A Different Perspective

On Streamer Fishing

By Robert Kovich

Streamer fishing has gotten a lot of press the past few
years. Customers from all over the country are
catching on to how effective streamer fishing can be.
Here in our shop we sell a ton of streamer flies every year. People will come in all the time and look at a 6" long Conrad Sculpin and ask, "What do you catch with this thing, bass?" My polite response usually goes something like, "No sir, we catch big trout with articulated streamers like these." Once we point to some of the pictures on our "Wall of Fame" of humongous Montana brown trout caught on streamers you can really see their eyes fill with awe. The reality is that there are still a lot of big fish in the yellowstone, except now you have to fish for them.

This type of game reflects hunting as much as fishing. We are out in search of one fish, much like a big game hunter out in search of the 12-point Whitetail buck. The small trout that come to our flies really are not important. If they happen to find the point of the hook we'll just shake them off or try to play and release them quickly. We are out there behind the oars and in the knee braces of the drift boat for one reason, a trout over 20 inches.

Now these fish don’t come without paying a price! Streamer fishing can be hard work, and you know you could be catching a lot more smaller trout on nymphs or dry's.  You've got to be dedicated to seeking that really big fish, and perhaps that fish of a lifetime. This means fishing hard, and often we're out there 10 hours a day throwing 8-weights with 300 grain sink tips! We use these big rigs not necessarily for the size of the fish we are catching, but for the size of the flies we are casting. You simply can’t cast one of Doug McKnight's jumbo sized Home Invaders on a 6-weight. And to get that big fish, it means covering good holding water thoroughly, especially when fishing from a drift boat. My goal is to hit every 4-5-foot piece of the bank on a river like the Yellowstone. That means a lot of casts during a float.  Luckily I fish with anglers who row hard when they are on the oars, so this is actually a possibility. 

I really like a fast action rod for this fishing like the new Sage Xi 3. I think an 8-weight is the right size for fishing big western rivers like the Yellowstone. If your trying to keep in the low range price wise, the St. Croix Imperial line of rods are a joy to fish with. I've been using the Rio Density Compensated 24' sink tips for years and I love them. Tangles in the running line portion are very minimal with this line compared to others like it. For 8-weight rods, the 300 grain model is about the right choice with this line. Reel selection is not too critical with streamer fishing, but both the Ross Evolution LT and Lamson Litespeed are quality products at a very reasonable price.

The streamers we use to target the largest fish really only share one characteristic. We want these flies to be big in every sense, and look lifelike in the water. I rarely fish any streamers shorter than 4” long, and most of these are the new style articulated streamers that hinge in the middle.  Most of these big flies have two hooks, that will help you hook those short-striking fish.  Fishing flies with a stinger is also becoming a popular trend in streamer fishing.

My favorite colors for these flies are yellow, white, olive, tan, black, and combinations of all these colors. I’ve found fish react better to different colors on different days, depending on the light conditions, so if I haven’t had any moves on my fly within twenty minutes, it's time to switch to another color variation or pattern. I’ve found that color is more important than pattern selection, so I wouldn’t worry about having every single fly in the bins. Carry a good selection of colors and mix it up if nothing is happening.

Remember you are also trying to imitate the baitfish of that particular river system you are fishing, so think about fly colors to match those fish that big trout feed on. On the Yellowstone for example, we fish a lot of big white flies to imitate the abundance of Mountain Whitefish in the river. Darker olive and black patterns imitate sculpins that are

so detectible to big trout. 

                                                   Derek DeYoung Photo

When fishing flies this size to big fish, it doesn’t make any sense to use light tippet. If a two-foot trout makes a lunge at your fly and heads for cover, you need that leader and tippet to be strong.  A lot of guides will fish a short 1X leader, thinking that this is strong enough, but for me it's too risky. Go big or go home!  I like 10 or 12lb Maxima to deal with these beasts. A lot can go wrong after you hook a big fish, so the faster and smoother you can land it the better.  I have yet to find a circumstance on Montana rivers where trout are leader shy when fishing streamers.  Much of the time the fish must make an immediate reaction to chase your streamer and they are concentrating on the prey, not your tippet size.

