Favorite Streamer setup

[Sharknado5]

I've flyished for trout for many years mostly with dries and wets, not much nymphing. But I've almost never used streamers, and I'd like to begin. I have a decent assortment of rods in various lengths in 3-8 weight in both graphite and glass. I fish mostly in north western, north central and central PA.

I really don't have a clue about what type of rod if any works better with streamers, how stiff, and what weight and what type of line to use, floating, sink tip, intermediate. I understand different water depths and streamer size/weight may affect the setup and a couple setups would probably be useful. I have a Lamson Liquid reel with 2 extra spools so that should help.

Also could you list a starter selection of streamers and usual sizes to get me going? I have a lot of wooly buggers mostly in black and olive, are other colors useful?

I guess a good streamer book would help too..

I sometimes fish for smallmouth with buggers with my stiff 8 weight Helios. I find it not much fun to cast. Would a trout setup also work OK for bass?

All help is appreciated-- TIA

 

[hunter1]

Hi, I use a 8'6" 5 wt for small streamers, 7 wt for larger streamers. Also I'm beginning to use a euro nymph set up.

 

[caddisflyer]

You certainly do not need anything special for streamer fishing. I don;t bother with any of the huge articulated stuff. In fact my most productive streamers are just wooly buggers in various sizes and weights. Black, white and olive are all you need. Streamer size and weight determine rod. I fish them on my 7 and 8 wt in the larger and heavier sizes. I also have a sink tip line ( not full sinking) for some places. You can tie very small ones and fish on lighter rods in small streams and do well too.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I guess a good streamer book would help too..

Strip-Set: Fly-Fishing Techniques, Tactics and Patterns for Streamers
Book by George Daniel

 

[Nymph-wristed]

All good advice above, and there are times when you can really do nothing wrong.

You mention you don't nymph much, so I am not sure how helpful this might be, but I do think it is quite easy to move between nymphing and streamer fishing with a mono rig or standard tightline nymphing rig. Fishing various size tungsten beaded jig streamers allows you to fish them upstream and you can imitate many different forage, from crayfish to sculpin to injured baitfish, and then you can let the end of the presentation swing too. Doing more than the traditional pound the bank and let 'er swing will def net you more fish. It is also an advantage to hook a big meat eater above you not below, as you can imagine!

Olive and olive with some lighter highlights are great in clearer water. Nothing beats black in stained (but clearing) water where streamer fishing can be just silly. White can be great in the winter with dying baitfish (or tailwaters too, I suppose). Smaller the bug, smaller the fish that can eat it, but plenty of big trouts will eat a small sculpin too! Throw smaller to start so you get action and get the feel and the hookset, etc. That way you are ready when some pig charges you....

I mostly throw a 9 foot 5 weight for traditional streamer fishing on small creeks. I use a 10' 6" 4 weight for jig streamers on bigger creeks like a Penns. A 5 weight is plenty for most creeks, but a 6 or 7 is appropriate for bigger water and streamers. The longer rods have more butt section so that is why I can get away with a 4 weight on a place like Penns, but heavier rods would be better in shorter lengths or when the creek dictates you can't cast with a longer rod.

 

[Sharknado5]

Thanks to all -- you are very kind and helpful. I'll get Daniel's book too.

I've tried to nymph off and on in the past. Usually I wasn't very successful. I know that seems odd because I've seen and fished with guys many times who were cleaning up with nymphs. But something about it always bugged me. I don't like using an indicator but I admit I've had success with dry droppers. (I know, I know). Non-indicator traditional Joe Humphries-style Zen nymphing never seemed to work for me. I have a Euro rod and done that a couple times but somehow it feels like cheating (no offense please it's just a bizarre quirk of my personality. It's almost like the trout have no chance! In the 60s I bumped salmon eggs along the bottom with a spinning rod and had the same feeling).

But since you put the thought in my head (thanks N-w) Euro nymphing a streamer seems to bypass the bug in my brain about that technique, I'll give it a try.

One additional question. I'm not the best roll caster in the world, I've seen guys able to rip a roll cast way across the stream. I've read about it and had a lesson from Dan Shields but still I'm not very good. So I figure it must be the rod. Reviewers sometimes describe a rod as being good for roll casting. Are there certain characteristics of the rod that help get distance? I do tend to use shorter rods, is that the problem?

 

[Clams]

All good advice above, and there are times when you can really do nothing wrong.

You mention you don't nymph much, so I am not sure how helpful this might be, but I do think it is quite easy to move between nymphing and streamer fishing with a mono rig or standard tightline nymphing rig. Fishing various size tungsten beaded jig streamers allows you to fish them upstream and you can imitate many different forage, from crayfish to sculpin to injured baitfish, and then you can let the end of the presentation swing too. Doing more than the traditional pound the bank and let 'er swing will def net you more fish. It is also an advantage to hook a big meat eater above you not below, as you can imagine!

Olive and olive with some lighter highlights are great in clearer water. Nothing beats black in stained (but clearing) water where streamer fishing can be just silly. White can be great in the winter with dying baitfish (or tailwaters too, I suppose). Smaller the bug, smaller the fish that can eat it, but plenty of big trouts will eat a small sculpin too! Throw smaller to start so you get action and get the feel and the hookset, etc. That way you are ready when some pig charges you....

