The Set-up
This is a variable based on water flow and water clarity.
For High water flows and also low visibility leader can be as simple as 2-4ft. of heavy line I like running 20lb. maxima to a swivel and then adding my fluorocarbon tippet from there usually 0x-2x.
For lower and clearer flows it really depends on what you can get away with but again I would never go lower than 3x fluorocarbon when streamer fishing. And I would only go light when you are fishing slow retrieves or dead drifting micro-streamers and woolly buggers etc.
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| My Dad hoists a healthy streamer-eater |
Fly Lines
I prefer to use a sinking line when I'm dealing with any water flow over 2,000cfs. but it really depends on the weight of the fly and what zone you are trying to hit.
I mostly fish unweighted or lightly weighted streamers some kind of a sinking line is what I use.
However on smaller shallower rivers a floating line or sink tip may be all you need. I've had great success fishing streamers on floating lines with longer leaders.
When to fish streamers?
In my experience time of day and light conditions have the greatest impact on streamer-bite.
Most of the time your greatest chances of a big fish striking is early morning/late evening which of course are lower light conditions. With that being said there is no rhyme or reason to it, I've also had a few epic days in the bright sun but again these are exceptions to the norm.
The cloudy days are usually the best for streamer fishing. Some times you might have action all day if the conditions are right or the fish just happen to be in the right mood.
Time of Year
Any time I get the chance to fish I am often going to be streamer fishing this is just because I enjoy targeting the biggest and most aggressive fish in the river. Some of us have become "junkies" to this type of run and gun fishing and for me it's simply a lot more fun.
The seasons often dictate how aggressive fish will be with Spring and Fall being the most aggressive times of the year for fish. In the Spring the fish have all spawned out and are looking for more substantial meals to gain back the weight they lost during winter and in the Fall they are gearing up for a long period of cold days and smaller meals.
These are the peak seasons but any day could have the potential to yield great streamer fishing.
I have been experimenting with different streamers for a long time and the amount of flies available today is exponentially growing. Streamer fishing has become the cool thing in fly fishing and it's neat to see so many new anglers entering the sport. Go out there and try new things you'll get to where you have a group of confidence flies that become your go-to streamers. Confidence is probably the most important aspect of fishing streamers. Because some days action is few and far between and if you lose focus, you won't be ready when that 30 incher comes out of nowhere to kill your fly. It only takes one of those fish to get your confidence back and then you learn that streamer fishing is not about numbers it's all about trophy hunting.
