With the start of August it’s safe to say that we are officially in hopper season on The Missouri River. It’s time to get out those hoppers, pick your favorite droppers, and rig your  dry fly rods with something big and foamy. Last week at the annual CrossCurrents Hopper Swapper our staff got together and found out what we think will be the top hopper patterns for the rest of the summer.

During the event we drank a few beers, shared some laughs, and pulled the top 5 hopper patterns we all would like to have in our boxes for hopper season. We still aren’t 100% sure if it’s going to be great hopper fishing around here, but why not have a good time  trading hoppers with droppers or droppers for hoppers at the hopper swapper? Here are the top 5:

5. Morrish Hopper Pink #10- One of the most used patterns on the river for a reason. This is basic hopper that floats a dropper well and catches fish alike.

4. B/C Dropper Hopper Tan #12- This one has all the great qualities of a big dry fly. Hi Vis on top, looks realistic from the bottom, and floats well.

3. Flopper #10- At the swapper there was quite a debate of the abilities for this hopper to land upright on every cast. We put it to the test and agreed that it will always land upright 96.78% of the time. On windy days when casting is tough this is the one to go with.

2. Frankenhopper Peach #8- If your looking for a big nasty hopper pattern this is the one. It looks like a big tasty meal that those large browns just cant let pass overhead.

1. Bloom’s Parahopper #12- The most realistic hopper pattern out there. This is a go to for all the technical hopper fishing. It’s one we all agreed should be in your hopper box at all times.