I mostly throw a 9 foot 5 weight for traditional streamer fishing on small creeks. I use a 10' 6" 4 weight for jig streamers on bigger creeks like a Penns. A 5 weight is plenty for most creeks, but a 6 or 7 is appropriate for bigger water and streamers. The longer rods have more butt section so that is why I can get away with a 4 weight on a place like Penns, but heavier rods would be better in shorter lengths or when the creek dictates you can't cast with a longer rod.

Couple of questions: Why are jigged streamers preferred over ones with a regular hook? How do you tie them on?? Do you prefer jig nymphs as well? Thanks Chris, always appreciate your advice!

 

[chief17]

Basically reiterating what others have said. For me rod is determined by how big the streamers are. If I'm fishing really big stuff...big articulated flies or big game changers, I'm using a 7 or 8 wt. I have a floating and sinking line for both and will change out spools depending on water conditions or the fly I'm using.

If I plan on fishing dries or wets and maybe some streamers, I'll bring a mono rig to cast streamers. Any fast 5 wt seems to do ok with the streamer/mono rig combo. My favorite rod to fish a mono rig is my 10' 6 wt Helios 3F. It handles streamers well up to the 3-4" range pretty well.

 

[Schaefer406]

For trout I almost exclusively fish streamers on a mono rig. The contact with the fly is insane, and you can very accurately present the fly to some tight spots. I literally sometimes "flip" my streamer just like you do with a bait caster and hand jig it out of structure. I fish a 10' 3wt Orvis Recon. If I am fishing for smallmouth, I generally go with a generic WF6F line with a 7.5' leader. I'm all about contact and knowing where my fly is at, which is why I struggle not using the mono rig for trout streamer fishing

 

[chief17]

For trout I almost exclusively fish streamers on a mono rig. The contact with the fly is insane, and you can very accurately present the fly to some tight spots. I literally sometimes "flip" my streamer just like you do with a bait caster and hand jig it out of structure. I fish a 10' 3wt Orvis Recon. If I am fishing for smallmouth, I generally go with a generic WF6F line with a 7.5' leader. I'm all about contact and knowing where my fly is at, which is why I struggle not using the mono rig for trout streamer fishing

I'm starting to lean this direction as well. The amount of control you have over the fly with a mono rig is scary. You can keep the fly in a pocket for a stupid amount of time

 

[caddisflyer]

Like idea of the mono rig.
Here's something you might think about.There are times when fishing streamers where I will lift the rod tip, like you would do a dry fly, when I feel a hit. Other times , especially down and across where they will almost take rod from your hands and hook themselves. Other times a strip set is better when fishing across or down. Not sure why. Always check your hooks too. They can get dull or even break off at the bend and you are fishing with no hook point.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Couple of questions: Why are jigged streamers preferred over ones with a regular hook? How do you tie them on?? Do you prefer jig nymphs as well? Thanks Chris, always appreciate your advice!

Good questions, Dave! I should do a blog post on what I actually do one of these days, but my buddy Sam is the one who schooled me, so I should have him do it instead.... I have not read the book, but the advice above from Fly Swatter about George Daniel's book should cover it. Sam worked and fished with George back when they both worked at TCO, so they are on the same page on a lot of things. My two cents below...

Jigged buggers will usually ride hook point up is the first reason. I do more short hops than strips until it drifts past me. Instead of JUST a baitfish, the jig can be a crayfish, a sculpin, a hellgrammite, etc. If you have ever swam a twister tail for smallmouth, then you know a jig tracks just fine as a traditional-hooked streamer too, so you don't loose much if any action. Sam and my buddy Eric tie them so they fall more evenly too (a few lead wraps or the lead free alternative on the hook shank). In other words, if you stop the bugger it will fall like a soft plastic/bass tube, not nose dive.

I don't use a loop knot with jigged sculpin or buggers, just a clinch knot, but I am sure others do with success.

Granted, they are going to hang up if you are fishing them deep and near places where a bigger fish is going to live, but like jigged streamers, jigged nymphs hang up less often in theory (and you can even give them a very little bit of action too, like real stoneflies or isonychia).

 

[Clams]

Good questions, Dave! I should do a blog post on what I actually do one of these days, but my buddy Sam is the one who schooled me, so I should have him do it instead.... I have not read the book, but the advice above from Fly Swatter about George Daniel's book should cover it. Sam worked and fished with George back when they both worked at TCO, so they are on the same page on a lot of things. My two cents below...

Jigged buggers will usually ride hook point up is the first reason. I do more short hops than strips until it drifts past me. Instead of JUST a baitfish, the jig can be a crayfish, a sculpin, a hellgrammite, etc. If you have ever swam a twister tail for smallmouth, then you know a jig tracks just fine as a traditional-hooked streamer too, so you don't loose much if any action. Sam and my buddy Eric tie them so they fall more evenly too (a few lead wraps or the lead free alternative on the hook shank). In other words, if you stop the bugger it will fall like a soft plastic/bass tube, not nose dive.

