"The two best times to fish is when it's rainin' and when it ain't."
-Patrick F. MacManus
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| Shuttlecock |
Peanut butter and jelly. Mac and cheese. Steak and eggs. Streamers and Smallmouth. Some things are just meant to go together.
Smallmouth are aggressive fish. Meat eaters. Top of the food chain-gonna-smash-a-chub-get-into-my-belly-meat eaters. Not to say they won't eat bugs, I've seen them sip big Drakes like trout. Caught them on big Dragonfly nymphs under an indicator. But the risk/reward ratio between a big mayfly and, say, a big horny head chub, sculpin or blood minnow, is tilted heavily in favor of the meat.
Streamers are all the rage in the trout world. Once they figured out that big, predatory meat eaters want meat, it was game on (truth be told, streamers have always picked up big trout, but started gaining in popularity with the rise of social sharing and guys like Kelley Gallup). If you've been fly fishing for smallmouth for any length of time, you've known that from the beginning.
Catching River Bronze on a streamer can be as simple, or complicated, as you want to make it. Step in to the river, cast across and slightly down, swing, strip, strip, strip-repeat.
There are many variations to the standard strip-strip-pause retrieve. Probably my favorite is the jerk-strip; basically you jerk the rod tip between line strips. Very effective way to make your fly appear alive.
I think that's what I like most about streamers. Making fish eat. Triggering that basic predatory instinct to kill something. Once you see a big bronze warrior charge your streamer like a freight train, everything else is just fishing. I also believe that streamers give you the opportunity to see fish you might not have seen with topwater or nymphs.
Here are 5 streamers I am never without on the water, and the techniques I use to fish them. As with everything-your mileage may vary, and by all means don't take my advice for gospel. The art of flyfishing is in it's constant fluidity. Change your tactics, vary your flies, make it yours.
Shuttlecock
Just a blast to fish in the spring. I fish it on an intermediate sink tip, giving it a jerk, strip, jerk retrieve. Looks like a fluke, gets smashed like a pumpkin...I usually tie them in white, but I carry a few with yellow or chartreuse tails.
The Equalizer
Very cool looking and innovative pattern developed by the guys at To Fly Fish. Many color variations and a ton of action. Fish it on a floating line, with piece of shot in thin water, or on a versitip in deeper pools. One of my favorite tactics for this streamer is to cast into the heaviest section of a plunge pool, let it hit depth, and swing into the lighter current at the edges. Then I'll hold it there, stripping it up, and letting it fall back in the current.
SBS Streamer
No wrong way to fish this one. Vary your colors to match ( or un-match) forage. It's a heavy dude when wet, but really flows and gives off great action.
Here's a video of a big Finley River smallie that inhaled the SBS.
Smallmouth Gotcha
Ok, so this one can be fished either on the bottom or in streamer fashion. Very versatile fly, with a ton of color choices. I classify it as a streamer when they are chasing, and want the bait moving. Could imitate a fleeing crawfish. Again, really no wrong way to fish this one. I end up fishing it on a floating line with some shot about 6 inches ahead. I've had smallies chase it to my feet...
Clouser Minnow
Never, ever, ever, never go to the river with out a few Clousers. Just don't do it.
Fish it like you imagine a baitfish would swim. Fish it how you would imagine a mermaid to swim. Doesn't matter. Catches fish on the bank.
Seriously, down and across with short twitches is all you need. Vary your speeds, and strip lengths. One of my favorite color combos is purple and pink. Not sure why, but it produces year after year.
Bear in mind there are is a plethora of streamer patterns on the old interwebs. I carry between 15 and 20 patterns with me at any one time. But these five are always in my boxes. They are confidence patterns, and have saved my bacon more than once.
Bonus tip:
Getting to undercut banks can be treacherous. Especially with over hanging trees. One trick taught to me by a very wise man is to grab a leaf from the bank (or tree), hook your fly to the leaf edge, and send it sailing in the current towards said undercut/overhang. Feed slack until it hits the spot, then with a quick jerk, your fly will be off the leaf and hopefully headed for the lair of old Toby. I've tried it with all kinds of leaves, but in my opinion the best is a Sycamore leaf. The bigger the fly, the bigger the leaf. I was skeptical, but it works!
My go-to rod is a 9ft 7wt, with either a floating, intermediate or versitip line. I usually line the rod to an 8, for shorter loading distances.
