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Streamer flies are very effective for luring big trout and other species. The original patterns were almost all designed to imitate bait fish, with long, slim, fish-shaped silhouettes. These are still around and are just as effective as they’ve always been. But in the last few decades, there has been a proliferation of streamer patters (sometimes referred to as “lures”) which imitate creatures other than fish, such as leeches and crayfish. Woolly Buggers and rabbit strip patterns are among the most popular of these.

Streamers are effective on both stillwater and running water, but, for now, we’ll focus just on rivers and streams. 

Gear

Streamers can be fished on floating, sink-tip or sinking lines, depending on water conditions and the target species. However, when you’re relatively new to the game, it’s best to opt for a floating line to begin with, as it’s easier to handle. It will allow you to present your fly from just under the surface to a couple of feet below it. If you need to go deeper, you can switch to a weighted leader or put detachable weight(s) on the regular leader. This should provide sufficient range for most situations.

The weight of the outfit should be geared to the size of the river and the size of the flies being cast. A #6 o a #7 weight will provide a useful middle range.  The length of the rod is largely a matter of personal choice. However, I find that a length of 9’ or 9½’ allows for more efficient line control, especially in bigger rivers. 

Flies

There are thousands of effective streamer patterns out there, which can be somewhat overwhelming when it comes to filling up your fly box. However, there’s not a great need for you to have a great number of patterns to start with. For fish imitators, it’s best to stick to hair wings as they’re more durable. The venerable Black Nose Dace is an excellent all-round natural colour pattern, but any hair-wings with brown, black, white, or combinations of these will produce. If they have a bit of flash and/or a touch of fluorescent red in them, all the better. You should also pack a few attractor patterns in bright colours, such as the Mickey Finn. Round out your box with a few Clouser Minnows in both natural and flashy colours.

For patterns which imitate things other than fish, you can’t beat the Woolly Bugger and Bunny Leeches in black, brown, olive, white, or combinations. Supplement these with a few tied with fluorescents, especially chartreuse or orange.

The most useful hook size range is from #8 - #4. 

Target Species

Our main focus here is trout, but for Easterners, most of whom are faced with fewer opportunities for fast water trout in the middle of the summer, a fine alternate species ids smallmouth bass. On warm water rivers smallmouths behave very much the same as trout on cold water rivers (they’re also usually less easily spooked than trout), which means that the same flies and techniques can be used for both.

Techniques

While a streamer (especially Woolly Buggers and bunny flies) can be at its most effective when cast upstream and retrieved with the flow, it can be a bit tricky when you’re just starting out. The easier technique of casting across stream and working the fly on a downstream swing is also an effective technique.

The streamcraft involved is very similar to that used for fishing a downstream wet fly (see this column in The Canadian Fly Fisher May/July, 2007). Prospect for fish in the same holding hotspots you would while fishing a downstream wet fly:

• Bankside cover: such as undercuts, deadfalls, and rock rip-rap.

• Pockets in streamy runs and riffles.

• Drop-offs where riffles deepen into pools.

• Tails of pools.

Gradually and carefully, work your way downstream, taking care to keep a low profile and to make a minimum disturbance. When you see a potential holding spot ahead, stop and position yourself upstream of it. The idea is to get your streamer fly to swing though the holding spot so that it looks like a fish or other creature in distress struggling with the current.

To do this, cast across and slightly upstream, so that the fly has sunk by the time it has drifted opposite you. Once it gets below you, it will begin to swing across the current

Just like you would in fishing a wet fly, lead the streamer with the rod tip to keep the pressure off the line, preventing the fly from rising to the surface. If it does rise to the surface, don’t worry unduly, as trout and bass will frequently hit a streamer which is making a wake.

You can vary the depth of the fly while it’s swinging across the current by making momentary pauses as you lead the fly with the rod tip. When you pause the lead, the fly will lift towards the surface; when you resume the lead, it will  drop again. This will also give the streamer something of a fluttering action, giving the impression of something wounded and helpless—easy prey for a big trout or bass.

Strikes at streamers fished on a downstream swing are almost always solid, frequently vicious and, if the fly is on or close to the surface, highly visible.  Sometimes, you’ll get a fish which follows, making a series of nips or slashes at the tail of the fly without taking it. When this happens, sometimes giving a bit of slack line to slow the fly down will induce a positive take, but sometimes speeding it up to make it look like a bait fish trying frantically to escape is what does the trick.

More often than not, fish will hook themselves on a downstream streamer, but it’s always best to give a firm, but gentle hook set, just in case. As in most downstream fishing, fish will sometimes be lightly lip-hooked. This is great for an injury-free release, it also means that you have to resign yourself to a number of fish which will release themselves before you have a chance to touch them.

Hang in there

Have fun with streamers for trout and bass as the season winds down. You’ll find that the more you get out on the river, the more skilful and effective you’ll become. Don’t forget to take pictures of what you catch, so that you can send them to us, along with a few lines about how you caught them, so that we have a chance to publish them in the magazine in “Readers’ Showcase”.