Ice Water (Small Stream Hopper Fishing)

[Swattie87]

If you know where to look, there's cold water to be found...Got a temp of 34-ish in the ice water at the bottom of my cooler at mid afternoon...Apparently my thermometer is a degree or two warm. I had never calibrated it before. Good problem to have I guess.

It was a little warmer in the little grass lined limestoner we fished this afternoon (64 deg), but still well within the safe zone. Air temp was 94. I don't fish these kinds of streams much, but today inspired me to do more of it. I think I maybe watched one too many YouTube videos of small stream hopper fish out west during quarantine. The takes from even medium sized Browns (like the ones pictured) on hoppers are savage. Whiffed on a fish that probably went low teens...You only get one shot. Good stuff.

 

[Baron]

I am Jealous. I instead got up at 4 AM to go to Gouldsboro. Batteries were dead on my truck. Then after putting it on the charger I missed the early advantage. So I went to a pond and caught minor sized sunnies until 10. Hot Hot Hot. No Bass, no Pickerel.

 

[Millsertime]

Nice outing and hoppers sound like fun but MY GOD, that one picture makes it look like there weren't many trees on that stream. How hot were you? Were you wet wading? I went for a quad ride today and sweated. I can't imagine fishing. Kuddos to you!

 

[Swattie87]

I wet waded, and there was a good breeze, which felt good. Made it tough to aim the hopper in the narrow channel between the grass, but was worth it. Tucked my pants into my socks and shirt into pants for tick protection.

Really only felt hot gearing up, and then walking back to the car and changing to go home. Once I was wet, I was fine. Car thermo said 106 (asphalt parking lot in direct sunlight) when I started it.

 

[moon1284]

hopper fishing is pretty fun. You found a good stream to do it on.

 

[Dave_W]

Good stuff and a reminder that there's trout fishing if you are willing to take a different road. Thanks!

It was decent in the shade today although I got 99 degrees on my porch this afternoon. Definitely a good time to wet-wade a limestoner.

 

[nomad_archer]

Dave_W wrote:
Good stuff and a reminder that there's trout fishing if you are willing to take a different road. Thanks!

It was decent in the shade today although I got 99 degrees on my porch this afternoon. Definitely a good time to wet-wade a limestoner.

At 99* I'd intentionally slip and fall into a limestoner.

 

[allthingsfishing]

Nice pics. Is that reel really large or is that a really small hopper?

 

[Swattie87]

Reel’s a standard 5/6 size. Fairly small hopper, size 10 or 12-ish. I was expecting fairly small fish, which is what I found, other than the one I missed.

 

[wildtrout2]

Being creative is keeping you on the water. Looks like you had a fun day, despite the heat.

 

[theoriginalnickyp]

That's good summer time fun right there!

 

[Swattie87]

Freestone Browns like Hoppers too. (And 57 degree water...quite impressive given the heat.)

 

[jifigz]

Nice stuff..I haven't fished small stream like this in sometime.