The green hopper strikes again. Refusal, rejection, disgust, and finally fooled. Presentation of the fly is important. But in the end it's up to the fish. You can do everything right and it still comes down to the fish deciding to eat. I guess that's how I feel after repeated strikeouts and finally fooling another grassie. I hooked this fish from the top of the pond bridge. He was sitting motionless just under the surface with head angled up -- a common position to find grass carp. I placed a green hopper a foot in front of him. He startled back initially but then slowly rose to eat. Grassies have a tendency to nibble the fly and from my high bridge vantage point I could see when the hopper was ready to set (nibble, nibble, gulp, set!). The hardest fish to fool are often the most rewarding. If I could catch a grassie every trip to the pond the reward wouldn't be as sweet. Big carp on hoppers, does it get any better?
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| The youngsters enjoyed the show. After helping me snap the pictures they were no longer thinking of bluegill and bullheads :-) |
