Fly Fishing Hot Topics

Find Your Happy Place

by MAngler

We notice this phenomenon more around Salmon fly time, but it’s a year round occurrence. An angler walks in and says to us, “The Pteranarcys are 2mm shorter this year than they were last year. Do you know why that might be?” And after we mumble some professional sounding lingo, jargon and hogwash, he says he needs some flies. We sell him some Orange Stimulators a size 6.

The next angler walks in the shop and says, “I hear the Salmon Flies are on the water. Any truth to that?” As professional fly shop people, we’re more able to answer that than biology questions, so without mumbling or jargon, we let him know where and when. Again flies are needed, so we grab some size 6 Orange Stimulators.

The next angler (often a bit older) walks in and says, “I seen the Willow Flies out last night. So I need some Willow Flies and Hellgrammites.” Again, as professionals, we don’t mumble and we don’t worry about the nomenclature. We get some size 6 Orange Stimulators, and a few Black Double Bead Stoneflies as well. And another angler heads out to meet, depending on their perspective, the Pteranarcys Californicus emergence with females at risk returning to lay eggs, the Salmon Fly hatch, or the Willow Flies. Bottom line, they all bought the same fly.

This is the joy of fly fishing. It’s why we all come back year after year to pursue trout with the long rod. Because it makes us happy. And as with so many things in life, happiness is in the eye of the beholder. For some, the capture and examination of insects is absolutely the most fun they can have on the water. Contrast that with Thomas McGuane, who said,” In the future, I plan to become a fine streamside entomologist. I’m going to start on that when I’m much too old to do any of the 2,000 things I can think of that are more fun than screening insects in cold running water.” Like they say down South, there’s a tick for every dog!

We’re bombarded every day by Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and three new apps we don’t even know the names of, all touting the best and only way to fish. They have pictures with circles and arrows and diagrams on the back, all explaining why their angling is superior to yours. Euronymphing!! Match The Hatch!  How to fish during run-off. Go big or go home. Dry or die. We’ve heard them all, and if the truth were known, not one of them has it right. Oh, they have it right for a few, but they miss the big picture as they use a sledgehammer to pound home their tiny little vision of fly fishing.

We know anglers who fish dawn to dusk as often as they can, from January to December. We know anglers who only pull the rod out when the Willow flies are on, and anglers from all points in between. They go and do what they do because it makes them happy. And really, isn’t that why we all go fishing? Some can wander the stream for hours without ever casting, watching the swallows work the hatch. Some will camp next to the river, so they can be there as the sun rises and the fish begin to move, making their first cast at first light to the first available fish.

Some will only pursue Atlantic Salmon or Steelhead. Some feel the call of the ocean as if it was the clarion call of a bugle to battle. Some will walk the edge of a one acre pond, chasing the wily blue gill as it goes about it’s panfishy business. We all know these anglers, we all wonder about what makes them tick. And we want to share the REAL secret of fly fishing with them, to give them our insight into why they should be on the water. We want them to know our truth about fly fishing.

When, in fact,  the real truth is so much simpler.

They’re happy. They’ve found their spot. They might not have 15 fly boxes. They might not own 27 fly rods, from a  6’ 1wt through 14’ 9 wt rod. Perhaps they bought their flies at a local gas station on the way to the crick. They’ve made their decision, and it’s a good one. They went fly fishing. They got on the water, and they got there on their own terms. That’s enough for most anglers.

While people compete in fly fishing, it’s not a competition. It is, depending on your viewpoint, a way of life or just a warm weather activity that gets you outside. Neither is wrong. Don’t judge yourself by others. You can go to our website and find some of the best fly fishing information available. But we readily admit, we’re not like most people! We live our lives at the far end of the bell curve, and understand that. We’re here to help in any way we can, be it providing information that propels you from accomplished to expert, or simply available to show you how to tie a clinch knot. We learned a long time ago not to judge others with the same yardstick we use for ourselves.

So whether you’re matching the hatch, dead set on identifying the mayfly the trout are eating, or if you’re mesmerized watching the swallows wheel and swerve to eat some random bug, stay happy on the water. You are your own yardstick, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. This is a hobby- we don’t know of anyone fly fishing for sustenance. We don’t have to go fishing, we get to go fishing! And while there’s a huge world of information out there, it’s always your choice to utilize it or not. We hope you do. We’re here to help, online or in the shop, when you do. But if you never make that move, it’s OK. Fly fishing can be deep as the ocean, or shallow as a rill. Find your spot, and get your feet wet. It will make you happy!

Fly Fishing Hot Topics

The New World Of Strike Indicators

by MAngler

As Euro Nymphing becomes more and more popular, the strike indicator is going through another major change. No longer is it the bobber we’ve come to know and trust- the indicator is becoming a more subtle and delicate apparatus. And that may be a very good thing.

We all remember the first time we saw a Thing-A-Ma-Bobber. For many nymph fisherman, it immediately became the go-to rig. They never sink, float better than corks and are easy to see. But about 3 years ago, we started to hear rumblings out of the Bighorn valley that trout were becoming wary of the Thing-A-Ma-Bobber and their progeny. Whether it was the heavy entrance into the water, or the actual presence of the indicator above the fly, Bighorn guides felt the indicator was negatively impacting their catch rate. Many Bighorn guides have gone back to balloons, the old Polypropylene indicator or the New Zealand Wool indicator.

