Fishing streamers

[jeremymcon]

Hey folks. I've been tying up a few trout streamers lately because I think they're fun to tie. I have a bunch of wooly buggers and variations on wooly buggers, some slumpbusters, some sculpin, some clouser minnow variations, and have even tried out a couple articulated streamers.

How do you guys like to fish streamers, and when/in what conditions do you fish them? I've found that I have the best luck with streamers when the water is slightly high and a little off color. Streamer fishing in the winter never seems to produce very well for me, though I know that some guys will tie on a wooly bugger year round and catch fish.

Do most people swing streamers? Or strip them across the current? Or drift them down then strip them back up?

Most of my streamers lately have been fairly heavily weighted, but is there an advantage to fishing an unweighted bucktail streamer vs a clouser style bucktail?

Does anyone fish sink tip lines or sinking poly leaders for trout?

 

[lv2nymph]

You can randomly swing streamers and hook up, but targeting certain areas will be much more productive. Look for obstructions in the stream, deeper depression that will hold trout, weed beds, trees or logs in the water. I've had good success by casting upstream of a blow down as tight as you can to the tree, letting it drift through the whole length or about halfway through and start stripping the streamer out and away. You can "tight line" them through a run, cast upstream and dead drift it, or strip it back with your rod tip close to the water to keep the ( heavily weighted streamer) close to the bottom as possible. Remember us talking about a descent pair of glasses on Spring Creek? And what a difference they make, this is just one of the times that sends this home. I don't think there is a wrong way to fish a streamer just a wrong way that day, so mix it up, see what kind of mood they're in and how they want it. Sink tips can be very useful when you're on streams that are deeper and require them, but if not you'll get frustrated by constantly getting caught on the bottom. Yes, on the right water they're great. If you're going to use a sink tip only use about two or three feet of tippet or you'll defeat the purpose of the sinking part. You can also like you were wondering tie a non weighted streamer on a sink tip with a short tippet and drag it on the bottom which will get you're lighter streamer to the bottom. Keep us up to date on you're streamer outings, don't forget to post a pic of one of the fatties you get!

 

[jeremymcon]

Thanks lv2nymph. That short tippet with a Sinking leader is a good tip. Hadn't thought about that. Though I'm not sure I'll encounter a stream that deep around here. Except maybe if I'm fishing streamers for bass on the Juniata or something.

I need to keep experimenting, I guess. When you cast a streamer upstream and let it drift, are you using an indicator? Or maybe just taking up as much slack as you can and watching the tip of your floating line...

And I've seen you tight line a streamer! Lol. Haven't tried that yet, but have thought about it.

 

[lv2nymph]

I don't use an indicator with streamers, Although for some reason I think I remember someone on here in a similar thread saying they used one. But, yes stay as tight to the fly as you can and watch the end of the line. Most times you'll feel the slam, you'll know when there's a take. Sometimes takes are subtle but not too often. I'm sure there's more I didn't think of but back eddie's are a great place also.

 

[J55tyger88]

I had a thread similar to yours and what I got from it was try to stay away from using an indi, better to learn the "feel" of subtle takes.

streamer thread

 

[lv2nymph]

Yep, that's the one.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I have the most success with streamers when the water is high and off color.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Same for me brookiechaser....Today's water was real clear so I used a copperjohn (14) with a dry fly indicator. Ended with two for a couple hours worth of fishing.
I normally have two rods set up...one with a nymph and one with a streamer this time of year...

 

[krayfish]

Jeremy,

Penns, little j, big fishing all can be pretty big/deep in the spring. A sink tip or poly leader would be a plus. When the water comes up and has some stain to it, many of the fish will hold near the bank or in cover near the banks. Focus on running the streamer up and down the banks. Under normal water conditions, I'd start at the top of a pool, cast across and slightly up, give the fly a few seconds to sink and start twitching. You will want to work all the way down to the tailout of the pool. Swim it, slow strip or rip it back to your feet. Water temp, depth, speed, time of year and time of day will all have an impact or which retrieve speed is the most effective.

Pretty exciting when they follow it right to you feet. You can see the whole thing unfolding. Don't be afraid to let your streamer sit motionless on the bottom. Also hard to stay calm and not pull it out of the fishes mouth.

 

[RCFetter]

The Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center has 13 short videos on streamers. Here's the index:

Chapter Seven: Streamer Fishing

 

[marcq]

streamers are fun to fish because they produce and catch big fish. my favorite time to fish them is when the water is slightly off color and high. I just got into fishing articulated streamers and they don't produce as much but they catch bigger fish. I don't think it the fact that the big fish don't hit small streamers its the fact the little ones get scared or just know that its to much for them to handle.

besides my theory that is probably wrong I do swing and I don't. depends on the water I am trying to fish.

the wooly bugger is kinda a everything fly so I don't always fish it as a streamer but you can and it works well.

I don't fish with sink tips or any kind of sinking line on trout streams. there is no need to where I fish. in most cases you can just get away with split shots. trout is kinda a minimalist thing in the case of gear for me. all I need is floating line, rod, reel, and leader, and a fly that matches the hatch.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Bought some of them plastic duhickies, at the Fly Fishing Show in NJ, that go in front of the streamer and give it some fish swimming action. Look forward to testing them out.

 

[crs2006]

I'd say i use all three.


If the water is clearer and lower, I prefer an active retrieve over a straight up swing. This is more of a bank pounding or fishing to a target method. Sometimes I'll dead drift the streamer into a lie I can't hit with a cast, then throw some action in it, raise or lower the rod tip, and strip back a few strips. I typically dont get a hit on the drift, but as soon as I throw some action to the fly. I throw them on sink tips or intermediates. When i dead drift into a lie, I stand a solid 75 feet above the target, and since its pretty much a tight line presentation, I have good contact with the fly.

I dont think streamer fishing is an exact science. I get hits quite often just hanging a fly below me while I light a cig and the fly isnt behaving naturally in any way.
The only time I really actively dead drift streamers with the intent of using that method to get a grab is below dam or waterfalls, Little fish wash over those and get stunned all the time, and are easy targets. Big fat lazy fish will grab those up. I'll smack the fly off the face of the dam, let the wash push it down and just let it get tossed around in the washing machine for a bit then let it drift out.

When its high and off color, I swing with a bit of a jerk retrieve to it. Cast directly to the bank, throw a belly in the line downstream, and let the current run the fly paralell to the bank. I'll typically let it dangle and rise in the current below me at the end of a swing. If I have a chaser, thats usually when the fly gets smashed. covers a lot of water, and takes advantage of predators getting a tad reckless with the added cover of high water and stain.