I don't use a loop knot with jigged sculpin or buggers, just a clinch knot, but I am sure others do with success.

Granted, they are going to hang up if you are fishing them deep and near places where a bigger fish is going to live, but like jigged streamers, jigged nymphs hang up less often in theory (and you can even give them a very little bit of action too, like real stoneflies or isonychia).

Makes sense. Thanks

 

[tjsingle]

Depending on where I am fishing and what the conditions I use the following setups:

1. 5WT Floating Line for small streamers like wooly buggers and split shot as needed for small to medium streams. I like to use a 7.5' leader to a tippet ring to switch between a indicator nymph rig and a streamer tippet setup quickly so I don't carry two rods. This is my preference 80-90% of the time, I like being flexible and carrying minimal gear. I use the Orvis Recon 9' 5WT
2. 7WT and sinking line for larger streamers on larger creeks and rivers. I will use this on small to medium creeks if its the blown out as well. I used a short leader, maybe 4-6' at maximum, typically just old leaders I save from nymphing once they become short. If I am using this setup I am either exclusively using streamers for the day or I am carrying a second rod with me with a nymph setup. I have done this on Penns and Catskill river many times when the water is high. I use the Orvis Clearwater 9' 7WT.

At one point I exclusively used my 5wt and had spool of sinking line but I found that it didn't really help much. In PA you can honestly get away with using a 5WT for everything, however if you want to throw larger streamers, having the right rod is definitely helpful.

For my sinking line choices, I really like Orvis Pro Depth Charge 250 grain for my 7wt. I like it for stillwater and on rivers. However I do get annoyed with it tangling up when I am wading, so I am considering a sinking tip line with a floating running line for rivers. Its fine in a boat.

 

[Wetfly01]

As some may know I fish strictly with wet flies throughout the season, but about four or five years ago I got bit by the streamer game. And now it has become a total addiction during early spring, fall and high-water flows. So, this what I've learned and works the best for me.

My rod is a Sage Payload 7wt, little on the stiff side. Teamed up with a Hardy Princess reel. The fly lines that I prefer and are on three different extra spools. Scientific Angler full intermediate, Scientific Angler inter/sink2/sink3 and Airflo 250 Streamer Max long. These lines let me cover different water flows throughout the season. My leader is short, no more than 3ft long tipped out to 0x tippet. Tippet connection to fly is a loop knot. This will give you maximum movement out of your streamer. Streamers, nothing but articulating streamers from 3 1/2 to 5 inches long and mostly unweighted. I've taken the approach on tying streamers as I did when I started designing my wet flies (soft material and lots of movement).

There are two books out there that really helped me out. Kelly Galloup's Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout ll and George Daniel's Strip-Set. I read both of these books cover to cover and they both put a lot of things into perspective. As far as streamer patterns both of the books have some great patterns. Remember if you're fishing mostly here in Pennsylvania pay close attention to George Daniel's book because he fishes a lot here in Pennsylvania.

I also chase smallmouths on the Juniata throughout the summer, and I use my Sage 7wt with the Scientific Angler inter/Sink2/Sink3 and a 6ft leader. Flies are more on the bait fish patterns, sizes 3 1/2 to 5 inches and I am also fishing out of my raft.

The only other thing I can tell you as I was told was "What works for me might not work for you." Gather as much information as you can and put your gear together and go fish. The last thing I can tell you is be committed to the method. If you want to be successful leave your other flies at home and fish nothing but your streamers. Hope this helps.

Sorry, for being so long winded. I think it's the most I ever typed on here.

 

[Sharknado5]

Thanks Dave(s), tj and everyone. Boy lots of great information and techniques to consider. I'm gonna have to start lifting weights again with the heavier equipment and big flies!

 

[chief17]

Thanks Dave(s), tj and everyone. Boy lots of great information and techniques to consider. I'm gonna have to start lifting weights again with the heavier equipment and big flies!

With the right rod and line, big flies can be pretty easy to cast. My 8 wt is the TFO BC Big Fly with either an Airflo Shovel Head or the Superflo Power Taper. Most flies up to the 5" mark don't require much effort. A big musky fly is a bit of a different story

 

[krayfish2]

I'll toss in my 2¢ and I'll preface it with the point that I'm not much of a streamer fisherman.

Have two 790-4 for most of the streamer work on big water and two 696-4 for med/large waters. I don't understand or see the need for full sink but choose 10' sink tip or floating line. I use the sink tip to pull down the more buoyant flies and use a floating line with fast sinking flies. Leader is usually a 15 or 18 lb piece of Maxima to a tippet ring and then a couple of feet of one or two x fluorocarbon to the fly. On a fast linking fly like a clouser, I might make my leader a couple of feet longer and use a floating line. Something that's more buoyant like a drunken disorderly I'll fish on the sink tip to pull it down which still leaves it in the top 18 in or so of the water column. Something that is also very effective if fishing a small streamer tandem rig with one 18 in behind the other.

Not sure if I'm even close to doing it right but it seems to work if I am forced to do it 😁