Big streamers

[Tabasco-Joe]

The one dilemma with some of those massive streamers is as my one friend says, they cast like a dead squirrel. One reason not to go as big as possible.

As I'm getting into salt fly fishing, I'm finding that my casting mechanics are a big factor.
As a tyer, another thing I've learned is there are often ways of tying a streamer that has less bulk but has the illusion of greater bulk. I've probably been more interested in that approach to tying than anything else lately.
I've come late to streamers, but having a lot of fun learning to tie and fish them.

 

[D-nymph]

As I'm getting into salt fly fishing, I'm finding that my casting mechanics are a big factor.
As a tyer, another thing I've learned is there are often ways of tying a streamer that has less bulk but has the illusion of greater bulk. I've probably been more interested in that approach to tying than anything else lately.
I've come late to streamers, but having a lot of fun learning to tie and fish them.

Yes, you nailed it. There are tons of guys who have fished for 20 years casting 20-30 feet with a wooly bugger or dry fly who have caught thousands of trout & believe themselves to be good casters. The reality is they've learned how to fish those presentations without realizing the bad casting habits they've built. Then you put a 7-10 weight in their hands & they try to cast an articulated fly with the casting goal being maybe 60-70 feet & they experience immense levels of frustration. They've fished for as long as they can remember but have never once double hauled. I see this all the time when I invite dudes who haven't streamer fished much out in my boat. Sitting their rowing, watching them struggle, seeing the frustration build & just knowing they aren't going to enjoy this or catch anything. lol This is how you end up with people describing streamers as "casting like a dead squirrel".

The second way is their rod is under-sized.

The third way is the flies are significantly over-dressed.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

FWIW: sink tip line and or sinking leaders. GG

 

[wbranch]

I have a question for everybody and I want to preface it by saying I am not asking for spots but rather advice on streams. I have been fly fishing since I was 12 but have always fished very small flies. 16-24 on average and don't keep anything bigger than 12 on me. However this upcoming year I have decided I want to dedicate as much of the year as possible to throwing big streamers for big trout. I have been tying a bunch of Kelly galloups flies and similar in preparation. My question is my main creek is Yellow Breeches. Is it worth it to spend days throwing articulated streamers there? Does anyone here do it with any success? Or am I better off focusing on Little Juniata or Penns which are both 2 and a half hour drives for me. I guess what I am getting at is does Yellow Breeches have enough big browns (18+ inches) to justify targeting them?

No, not enough to make it worth your time.

Edit: My response was very abrupt as I was preoccupied. If you are unable, or prefer not to drive far, to fish distant waters then by all means fish the YB. I fish larger, #1/0 - #4, streamers in some rivers and have caught far more larger browns, 18" - 25", than most guys ever see on those waters. You will need to fish in different conditions to be successful. Forget bright sunny days or any day actually after 8:00 a.m. if the sun is even partially out and the water is clear.

Go out at dusk and fish until midnight. Explore in daylight where you want to fish at night so you know where any holes and obstacles are located. Don't use any tippet lighter than 1X. Believe me it isn't necessary. You will be pulling the streamer away from the trout. Bigger trout are aggressive they won't be thinking about your tippet. My preferred conditions for throwing big streamers is stained water, not mud color, but a nice stain so there may only be 1' of visibility. A higher than average flow, water temperature 58 degrees or above. Ideally a Dew point of 60 or more so a heavy mist will envelop the river. I use a 9' #7 with a floating line for most conditions but will use a sink tip sometimes if the pools are deep. You will often catch fewer fish than using smaller flies but you may get your PB. Once in June of 2013 I landed 23 browns, fishing only four hours, from 16" - 21". The next day I landed 20, fishing just four hours, 17" - 22". It was an usual rain event that created once in my lifetime conditions where a lot of bait was in the water and the trout were on a feeding frenzy. All large streamer fish.

 

[Prospector]

You would be doing yourself a disservice by only fishing big streamers on yellow breeches, penns and little J. Large browns are dispersed all over in hundreds of streams. Conditions are probably more important to catching them than what particular articulated pattern you use. If there are wild browns, never underestimate a stream unless you have fished it after a thunderstorm with minnows or a streamer.

+1

 

[wbranch]

I'm primarily a dry fly guy and fish dries probably 98% of the time. I've actually caught many more over 20" trout on dries than I have streamers but that is because my actual streamer fishing is only about 20 hours a year out of about 600 hours fished.

 

[wbranch]

+1

Absolutely

 

[wbranch]

Sometimes really big isn't necessary. Many of my 18"+ have been caught on sparsely dressed #4's.

 

[Tiogadog]

This fly is a bit of a pain to tie but it is big and weighs very little.

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[allan_s]

In PA many of the largest trout I see come from the transitional zone of trout waters.

So short answer no. You don’t need to drive far to use those flies. In fact where you live I would driving SO I could use something else. Lower Yellow Breeches, lower down on any trout stream, stocked or wild, is where I would be focusing my efforts.

Cover water. Have fun. Drive? Only if you really wanted to.

 

[JeffK]

+1 Many of the largest brown trout seem to be in the area of a stream where it transitions from trout to smallmouth water. The flows are greater and the water is more fertile allowing for the trout to fatten up. However, as stated above the best action is usually constricted to a few periods. That said, in many of my local streams I prefer to fish the lower ends for smallmouth with Senkos when the water warms rather than bother the trout. Many times I have been surprised catching more trout than smallmouth on 4" Senkos with a 2/0 hook.

 

[Fredrick]

Yes, you nailed it. There are tons of guys who have fished for 20 years casting 20-30 feet with a wooly bugger or dry fly who have caught thousands of trout & believe themselves to be good casters. The reality is they've learned how to fish those presentations without realizing the bad casting habits they've built. Then you put a 7-10 weight in their hands & they try to cast an articulated fly with the casting goal being maybe 60-70 feet & they experience immense levels of frustration. They've fished for as long as they can remember but have never once double hauled. I see this all the time when I invite dudes who haven't streamer fished much out in my boat. Sitting their rowing, watching them struggle, seeing the frustration build & just knowing they aren't going to enjoy this or catch anything. lol This is how you end up with people describing streamers as "casting like a dead squirrel".

The second way is their rod is under-sized.

The third way is the flies are significantly over-dressed.

This guy only catches like two fish a year and spends his days casting roster capes to the banks , not creditable advice

 

[Schaefer406]

Really, you don't need to fish streamers larger than 2-3" in majority of PA. Even for smallmouth, I don't go past 4-5". Its about presentation and making that fish so enticed by your fly, whether our of pure aggression or hunger, to maul your fly. There's a reason people like George Daniel can catch 20" trout jigging a 1.5" jig head streamer, its all about the presentation