Streamer fishing can be a highly effective way of catching some of the bigger fish lurking in your water ways. Generally when fish reach a certain length/size they start looking for bigger meal opportunities such as bait fish, crawdads, bigger leeches along with other food types that fall into this category based on your area. With this being said we are going to dive into some different techniques that can help make your streamer fishing more successful and some materials you can use in your patterns that will help your bugs fit the bill. Most fish species are willing to smack a streamer around , but in our neck of the woods we mainly use these flies to target big trout, Small mouth bass, and a carp or two. Your approach while streamer fishing can vary based on the body of water you are on whether it is a river or lake and the type of fish you are looking to hook up with. We are going to go over a few techniques that seem to get the job done no matter the fish or water you a targeting them on. Casting your bug out and bringing it back is a pretty straight forward process, but how you do it can be the difference maker. Here are a few points to take into consideration on your next outing. Vary Your Retrieve:
- Add a pause in between strips.
- Vary your Strip speed
- Add a mixture of faster and slower strips while bringing your streamer back to you.
The list above shows some sure fire ways that will get your flies to move and act similar to the food sources available. Try them all until you find the sweet spot those fish are looking for and hang on! Swinging flies: Another super effective form of streamer fishing. Swinging or dead drifting flies give the illusion of a minnow that has been wounded or is dead floating through the column making for an easy meal. This style can also showcase a minnow struggling to make it to safer water which can trigger even the picky fish to take a snap at it. Adding a strip or two while your streamer is making its way through the run can also up your chances of catching the attention of a big fish.
Fly tying materials for streamers
I wanted touch real quick on some of our favorite materials for tying streamers. These materials makes it simple to complex features to your flies which in turn makes them even more appealing to your local fish.
The beauty of this material is it brings a flash, synthetic hackle, and chenille all in one wrap. Soft fibers that have incredible movement all while pushing a bunch of water sending off vibrations to the lateral lines of the fish you are hunting. We have a few tutorials available on our YouTube channel on different ways of strapping it to a hook. ( Link on the blog page)
Krinklezon is a type of flash that can be used for bodies, accent flash, or stacked and trimmed to create bait fish profiles. It is a very durable material that can take a beating and reflects light like you read about. The crimped nature of the fiber also gives of the illusion of scales on a fish making your flies look more realistic to predatory fish. You can find many videos on flies tied with krinklezon on our YouTube channel as well.
Marabou is a wonder material due to the amount of uses it has. You can find it in about every streamer pattern ever tied due to its soft and flowy nature. Great for tails, collars, and bodies because it slims down when stripped or swung through the water and flares and dances around when you pause.
Movement is a key element in streamers and rubber legs bring just that to the table. Great for adding fins, lateral lines, or breaking up your pattern. They come in a ton of flavors, shapes, and sizes for any all your fly tying needs. We have kits and individual packs available right here on the site and our videos on YouTube can show you some different uses for them. The crew down here at SRF hopes this post helps the next time you are behind the vise and your next outing. For more information regarding Tying/fishing streamers give us a ring at (208) 904-3900 or shoot us an email at Snakeriverfly@gmail.com
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