With the recent rain storms we’ve been having, there’s no better time to talk about everyone’s favorite thing (or soon to be)...chuckin’ meat for big wild trout. With all the new materials on the market and the fly tying scene growing rapidly, more elaborate streamer patterns are coming out every week, and everyone is jonesin’ to get out there and give it a try. Streamer fishing, when executed properly, can be a very effective way of catching not only numerous trout, but big trout too. Here are a few tips to get your streamer game up to par.
1. Think like a baitfish
As cliché as it sounds, this is something that has increased my productivity with streamers tenfold. When you’re chuckin’ meat, fish your streamer in ways that a baitfish (minnow, chub, sculpin, baby brown trout) would react in the water. My first impression of streamer fishing was that I needed to swing my fly downstream, then strip it against the current. While this can pick up a fish here and there, baitfish are almost never going to be evading a predator by swimming against the current; it is just inefficient and they will die by the wrath of a brown trout 9 times out of 10. So first things first, don’t be afraid to fish it downstream like you would a nymph, but with more action. When that trout sees your sculpin looking distressed, it’s going to be more willing to tear out from its hole and blow your shit up!
As cliché as it sounds, this is something that has increased my productivity with streamers tenfold. When you’re chuckin’ meat, fish your streamer in ways that a baitfish (minnow, chub, sculpin, baby brown trout) would react in the water. My first impression of streamer fishing was that I needed to swing my fly downstream, then strip it against the current. While this can pick up a fish here and there, baitfish are almost never going to be evading a predator by swimming against the current; it is just inefficient and they will die by the wrath of a brown trout 9 times out of 10. So first things first, don’t be afraid to fish it downstream like you would a nymph, but with more action. When that trout sees your sculpin looking distressed, it’s going to be more willing to tear out from its hole and blow your shit up!
2. Fish Everything
For whatever reason, the instinctive thing to do when you first start streamer fishing is to fish every big hole. While this will most likely produce some fish, you are missing out on some serious action by walking by those little undercuts and seams that are harder to fish. Big fish are still alive and growing for a reason! They’re not going to sit in a big hole just asking to get taken out by a predator. They’re going to be stashed deep in undercuts or log jams just waiting to ambush your fly. This is my favorite part about streamer fishing. Fishing these tiny seams and hard to reach areas will make you a much better caster, and fisherman all around. Learning to bow and arrow cast will greatly improve your chances to get that meat to the toads. Don’t be afraid to try anything, chances are it will pay off.
3. Choose your conditions wisely
Streamer fishing isn’t always the best approach to catching fish. Most of the time, as much as it hurts me to say, nymphing is flat out more productive. There are times, however, where this is not true. My absolute favorite time to fish streamers is during a nice spring rain when the water is flowing and off colored. In times like this, the fish let their guard down from other predators and go on feeding frenzies. It seems like they can’t see nymphs and other bugs as well, so they are more likely to go after a sculpin or something else a streamer would be mimicking. This past week, myself and a few of my buddies were all fishing different water across the state during a summer rainstorm, and everyone caught beautiful fish on streamers. @rcase and I got into some great fish on sculpins, and Clark (@chasingbrowns on Instagram) absolutely destroyed it with Freshly Johnson (@christopherbfreshly). They caught more hammer browns than any day of Czech nymphing could produce. So the moral of the story when it’s raining…drop what you’re doing, quit your job, break up with your girlfriend and get your ass to the stream! These slobby browns aren’t going to catch themselves after all.
4. Size Matters
Fishing the biggest streamer your 4wt can throw is NOT the most effective way to catch these fish. While big streamers can produce, slinging a 6” meat for a trout every time you fish is absurd, Fish a pattern that mimics the baitfish you know the fish are seeing on a daily basis. Turn over some rocks and figure out what’s good. Similarly, you don’t need to tie these patterns with size 2 saltwater hooks. Be mindful of the trout. They took a while to get this big and you want to conserve that. Most of my streamer patterns are tied with a single Gamakatsu B10S and a gamechanger shank. It gets the job done more than enough once you learn how to be patient with your hooksets. And people…don’t forget to pinch your barbs! I can’t stress this enough. There’s just no need for barbs.
Here are some of my favorite streamer patterns for PA
Here are some of my favorite streamer patterns for PA
Ok enough talking, time to look at pictures of some PA meat eaters.
Shoutout to streamer junkies Clark (@chasingbrowns) and Chris (@christopherbfreshly) for the GoPro shots and the insight on Streamer Fishing
Happy Hunting
Ty
Happy Hunting
Ty
