“Fall
Fishing with Streamers”
By
Wes Osborne
The dog days of summer
are finally here and the trout fishing
seems to slow to a creeping halt.
However, I know that fall is just
around the corner and fall fishing
is probably my favorite time of year
to be on the stream. The later months
tend to give up bigger and more colorful
fish. Don’t get me wrong; I
love good hatches just as much as
anyone, however throwing big and ugly
streamers really gets my blood pumping
like nothing else. There is no better
method for extracting those giant
fish out of the deep dark holes than
streamer fishing.
Fall represents a
nice change from bright sunny days,
to cooler water and air temperatures.
These changes make trout behave in
a far more aggressive manner and they
are more willing to chase down baitfish.
Wind and leaves can often be an issue
this time of year but with a nice
beefy rod and a short leader the problems
can be pretty easily circumvented.
If the fish are unwilling to take
a streamer, it is still an effective
way to move fish so that they can
be targeted with a nymph setup.
Fishing with streamers
is often the last resort for trout
fisherman, but having a few good streamer
patterns and techniques can do more
than save the day. One of my favorite
methods for fishing streamers is the
“ground and pound” theory.
I prefer to use a sink tip fly line
such as the Rio Streamer Tip line
for most trout fishing situations.
This allows me to cast tight to banks
and instantly get the fly down. This
is followed by a series of quick strips
and pauses indicating an injured baitfish.
The G&P method produces some of
the biggest browns of the year for
me because opportunistic browns during
the early morning or dusk come out
from their safe zones to crush these
large flies.
The names of streamer
patterns have always fascinated me
as well. Slumpbuster, Sex Dungeon,
Space Invader, Meatwhitsle, and Bouface
are a few of my favorites but the
Wooly Bugger cannot be overlooked.
John Barr’s book “Barr
Flies” is a treasure to me as
it is an excellent resource for anyone
who may want to tie some nice streamers.
You can also buy rabbit and squirrel
strips as well as marabou in every
color combination and be creative.
Add flash to some, add weight to others,
and play around with different variations
to make a few patterns from sizes
2 to 12 that work well for you. Don’t
let this fall pass by with your rod
in the closet collecting dust, hook
in to a nice colored hook jaw and
hold on!!!!
Side Note:
Wes's Journey to the Missouri River,
Montana this year. Streamers... and
patience DO PAY OFF!
Sometimes
in fishing you are rewarded for
patience and understanding. During
a brutally cold first week of
October on the Missouri River
in Montana, my patience finally
paid off! I had the pleasure of
fishing with Jeff Currier, artist
and fly fishing enthusiast. Our
boat was captained by spey casting
legend and RIO fly line designer,
Simon Gawesworth. Needless to
say, I felt a little under pressure
fishing with these guys. Once
on the boat with some jokes and
stories shared, all anxiety vanished
and the true camaraderie and brotherhood
of fly fishing prevailed.
Down river we slowly crept through
a small side channel as snow and
sleet constantly pelted us…
making casting quit difficult.
We landed a few 15” fish
here and there but Simon was confident
we would find a monster…
soon! Then it happened, as if
Simon had her on queue! I threw
a quick cast with a Gavin Robinson-tied
Sex Dungeon Streamer next to a
long weed bed. As the fly sank
into the emerald water I saw this
enormous beautiful rainbow come
out of his lair to eat. It took
all that I had not to pull the
fly out of her mouth. I watched,
with my jaw seemingly wide open,
as this beast inhaled a 4”
long creating of fur and feather
then promptly bolted up river
looking for cover. My hands numb
from the weather and excitement
could barely hold on… but
my 7wt took care of the job! After
a seemingly long battle (really
only 5 minutes or so) I eased
her into the net as my eyes lit
up with excitement… This
was the largest Trout I have ever
landed!
A 25-inch wild rainbow warms you
from the inside (as did the single
malt celebration) and you quickly
forget that the thermometer reads
less than the measuring tape.
The
look of excitment...or surprise...or
the fact that a guy from Georgia
isn't used to 10 degree weather! |
Here is a
brief list of gear and books that
I would highly recommend for fall
streamer fishing:
Fly Rods:
Winston 9’5wt B2MX
Sage
9’ 6wt Z axis
Fly Reels:
Lamson Litespeed 2
Abel
Super 5N
Fly Lines & Leaders:
Rio Streamer Tip 5wt Type IV Sink
Rio
Streamer Tip 6wt Type IV Sink
Orvis
Mirage 7.5ft leaders
Accessories:
C and F 3500 streamer box
Action
Optics Guides Choice (eye protection
is a must with streamers)
Barr Flies Book - by John Barr
Click
here to contact Wes
