Updated: October 2026. Floating Grasshopper sizes and price checked on the live product page Oct 19, 2026.

Grasshopper fly, the short answer: tie on a Gapen Floating Grasshopper in size #8, cast it within a foot of a grassy bank, let it land with a soft plop, and dead-drift it down the seam. No rise? Give it one short twitch and let it drift again. Fish it on warm, breezy afternoons from late summer into fall, until hard frost shuts the hoppers down. From $1.94 in sizes #10, #8, #6, #4, and Giant #1/0, single or 2-pack.

Below: what a grasshopper fly is, how to rig it, the bank drift, a size picker, fall timing, a spinning-rod option, and when to switch to a Muddler or an ant.

What is a grasshopper fly?

A grasshopper fly is a high-floating terrestrial dry fly that imitates a hopper that jumped or blew off the bank into the water. Trout hit them hard because a hopper is a big meal that cannot fly back out. The Gapen Floating Grasshopper product page lists a high-floating design that stays up through riffles and currents, a hopper profile, a fly that is easy to see and track for strike detection, and use on rivers, streams, and along grassy banks. It sits in the Specialty Flies section of the Gapen fly shop.

Gapen is the heritage fly brand behind the Original Muddler Minnow, which Don Gapen created in 1936. Orders pack and ship from our shop in State Center, Iowa.

How do you rig a grasshopper fly for trout?

1. Leader: 7.5 to 9 feet, tapered to 3X or 4X. A hopper is bulky and catches wind, and light tippet twists and fouls behind it.
2. Rod: a 4- to 6-weight fly rod turns over a hopper without trouble, even into a breeze.
3. Knot: an improved clinch, or a non-slip loop knot so the fly can sit and wobble on the surface.
4. Floatant: dress the fly lightly before the first cast, and again after every fish or when it starts riding low.
5. Optional dropper: tie 18 to 24 inches of tippet to the hook bend and add a small beaded nymph such as a Gapen Pheasant Tail Beaded Nymph. The hopper holds it up and works as your strike indicator.

How do you fish a grasshopper fly along a bank?

1. Start downstream and work up. Trout face into the current, so you come in behind them.
2. Cast tight to the edge. Put the fly within a foot of the grass, the undercut, or the overhanging brush. Most hoppers fall right off the edge, and that is where the fish wait.
3. Let it land with a plop. A real hopper hits the water hard. A fly laid down like a mayfly looks wrong here.
4. Mend for a drag-free drift. Six to ten feet of clean drift along the seam is where most of the eats come.
5. Add one twitch. If nothing rises, move the fly about an inch, then let it drift again. A kicking hopper pulls fish up from deeper water.
6. Wait a beat on the take. Big trout often eat a hopper slowly. Lift as the fish turns down, not the instant you see the rise.

Water	What to do	Why it works (shop judgment)
Grassy undercut bank	Tight cast, dead drift	Hoppers fall here and trout hold under the lip
Riffle tail into a pool	Drift through the tail	Fish slide up to feed at the break
Foam line or seam	Drift right in the foam	Current collects drowned insects
Slow, flat pool	Twitch, then a long pause	Fish need a reason to come up in slow water
Pond or lake edge by tall grass	Cast, let it sit, twitch	Bluegill and bass eat hoppers too

Which size grasshopper fly should you use?

Live sizes on Oct 19, 2026: #10, #8, #6, #4, and Giant #1/0, single or 2-pack. The product page price starts at $1.94. On fly hooks, a smaller number means a bigger fly.

Size	Shop pick for trout and panfish
#10	Small early hoppers, clear water, spooky fish, bluegill
#8	Default for most trout streams
#6	Big late-summer and fall hoppers, stained water
#4	Wind, bigger rivers, big brown trout
Giant #1/0	Bass and big browns at dusk; a real mouthful

Shop judgment: walk the bank for a minute before you tie on. Kick the grass, watch what jumps, and match that size. That gets you most of the way there.

When is grasshopper season for trout?

Hoppers grow through the summer and run biggest from late summer into early fall. The best days are warm, sunny afternoons with a breeze that knocks them off the bank. On Midwest trout water, including the driftless streams of northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest Wisconsin, hopper fishing often holds into October until the first hard frosts. After that, go to nymphs and streamers. Check your state's trout regulations for seasons and special rules before you go.

When should you leave the hopper in the box?

• Cold, gray morning with nothing moving in the grass. Swing or strip a Muddler instead. See our Muddler Minnow guide.
• Trout sipping small insects in flat water. Go smaller with a Gapen Flying Ant, sizes 10 to 18.
• High, muddy water. Fish need something down where they are. Tie on a Weighted Original Muddler or a nymph.
• After a few hard frosts. The hoppers are gone, and the fish quit looking up for them.

Can you fish a grasshopper fly on a spinning rod?

Yes. Clip a clear casting bubble to your main line, partly filled with water for weight, then tie 4 to 6 feet of 4 to 6 lb line behind it with the hopper on the end. Cast past the bank, let it sit, then reel slowly with pauses so the hopper drifts and twitches behind the bubble. A light spinning rod in the 6 to 7 foot range handles it; our Wilderness spinning rod length guide walks through which length fits your water.

Shop the Gapen Floating Grasshopper

Gapen Floating Grasshopper Fly, from $1.94. Sizes #10, #8, #6, #4, and Giant #1/0, single or 2-pack. A high-floating hopper dry fly for trout on rivers, streams, and grassy banks.

Gapen Tackle, a family shop in State Center, Iowa, and the brand behind the Original Muddler since 1936. Related guides: Muddler Minnow, Wilderness spinning rod lengths.

FAQ

What is a grasshopper fly?
A high-floating terrestrial dry fly that looks like a hopper that fell into the water. Gapen's is the Floating Grasshopper, from $1.94 in sizes #10 to Giant #1/0.

What size grasshopper fly for trout?
Start with #8. Go to #10 for small hoppers or spooky fish in clear water, and #6 or #4 for big fall hoppers, wind, or big browns.

How do you fish a hopper fly?
Cast within a foot of a grassy bank, let it plop down, and dead-drift it along the seam. If nothing rises, give it one short twitch and let it drift again.

Do trout still eat grasshoppers in the fall?
Yes, on warm, breezy afternoons. On Midwest streams hopper fishing often lasts into October until the first hard frosts.

What is a hopper-dropper?
A hopper with a small beaded nymph tied 18 to 24 inches off the hook bend. The hopper floats the nymph and shows you when a fish takes either fly.

Can you fish a grasshopper fly with spinning gear?
Yes. Use a clear casting bubble with 4 to 6 feet of light line behind it, and reel slowly with pauses.

Do bass and bluegill eat grasshopper flies?
Yes. Use #10 or #8 for bluegill along grassy pond banks, and the Giant #1/0 for bass at dusk.