleech]

RE:DELETED POSTS... Were running a family show here, Thanks.

Ok. My apologies.

[reevesr1]

RE:DELETED POSTS... Were running a family show here, Thanks.

 

OK my bad, but it was funny!

[maxwell]

ive came too the conclusion taht they dont eat hopper or stones but they like things made of foam....lmao...and im smart u are all dumb...so bow down...lmao/....im goin fishing in the rain...have a nice day

[Guest bigbadbrent]

OK my bad, but it was funny!

 

 

hehehehe

[OneMoreLastCast]

...P.S. Esleech, what I wrote was not offensive, or cowardly. If you really want to learn about trout behaviour, I think you need more than one person's observations on one river, you can learn a lot more from a larger data set. Unbunch your panties.

 

I think that there are more rivers out there than the mighty bow and it wouldn't hurt to try another body of water every couple of years or so.

 

It may not have been offensive, but it definitely had the intention of insulting people for what they were saying and had no point what so ever. Therefore, it served no purpose and did not add anything to the discussion.

 

If you are going to post a smart ass comment, at least make a point.

 

The others that posted conflicting views at least had points to express and added to the discussion. There is nothing wrong with a good debate that might get heated.

Even with your recent post, you make no point. You simply point out that you don't think that Greg was just trying to sound smart.

 

If a thread involves a debate between multiple people, don't step in unless you are going to get involved and add to it. Making comments like you did take away from the discussion and only end up taking it in a different direction.

 

I agree with Max....I think they just like Foam!

 

Have fun in the rain. I'm glad I didn't stick around to fish with you today because I am too soft to fish in this. Hope you get another shot at that guy from the other day....Shhhh.

[Brookie]

One of the best threads I have seen on a FF board. I often wondered why hopper fishing changes dramatically from year to year. Some of the ideas and observations posted here help explain. Thanks!

[wongrs]

i really look forward to continuing this discussion.......

 

AT THE BOW RIVER CLEANUP EVENT NEXT SATURDAY THE 22ND!! tell your friends. free food!

[esleech]

Wongrs: KING of the shameless plug...

[esleech]

OK my bad, but it was funny!

 

Yes, it was funny.

P.S. I'll get you back brizzle!!!

[Guest bigbadbrent]

hehehehehehehe