Grasshopper invasion can be beneficial for fishermen

It's that time of the year when grasshoppers invade our area, and that's not all bad.

I remember when my neighbor thought it was very funny as I casted a grasshopper I had just picked up into a pond. When a big bluegill followed the hopper and hit it, the neighbor saw things differently.

Although he wasn't a fisherman, I remember him commenting, "You have tackle boxes filled with all kinds of lures and here you are catching fish with a common grasshopper."

My uses of grasshoppers goes back many years, after I caught a fish while using one. Before I started using artificial lures, there were always grasshoppers at this time of the year. They were easy to catch, there were plenty of them available and they caught fish.

My first fish I landed when using a big yellow grasshopper was a three pound channel catfish. After that experience It was grasshopper time in late August around the many farm ponds and small waters.

While checking a pond where the doves stop to get water before going to roost, I noticed a grasshopper fall into the water followed by a big splash as a big bass grabbed it. It didn't take long for me to get my rod and reel into action with a freshly caught grasshopper as bait. In less than an hour I had three more big bass, seven bluegill and a catfish on my stringer. That's the pond where I will open the dove season this Labor Day, but I will also have my fishing gear along.

Other anglers like Robert Fitzgerald of Sedalia, have learned that it's a good idea to carry some fishing gear along when dove hunting around or near a pond.

Fitzgerald said, "Several years ago, I found a perfect place for dove hunting. It was near a field where the birds were feeding and close to roosting trees. A pond was an attraction for birds that watered before going to roost, so I set up by the pond. There were plenty of yellow grasshoppers around the pond. I saw several fall into the pond as I walked by.

Of course, they didn't last long because a fish would grab them for dinner as soon as they hit the water. The next time out I brought fishing gear and had a ball catching fish between shooting doves."

The Sedalia angler/hunter said his son had fun catching bait and soon joined in catching fish.

"Johnny brought a quart jar to put the grasshoppers in while I set up for hunting. But when I caught a nice size bass, he joined me. When we headed for home, we had a dozen bluegill, a pair of big bass, several channel catfish and six doves. It was a great day and we both had a blast. I don't think anyone had fished the pond in years."

Usually around Labor Day, they are going strong and this year is no exception. My garden is about shot so they can't hurt it, but they furnish some cheap bait for pond fishing.

After seeing the results of catching fish using grasshoppers, my neighbor decided it wasn't so funny so he left saying, " I think I will get a jar, catch some grasshoppers and try a bluegill pond nearby."

Several lure companies have come up with a plastic look-alike grasshopper lure that works.

Recently, I put one of those lures on an ultra-light rig and cast it into the pond. The results were nearly the same as with a real "hopper." Seconds after hitting the water, a two pound bass hit the lure and several casts later I had the same results. The new lure is now in my tackle box ready for action at any time.

During the dove season, if the birds don't cooperate, you can always catch fish on grasshoppers this time of the year.

If you are a teal hunter like Fred Williams, who has a pond north of Springfield, it can be a bonus to hunt dove and fish on a small pond. Williams said, " Often times, while hunting doves early in the season, I see some teal using the pond. There have been days in the past when I have caught fish, shot dove and teal at the same pond. The pond is in good shape now so when the teal and dove seasons are open, I will be after them. Should the hunting not be so good, there is always good fishing."