The Ten Hidden Truths About Streamers for Trout

The Ten Hidden Truths About Streamers for Trout

It’s that time of year again when the nights get cooler, the daylight shorter, the bugs smaller and the largest fish in the river start prowling for streamers to pack on weight for the fall spawn and winter. There’s no shortage of angling advice from the sport’s professionals and shop owners (everyone has an opinion and a lot of it is great), but here are a few hidden truths…

1. They are the one type of fly that actually elicits a predatory response from trout–sipping midges is not predatory. So, prepare your knots, leader connections and hook points accordingly.

2. They are as close to a Panther Martin or Mepps Spinner as you can get, and still consider yourself to be fly fishing.

3. If you’re fishing articulated streamers with multiple barbed hooks, you might as well be fishing Panther Martin or Mepps Spinners with treble hooks. (Cut one off.)

4. The Woolly Bugger is probably the most effective streamer pattern in history–and a substantial percentage of anglers cannot spell it correctly: W-O-O-L-L-Y.

5. The Autumn Splendor, from the Roaring Fork valley’s Tim Heng, is one of the best springtime streamer patterns in the world.

6. Probably not a good idea to trumpet the effectiveness of some misogynistically named streamer pattern at the special meeting of your T.U. chapter where you’re tackling the issue of “why aren’t there more women in fly fishing?”

7. Barbless streamer hooks are just as effective, fishing-wise, and ten times easier to pull out of the back of your head when your fishing partner tries a 70-foot single haul with a sinking line in a 40-m.p.h. crosswind...

8. Classic Atlantic Salmon Flies like the “Thunder and Lightning,” “Silver Stoat” and “Munro Killer” work fine as small streamers, especially in lakes. Try attaching one as a “stinger” trailed behind a big Zonker some time.

9. The leather and wool streamer wallet is an old school accessory that’s about as in vogue as cigarette cases, but they’re still pretty cool.

10. No fly rod in the world is designed to throw #20 dry flies and #8 streamer patterns with equal aplomb, despite any marketing promo-speak you might hear. You want the proper (larger, beefier) equipment to throw sinking lines and large flies all day. – Kirk Deeter

Your Early-Fall Streamer Checklist

Required reading for aspiring streamer anglers: Tying Streamers by Charlie Craven, Modern Streamers For Trophy Trout II by Kelly Galloup, Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout by Bob Linsenman and Kelly Galloup, Strip-Set: Fly-Fishing Techniques, Tactics, & Patterns for Streamers by George Daniel and Long Flies by Gary A. Borger. For beginners, Fly Fishing Streamers from Flylords. How Downsizing your Streamer Rod Can Lead to More Fish: “To enjoy maximum success as a streamer angler, you must be persistent with your casting.” Talking Streamers with Kelly Galloup: “I never fish an intermediate line–it’s always either a floating or a sinking line. And it’s a sinking line a vast, vast, majority of the time. This is all due to castability.” Four Proven Ways To Effectively Fish A Streamer: “Presenting big, heavy flies to the largest fish in the river brings with it a whole new set of challenges, including a new way of thinking about presentation.” 13 Tips for Fly Fishing Streamers from The Missoulian Angler. George Daniel’s Top Streamer Fishing Tips. 

The streamer fishing media vault: Understanding Streamer (Fly) Retrieves from Kelly Galloup’s Masterclass: “The movement sells the fly…” How to Fish Streamers (small ones) on Floating Fly Lines from Mad River Outfitters. Springtime Streamer Fishing in Idaho from Travel.Fish.Film. Cold Water Trout: How to Swing Streamers from Red’s Fly Shop. Angler’s Covey Tips and Tricks: Selecting Streamers For Trout Fishing (some great tips about color choice and process). Some great streamer tips for the midwest from The Northern Angler Fly Shop: Matching Streamers & River Conditions.

Fly selection: When you’re thinking about selecting streamer patterns, the fly choices can be nearly overwhelming. Our partners, Yellow Dog Flyfishing and Madison River Fishing Company, carry 323 and 140 different patterns, respectively–that’s a ton of bugs. How do you choose? Well, you want some big flies, and you want some that are small–and also, a bunch in between. You should have bright flies for bright days and dark flies for cloudy, overcast days. You should carry thin profile patterns to imitate iridescent baitfish, but you’ll also need some bulkier-headed flies to imitate crayfish and sculpin (think dungeons, bangtails that are meant to push water and make a disturbance). Weighted cones or barbell eyes can help, but not always–and think about the color of the lead, even after the paint is knocked off. And you should probably have some classic patterns, just because (Spruce flies, Mickey Finns, Sparkle Minnows etc.).

Think like a streamer: The more you think about the baitfish, crayfish and leeches you’re imitating with your streamers, the quicker you’ll advance as a streamer angler. Take some time to understand how these creatures move through the water: quickly or slowly, around rocks, up and down through the water column etc. Just as an example, not many crayfish swim away from the bank into raging currents, then rip upstream at mach five to avoid predators–they dive quickly (down) into shoreline rock crevices to protect themselves.

