Advanced Fall Streamer Tactics
By: Jack Arnot
Fall fly fishing is a big deal here in the United States and it brings out droves of anglers to all types of water, leading to a lot more pressure than usual in most places. Some of the topics we will cover in this article are advanced streamer fishing, fly choice, and leader construction.
Streamer fishing is arguably one of the most popular styles of fishing for Fall anglers. It is one of the only times of the year when people have the best chance of landing large aggressive fish looking to pack on weight for the upcoming winter. One of the other attractive parts about this style of fishing is the sheer power and aggressiveness of eats, but there are a few ways to separate yourself from the average streamer angler.
One thing I notice the most about river fishing is that people are not fishing streamers at the correct depth. More often than not I see people with floating lines and a weighted streamer, don’t get me wrong it catches fish but it is not the most effective technique in some scenarios. With this method, the weight of the fly line is constantly pulling the fly out of the strike zone and when you mix in currents and water speed there is only a short period where the fly is fishing correctly. Also, the hookup rate can drop incrementally with this technique due to less sensitivity, slack, and not being in contact with the fly as often. One way to help ease some of those problems are with sinking lines or sink tip setups to help keep in contact and break the tension of the water.
Fishing streamers on a euro nymphing setup has been the most productive technique for me over the years and I am not the only one. At a recent Fly Fishing Team USA Practice, I nymphed through a riffle while the river was cold and fish were very lethargic. I think I ended with one or two fish. I was left wondering what these fish wanted, knowing that there were more to be caught out of that run. Lance Egan then came in behind me with a single heavily weighted jig streamer on a euro rig and landed about 12 fish in the water that I had just fished. For the rest of the day, we focused on what the fish wanted, and that was streamers bounced off the bottom with a very slow jigging motion on a euro setup.
One of the reasons this worked so well is we were providing the fish with a reaction strike. They were too sluggish to eat nymphs but when a streamer was dropped into the zone they had no choice but to attack it and be landed shortly after. Streamer fishing can be deadly in muddy, cold, and early morning environments and it is not a bad idea to work a run before or after you fish nymphs or dries with a streamer. Most often than not I will carry a single streamer rig in the fall 90% of the time and for good reason.
Looking at the fly choice I tend not to complicate my streamer selection. I carry an arsenal of flies size 14-8 all tied on jig hooks with tungsten beads or even multiple tungsten beads. My best colors are olive, tan, black, and brown. The main thing to look at when euro nymphing a streamer is weight. It should hit bottom quickly but not be too heavy as to when you add motion into the fly it just sits like a rock in the current. I tend to tie most of the flies with a 4.0mm black or copper tungsten bead and occasionally add a 3.5mm or 3.0mm bead behind that if I know I’m fishing heavy water. Most of my flies incorporate some kind of rubber legs tied behind the bead for movement and I have found it doesn’t hinder sink rate at all. Some are tied with flash some are not, most times fish prefer no flash when I’m fishing, but in off-color water, it can save the day. Personally, a lot of the patterns I see on the market today have way too much flash, and believe it or not can turn fish off from eating the fly.
Brown Trout taken on a dead drifted leech streamer
Looking at why euro nymphing streamers are so productive comes down to a few simple factors. One is that you are almost always in the strike zone or near the bottom. Gone are the days of wondering where your fly is at. With a euro rig, you can feel every bump and rock in the river with a heavily weighted fly and there is no question about whether you are on the bottom or not. Secondly, the vertical presentation is huge when presenting streamers. Rarely is an injured baitfish going to swim back upstream, more times than not it is going to bounce downstream just like the presentation we are trying to imitate. This slower presentation gives the fish some time to look at the fly and allows the angler to grid off sections of water knowing they covered every inch of the riverbed. Lastly, fish are not always in need of a triple articulated flash monster fly. Delivering a 2-5inch streamer is what I have found to be the best size profile. It is a size that most fish can eat and if fished right, and becomes the easiest meal ever for fish over 20” while also cutting through the current with ease.
The leader construction I use for streamer fishing doesn’t stray far from what I use from normal nymphing. These leaders are stiff enough to keep in contact with the fly but also supple enough to keep the leader off the water and allow the angler to jig and work the streamer in any desired way. I use the heavy leader for larger rivers or where I know I will be fishing 2x-3x tippet, the lighter leader is for 6x-4x tippet. Cortland Ultra-premium fluorocarbon is great for abrasion resistance and knot strength and is my tippet of choice when throwing these streamers in the Spring and Fall.
Light Leader
-8lb butt section (12ft)- Brown Maxima
-6lb mid section (5ft)-Brown Maxima
-4X Cortland Sighter Bi-Color 6lb (3ft)
Heavy Leader
-12lb butt section (10ft) -Brown Maxima
-10lb mid section (7ft)-Brown Maxima
-2X Cortland Sighter Bi-Color 10.5lb (3ft)
This is a great starter fly for any euro streamer application and with a great weight to size profile. Available in three colors !