Im Looking For Some Tips And Tricks For Streamer Fishing :)

[BigFoamy]

Never really fish streamers but would like to. Any advice on setups and flies would be great. Want to tie some up but don't know what works out there or really how to work it, just don't fish them enough.

 

Thanks,

 

BF

[troutlover]

Google Kelly galloup streamer tactics. I know this doesn't seem very helpful but you will thank me later

[fishguide76]

bow river buggers , sculpin patterns, slump busters, and of course wooly buggers all have a place in my box. Usually fished on a sink tip or weighted leader swung through fishy areas has been the key for me. From a boat cast close to the shoreline and strip back to the boat hang on and use a heavy tippet the strikes tend to be very aggressive. As a streamer set up go with a 6-7 wt rod to handle chucking some meat. weight forward lines and sink tips. Fish skulls sculpin heads are great as they ride hook up so you don't snag as often and are easy to tie.

[monger]

12-15lb leader that is 3-4ft long never seems to be a problem for me.

Usually good to get the fly down near the bottom so use appropriate sink tip or weighted flies

[WyomingGeorge]

Cover water, never fish the exact same piece twice, fish lots of different water and be patient.

 

Sometimes hundreds of streamer casts are needed to get one good fish.

 

In summer, the largest browns can be in foot-deep riffles.

 

Low light is a major advantage, either cloud or dawn/dusk to full dark.

 

Never give up.

[RedBeard]

I was in your boat a little over a year ago wondering how to fish streamers..

 

All I can say is have patience! Over a year later and I still haven't caught a fish on a streamer!

[fishinglibin]

My biggest fish are on streamers, but yes patience, and keep at it. Some days I just stay on streamers all day. Although I usually use 8 lb leader, so a little more feedback from FFC folk on what they go with would be nice leader wise. Also i usually go with about 4 to 5 feet. Love it.

[scel]

I have caught fish on streamers.

I have had good days, but mostly I spend the day telling myself 'apparently, I just need to be patient'.

 

The only thing that I have found---when fishing rivers with streamers, 2x fluorocarbon leaders are 3times more reliable than 2x mono leaders. That is all that I can say with confidence.

</scel waits patiently for more tips>

[Tungsten]

Change your retrieve before you give up on your pattern.Loop knots also seam to give better movement.

[fishinglibin]

x2 on Loop Knots

[WyomingGeorge]

Good advice on the last few items, especially varying the retrieve and using loop knots.

 

I should have qualified the "be patient" part by adding "when it makes sense". On a bright hot day and gin-clear water, don't streamer fish. If fish are rising methodically to an obvious hatch, don't streamer fish. If they're languidly taking nymphs 8 feet down and your streamer rig won't go deeper than 2 feet, don't streamer fish.

 

Be patient and stick with it when conditions are favourable to streamer fishing, i.e., when it's cloudy, the water is murky, or at dawn/dusk. The best approach is to have a streamer rod permanently rigged, using it during times when you have one of these advantages, and emphasizing the most likely streamer water, like riffles and banks (swinging in runs can also be very good).

 

If your cast is muscular, fishing two streamers can increase your prospects, or adding a larger nymph behind the streamer.

 

Three anecdotes to give you hope. One time the best fish after three consecutive days on the same river came on the ferry towards the takeout ramp at the end of a very long day that had brought almost no streamer results. Another time a wonderful brown was hooked on the first rod-lift of the day, 30 seconds after leaving the launch, after I sloppily flung the streamer in with all kinds of loops and slack, just to get some line out.

 

The best time of all came after seven hours of almost fruitless solo fishing the town section. My wife hopped in the boat at Fish Creek park and, seven minutes into her fishing afternoon, hooked and landed a five-pound brown on a streamer in a shallow riffle beside some rip-rap. Over the next two hours she landed another six fish on streamers, two of them browns over 20". She always puts a prince nymph behind her streamer.

 

This kind of stuff can happen...along with the hundreds of casts to get one strike.

[mrmomar]

Use as fast a sink tip as your rod can handle. In deeper / faster water, cast slightly upstream. Let it sink before you swing or retrieve. Fish every kind of water until patterns emerge. Don't stay put too long.

[BigFoamy]

Google Kelly galloup streamer tactics. I know this doesn't seem very helpful but you will thank me later

 

lots of great stuff there, very helpful. The Circus Peanut huh, "one of the greatest flies invented in the history of fly fishing" you can hear the conviction in his voice, definitely going to have to throw a few of those together OMG I cant wait for winter to end!!!

[BigFoamy]

All great stuff folks!

[SilverDoctor]

There are also times when a double unweighted streamer right works also. Not only swinging them work but dead drifting is another great way to do it.

[jjthom2]

Float with Jayhad.

[Jayhad]

Float with Jayhad.

thanks dude, I get lucky sometimes

[Rapman]

Clousers in various colours and weights. By tying the flies with a variety of the eyes (lead dumbbells, bead-chain etc.) you can match the sink-rate to river flow.

 

Learn to throw an open loop cast.....trust me

[WyomingGeorge]

I agree that one should generally use heavily weighted streamers and/or sinking tip lines -- but not always. In shallower water, like riffles, heavy weight simply gets you hookups on the wrong items, i.e., streambed junk instead of fish jaws. The largest fish I've ever seen on the Bow took a streamer on floating line in 18 inches of water.

 

When the fish are aggressive, they will rise to streamers from far down, coming towards the surface or even exploding right out of the water as they scoop up their prey from below.

 

One time a couple of years ago I got crushed streamer-fishing by my wife, who was using a much lighter rig. My weighted stuff was being dragged right past the fish, who ignored all of it, while hurtling up out of the depths to grab the smaller, slimmer streamer my wife was stripping barely a foot below the surface. Despite being a slow learner, after a couple hours of humiliation I switched over and started catching.

[fishinglibin]

Google Kelly galloup streamer tactics. I know this doesn't seem very helpful but you will thank me later

 

I took a look at some of his streamers. Going to tie a few Dungeons and Peanuts, as well as Boobies. All great looking flies, now to see how they turn out as I am just beginning.