Fly Fishing With Streamers
By Cameron Larsen, Thu Dec 8th
Fly fishing streamers is often over looked by fly anglers,especially anglers. Streamers is a category of flies flyfisherman have given to loosely mean food other than insects.Generally, being smaller fish, it could also be crayfish,leeches, and crustaceans. Bass and salt water anglers, are morefamiliar with the theory that big fish eat littler fish.However, as our sport is dominated by anglers we thinkinsect first and many times that is as far as our thoughtprocess goes. However, big fish eat little fish, always have andalways will. Fish are indiscriminate feeders and will eat whatis presented to them. They don't have preferences, they takewhat they are given. And the nice thing about little fish isthey are always present.
In most rivers and lakes there will be almost always be fish fryof one kind or another present. With the predominant season forfish fry being the spring, they easily will be present untillate fall, and often year around. But even if fry are notaround, minnows are present year around, sculpins, silversides,alewives, smelt, the list is endless. And even if you say thereare no minnows available where you fish, well, arecannibalistic, if your fishing waters have big trout, then italso has little trout. In short, the 'hatch' is always on whenyou are fishing streamers.
Besides year around availability, another advantage of fishingstreamers, is your average catch is going to be larger. Fish aremasters of energy conservation and expenditure. They will notpursue food if it costs more energy to catch then they willreceive from its consumption. That is why in the winter theywill not chase food, you literally have to hit them in the nosewith it. This fact, helps us to understand the feeding habits oflarge trout. A large holed down deep, not particularlyinterested in eating, will consume a minnow, if given theopportunity, no matter what. They might not rise
up to devoursize 22 Tricos, unless they are in a feeding mode, but given aminnow that they only have to lunge for, is an opportunity theywon't turn down very often. That is a lot of energy consumedwithout a lot of energy exerted.
Techniques for fishing streamers vary from nymphs somewhat. Alittle action imparted by your rod tip, can help convince yourtargeted prey that the minnow is injured, thereby increasingstrike potential. If casting into a river, the current will helpyou greatly in imparting 'swimming' action onto your streamer.Raisng and then lowering your rod tip, can also aid in theaction. Vary the tempo until you find something that works. Iffishing in lakes and ponds or from a boat on a river, you willneed to retrieve. Again vary the tempo, using short burstsfollowed by a count or two of idleness. Allow your streamer tofall, often times the strikes happen when your fly is falling.
Favorite streamers include Woolly Buggers, both beadheadand non-beadhead. Mickey Finns, Jannsen's Minnows, and of coursethe veritable Muddler Minnow and its cast of imitators. Bassfisherman have also used the same patterns for years and years.Saltwater patterns all virtually fall under the streamercategory with perennial favorites being the Lefty's Deceivers,Clouser Minnows, and Crazy Charlies. As well as various crab andshrimp patterns.
Trout fisherman might have to bulk up their gear a little,depending on what they are used to fishing with. 6 wt rods areusually preferable, with enough stoutness to cast the biggerfly, and fight those sure to come bigger fish.
About the author:Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishingguide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company.http://www.bigyflyco.com/flyfishinghome.html He can be reachedat info@bigyflyco.com. This article will appear in the Big Y FlyFishing E-Zine atHttp://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html