One final thought: hook sets. My practice is to set against the current when a fish hits on the swing. Lifting the rod tip straight up can cause you to miss fish. Down streams sets should be with a strip and lift set. When the fish hits, strip set and THEN lift the rod. This will increase your hook-ups dramatically....
If you've been at it a while, most of this is academic. If you're new, well, we hope this helps increase your productivity on the rivers and streams!
Free. The. Fighter!
Smallmouth are aggressive fish. Meat eaters. Top of the food chain-gonna-smash-a-chub-get-into-my-belly-meat eaters. Not to say they won't eat bugs, I've seen them sip big Drakes like trout. Caught them on big Dragonfly nymphs under an indicator. But the risk/reward ratio between a big mayfly and, say, a big horny head chub, sculpin or blood minnow, is tilted heavily in favor of the meat.
Streamers are all the rage in the trout world. Once they figured out that big, predatory meat eaters want meat, it was game on (truth be told, streamers have always picked up big trout, but started gaining in popularity with the rise of social sharing and guys like Kelley Gallup). If you've been fly fishing for smallmouth for any length of time, you've known that from the beginning.
Catching River Bronze on a streamer can be as simple, or complicated, as you want to make it. Step in to the river, cast across and slightly down, swing, strip, strip, strip-repeat.
There are many variations to the standard strip-strip-pause retrieve. Probably my favorite is the jerk-strip; basically you jerk the rod tip between line strips. Very effective way to make your fly appear alive.
I think that's what I like most about streamers. Making fish eat. Triggering that basic predatory instinct to kill something. Once you see a big bronze warrior charge your streamer like a freight train, everything else is just fishing. I also believe that streamers give you the opportunity to see fish you might not have seen with topwater or nymphs.
Here are 5 streamers I am never without on the water, and the techniques I use to fish them. As with everything-your mileage may vary, and by all means don't take my advice for gospel. The art of flyfishing is in it's constant fluidity. Change your tactics, vary your flies, make it yours.
Shuttlecock
Just a blast to fish in the spring. I fish it on an intermediate sink tip, giving it a jerk, strip, jerk retrieve. Looks like a fluke, gets smashed like a pumpkin...I usually tie them in white, but I carry a few with yellow or chartreuse tails.
The Equalizer
SBS Streamer
No wrong way to fish this one. Vary your colors to match ( or un-match) forage. It's a heavy dude when wet, but really flows and gives off great action.
Here's a video of a big Finley River smallie that inhaled the SBS.
Smallmouth Gotcha
Ok, so this one can be fished either on the bottom or in streamer fashion. Very versatile fly, with a ton of color choices. I classify it as a streamer when they are chasing, and want the bait moving. Could imitate a fleeing crawfish. Again, really no wrong way to fish this one. I end up fishing it on a floating line with some shot about 6 inches ahead. I've had smallies chase it to my feet...
Clouser Minnow
Never, ever, ever, never go to the river with out a few Clousers. Just don't do it.
Fish it like you imagine a baitfish would swim. Fish it how you would imagine a mermaid to swim. Doesn't matter. Catches fish on the bank.
Seriously, down and across with short twitches is all you need. Vary your speeds, and strip lengths. One of my favorite color combos is purple and pink. Not sure why, but it produces year after year.
Bear in mind there are is a plethora of streamer patterns on the old interwebs. I carry between 15 and 20 patterns with me at any one time. But these five are always in my boxes. They are confidence patterns, and have saved my bacon more than once.
Bonus tip:
Getting to undercut banks can be treacherous. Especially with over hanging trees. One trick taught to me by a very wise man is to grab a leaf from the bank (or tree), hook your fly to the leaf edge, and send it sailing in the current towards said undercut/overhang. Feed slack until it hits the spot, then with a quick jerk, your fly will be off the leaf and hopefully headed for the lair of old Toby. I've tried it with all kinds of leaves, but in my opinion the best is a Sycamore leaf. The bigger the fly, the bigger the leaf. I was skeptical, but it works!
My go-to rod is a 9ft 7wt, with either a floating, intermediate or versitip line. I usually line the rod to an 8, for shorter loading distances.
One final thought: hook sets. My practice is to set against the current when a fish hits on the swing. Lifting the rod tip straight up can cause you to miss fish. Down streams sets should be with a strip and lift set. When the fish hits, strip set and THEN lift the rod. This will increase your hook-ups dramatically....
If you've been at it a while, most of this is academic. If you're new, well, we hope this helps increase your productivity on the rivers and streams!
Free. The. Fighter!