Tagging: An old trick from legendary fly-fishing guide Kea Hause, from Colorado’s Roaring Fork valley–cut the hooks off your streamers, so you can focus on how they “swim” or “slide” through the currents, which may be more important that any color or size considerations. From Castwork: “After you get a fish to take the fly, what do you really need?” he asks. “The whole game is about tricking millions of years of instinct. Do you really need that photo? I’m not hypocritical enough to condemn people for landing fish. What I am saying though, is that for every individual, the game ends somewhere different, and for me, the game is over long before you grab a net.”

Watch your step: Patty Reilly, the well-know fly-fishing guide from Jackson, WY, has spent enough time sneaking around the spring creeks and rivers of Jackson and northern Patagonia to develop a short but effective list of dos and don’ts for stalking large, wary, spring-creek trout, especially with streamers. From Castwork: “Do keep a low profile, wear subtle clothing, cast only when necessary, and be hyper-aware of every physical movement. Do not wade when you can cast from shore, high-bank fish, pound on undercut banks, or generally draw unwanted attention to yourself. Most trout worth catching spend their entire lives acclimating themselves to the perpetual cycles of predators. First-rate anglers never forget this fact.”

We pulled this from the previous “Stonefly Hooksets” newsletter, and the same applies to streamers: slap big flies on the water. Fish can often be triggered by the sound, or vibrations, from big streamers hitting the water. Try to intentionally power your forward cast, so your fly slaps the water with a little more sound and commotion. As long as you don’t get into the bad habit of tailing your loops, you might be surprised by the results…

Loop your tippet knots to big streamers. Fishing streamers means using larger flies and heavier tippets, which can impede fly movement. A great hack is using a tippet-to-fly loop knot, like the non-slip mono loop, to add some more life and “twitch” to your presentations.

Product Buzz

We review Patagonia Men’s Swiftcurrent Wading Jacket, the Sage Spey R8 Thirteen-foot Eight-weight Two-hand Fly Rod, the Sage Spey II Fly Reel, a great streamer rod with touch: the Epic Reference 6-weight 686 FastGlass Fly Rod and the Orvis Helios D 8-foot 5-inch 7-weight Fly Rod. A bunch of “best products of 2024” from GearJunkie: sunglasses, fishing waders (we love the Patagonia Swiftcurrent Expeditions) and water shoes (we love the Astral Brewer 2.0 water shoe). “Is Gear Getting More Expensive?” GearJunkie ran the numbers. Some streamer fly rod considerations from Deeter: Rod Weight Should Be Based on Fly Size. The ​​Best Streamer Fly Rods of 2024 and How To Choose The Best Fly Line For Streamers In 2024 from Trident Fly Fishing.

Fly-fishing News

Check out the BONEDALE FISHING REPORTS seven and eight, featuring legendary guide, Kea Hause, from Colorado’s Roaring Fork valley. In the latest and most extreme example of the long-standing animosity between states and the federal government over public land ownership, the state of Utah has filed a lawsuit against the federal government to gain control of vast swaths of the state’s public land. Steve Duda talks about his recent book, River Songs, his time as editor of The Flyfish Journal and his dos and don’ts for writing. Tim Heng, who founded Roaring Fork Anglers in Glenwood Springs and later managed Taylor Creek Fly Shop for 29 years, visits with the Mill House Podcast. Low Flows & Hot Water: “What To Know About Summer Fly Fishing” from Flylords. 83-year-old Colorado fisherman (Roger Hill) is back, defiant and seeking support in his fight for freedom to wade the Arkansas River.

Recent Press

“Jack Gartside’s Pheasant Hopper must be included on the (top-10 hopper) list.” – Rob, Flylab Fan

“Keep doing what you guys are doing and ignore the noise–such a needed media brand and breath of fresh air.” – Anna, Flylab Fan

“Love the newsletter–so much mediocre fishing content out there, and you’re highlighting what matters.” – David, Flylab Fan

“It took a bit to understand, but now I get what you guys are doing–in a world of self-serving media coverage, a fly-fishing brand solely for the consumer...” – David, Flylab Fan

We’re always looking for Flylab feedback–send any comments, thoughts, suggestions, and we’d love to hear from you.

Scouting Report

We’re hard at work hunting down the coolest new products, brands and partners you’ve never heard of. 

GetOut

GetOut is a networking platform that provides events and retreats for outdoorsy professionals. They curate and plan activity-based retreats for small groups to connect around shared hobbies, like fly fishing, mountain biking, skiing and hiking. Their mission is to “foster enduring connections among like-minded professionals” and cultivate a community through outdoor pursuits.

Flylab discount: $150 off your first GetOut retreat; $50 off additional retreats.

Partner Spotlight

RareWaters

RareWaters is a simple and affordable way for anglers to book private ranches, experience fly-fishing adventures and get away from the crowds. RareWaters connects landowners and anglers together in one place, enabling premium do-it-yourself fly-fishing experiences. No upfront fees or long-term memberships required. Pay as you book, or purchase a Season Pass for unlimited access.

Flylab discount: 20% off “Season Pass” and “4-Rod Pass” access plans. 

If you’re a fly shop, outfitter, fishing lodge or outdoor brand and interested in becoming a new Flylab partner, learn more about our program here. Join the best partner network in fly fishing.