To give my flies more distinct lifelike action, I will often attach my fly with a loop knot such as the Non Slip Mono Loop. When fishing with flies composed of rabbit strips and marabou, you want the materials to breathe and pulsate in the water.  The loop knot allows your fly to move around more freely and allows those materials to swim with the current.  Making your fly look more life-like is the key to triggering a reaction strike from that big fish. 

My stripping technique with these flies varies a lot. The best way to find out what the fish want is let the fish decide. Try different techniques and remember faster is not always better. When fall water temperatures get down into the 40’s I'll be moving my flies more slowly. Don't forget to try to mimic the the baitfish you are imitating. If you are fishing a sculpin pattern for instance you should probably do some variation where you pause in between strips, imitating the way they swim.  Often they jump off the bottom quickly and then stop quickly finding a rock to dive under. With a floating line and heavy streamer, you can even jerk your fly towards the surface to look like a smaller fish feeding on the surface, and then immediately feed it slack to sink back down.  Remember every day is different and sometimes you will need to experiment a bit to get these fish to turn on your flies.

The day’s weather can be critical to your fishing and your methods as well. In general, cloudier days tend to be more productive for fishing streamers. But don’t be disheartened when you wake up to blue bird skies the morning you had planned to be streamer fishing. Some of the biggest brown trout I have ever witnessed have been caught on the brightest, hottest days of the summer, perhaps because no one else is throwing streamers.  Just keep pounding those banks and seams and you will eventually be rewarded.  It's a numbers game at the end of the day.  Often changing to white and the lighter colored patterns can be productive on bright days.

Water temperature also plays an important role in your angling success. Personally, for the best streamer fishing, I like to see the water temperature be anywhere between 45 to 60 degrees F. Below 45 degrees, the fish tend to be a bit more sluggish.  In cooler water temperatures you can still catch very good fish, but remember that you will need to switch to a slower retrieve or even dead drift. Sometimes even a simple wet fly swing can be productive during these exceptionally cold periods.  Give the fish a chance and make it easy for them to pounce on your fly look like a three-legged, wounded impala. 

There are a few times of year we can really depend on the water conditions being just right and big fish will be on the bite. When timed right, pre-runoff on the Yellowstone yields some huge fish. Usually, the whole month of April is spectacular until the mud hits. At this time of year there is far less fishing pressure, you often have the pools to yourself, thus a great shot at some huge trout.  Another great time to get big fish on streamers is right in the middle of the summer. It seems that everyone on the river is fishing hoppers. I'll switch off to target the browns that are up feeding on the smaller fish that are feeding on the surface!   Browns that are large enough to feed on six to twelve inch trout or whitefish are the kind I'm after.  I’ve had some really good days with large fish in these circumstances.

Fall is perhaps the best time of the year to concentrate on fishing streamers. Brown trout are especially aggressive before they spawn in mid to late October. But the streamer fishing can also be good later - well into November or until the water starts to get too cold.  These post spawn browns try to pack on more pounds before the winter hits, especially since they've lost some mass due to the rigors of their spawning activities. 

The last advice I think I could give is practice makes perfect. Get out there with a big stick, chuck those meaty flies, and get used to shooting a sinking line. Develop your own technique, as casting sinking lines and big flies is a little bit different for everyone. Persistence pays off when throwing big streamers for big fish, you just have to keep in in mind that you are not going to catch huge trout everyday.  Big flies like the Circus Peanut and Conrad Sculpin, (as well as other oversize streamers) work well only if you don’t give up the game. That’s why we call this hunting for trophy trout. You don’t see a 6X6 Elk every day you are in the woods, do you?  Bottom line: work hard, you're only going to reap what you sow.  With patience, and employing some of the techniques I've mentioned here, you'll get that trophy fish out of the depths of the Yellowstone, Madison, Missouri or favorite local river. The fish are there, now it’s up to you...