Streamer Fly Fishing for Big Trout in Rivers
Fly Fishing a Streamer Effectively:
Streamers are bigger flies that you fish on an active retrieve, since the fly is moving the strikes can be explosive!
Upstream or downstream ? A downstream presentation is extremely effective allowing you to put the streamer where the trout are hiding or sitting.
The key is to drop the flies into the the fish’s holding location. I like to fish the end of walking speed waters into deeper pools. This allows the streamer to enter the tail out of the rapid and settle into the flow of the river while dropping into position. From there, I strip back towards the shore and I usually get my takes right at the end of stripping the line back in. I have even started pulling the fly a bit to one side before I cast again, since I have lost more takes as the fly is coming out of the water than I can count. Cast to the middle of the walking speed rapid and then let the streamer tail out and start stripping, pop, pause, pop, pause, pop back to you.
Once you have worked the tail out of the rapid, I take a few steps downstream and cast across the water and work the banks on the far side of the river all the way back to me…. remembering to leave the streamer in the water for just a bit longer at the end of my retrieve.
When streamer fishing, I am typically looking for:
Tail outs of walking speed rapids that empty into a deep slow moving pool where fish will be sitting at the backend of those runs
The deep pools at the ends of those runs, let the streamer run deep into those pockets
Hiding places trout like to lay around... Buckets, shelfs, behind obstacles, fishy places!
Frog water! Look for places that seem fishy or have fish activity. Are you seeing fish rise for dry flies? Frog water is hard to read but I am looking for water that is a little deeper 4 feet plus and water that shows signs that fish might be pooling up there.
How to retrieve a streamer? Action! I like to pull 2 or 3 tugs on the line and then give it 1-2 seconds, then pull a few tugs, then give it a few seconds. Don’t rush it, find the grove and the speed. Attract the fish out of this hiding spot to chase the streamer and then hit it. A good friend of mine calls is teasing a cat! Fluff it in their face, get them excited and then pop it a few times to make them chase it!
The right time of day… Remember we are asking fish to move to chase a streamer. Low light or overcast stormy days are key. Fish usually wont chase a streamer on a bright mid day and expose themselves. Be sneaky and start dialing your streamer game!
Through the winter months I am offering $200.00 half day streamer casting and fishing sessions, on the river, tossing streams and looking for grabs!