One of the interesting aspects of the Thing-A-Ma-Bobber style indicator is its size, and the size most people choose to use. If you’ve ever gone swimming and played with a ball in the water, you know how much air wants to float! Even swimming a 6” ball to the bottom is a struggle. The standard 3/4” Thing-A-Ma-Bobber would float 4 Double Bead Stone Flies (if that was legal in Montana) with no problem.

The larger the indicator, the more it disturbs the water as it lands and affects the drift of the fly. The smallest Thing-A-Ma-Bobber floats almost any Montana nymph rig, and as it floats lower, it’s more sensitive. This applies to any high floating bobber style indicator. Smaller is better when it comes to stealth and sensitivity. Yes, it’s more difficult to see, but that might be a small price to pay, if the low floating indicator does a better job of transmitting strike information.

There’s a variety of multi-color tippets on the market. The Thing-A-Ma-Bobber comes in Red/White, the Thills Balsa indicator is Orange/Fl. Yellow, while the foam Palsa indicator comes in 4 colors. Bi-color indicators are so much better at indicating subtle strikes, as a multi-colored object makes movement detection much easier. It’s why classic spinning bobbers are red and white- easy to see, as the line created by the two colors detects motion much better than a solid color indicator.

The Thills Balsa Indicator is even more sensitive because of the long, tapered white peg that keeps the leader in place. When properly sized and rigged, the white peg is pulled vertically by the weight of the rig. The peg, as it stands tall, makes reading the movement so much easier. It works like a classic old school panfish bobber, that wiggles side to side to indicate a nibble. The white peg, with its additional length, exaggerates the movement of the indicator and makes strike detection much easier.

The Palsa indicators are also a favorite. These sticky back foam indicators land as softly as any indicator we sell. While the double dot shape is designed to have the adhesive back removed and then folded over the leader, the crafty angler has two different colors of Palsas in their kit. Instead of folding the single color indicator over, take two halves of different colors and paste them together. Instant Bi-color indicator. If you need more floatation or a larger size, use two different colors in their full size. There’s no doubt the glue from the  Palsa Indicators leave a residue on your leader, making depth adjustment annoying, especially when trying to go shallower. Again, the crafty Palsa user attaches a tippet ring about 4” away from where the Palsa is attached. The tippet ring allows you to change depth without having to remove the foam residue left by the Palsas. When changing to a new indicator, just put right over the old residue and keep fishing.

The classic Wool Indicators have proven themselves on spooky trout for years. This style indicator is the softest landing indicator we know of, and because it’s wool it’s size can be infinitely adjusted. Make sure you put floatant on the wool. We’re not in New Zealand, where they pull the wool off the barb wire fences, which is raw and flushed with lanolin. Treated wool needs floatant to extend its floatation. It’s very easy to create a bicolor indicator with wool, as well as control the size. It’s our most adjustable indicator, and can be as sparse or as sizable as needed.

The bicolor monofilament is proving to be very effective, and not just for euro Nymphing. Available in Fl. Green/Fl. Orange and Black/White, the colors alternate every foot. While the bicolor tippet can be used as is, many are tying blood knots with the bicolor indicator, and leaving about an inch of tag on each side of the knot. The little tag ends of leader provide two things. They add a little floatation to the rig, as well as providing a twitch when the fly is taken or hitting the bottom. If you’re nymphing, a tippet ring is very useful to keep the blood knotted indicator whole. We have also found that the bicolor indicator works very well when using emergers as well, as the take to your slightly sunken emerger is easily detected. As the bi-color tippet is used more, there are going to be a lot more uses that will appear, and we will keep you posted as we discover them.

There’s a wide world of indicators out there, so much more than the Thing-A-Ma-Bobber and other bobber shaped indicators. Which is not to say the Thing-A-Ma-Bobber is obsolete or useless. But there are other indicators available, and they will widen your nymphing options. You can add stealth to your game, as well as utilizing the multiple colors that help detect strikes. The next time your looking at indicators, widen your gaze. You might find that your catch rates go up when the fishing is tricky.

Bitterroot River Fly Fishing Guided Trip
Fly Fishing Hot Topics

In Search Of Big Trout

by MAngler

Slabside. Pig. Brother Two Foot. Doesn’t matter the slang you use, lifetime fly fishing memories are made as you venture on the water, sights set on the size of the result. But how do you find them? What’s the secret for locating that fish of a lifetime? Here’s a couple of hints to get you off the dinks and into the Dawgs!

The first step is to do a little homework, and go where big fish live. For some, it may be higher altitude lakes or a tailwater river. We try not to rub it in, but Montana has a surplus of big trout, and we know how lucky we are. If your home river is a stocked stream that hits 80 degrees in August, then its not going to hold too many large trout. A big fish in that river may be 11 inches! A trophy if you know about the water, but maybe not the photo op you’re looking for. Once you decide to land a big trout, you need to go where you actually have the chance to catch one, whether you’re driving or flying. It might take a bit of planning.

Big trout are a direct application of trout biology. This is the reason you paid attention in seventh grade. While it should go without saying, big fish get big because they have a continuous, abundant food source. They survive because they have protection from predators, and grow because they have a place to live where they don’t need to expend a lot of energy, which uses up those precious calories. These are the three things trout need to attain size. You need to find big fish holding lies, and there are no road maps. Add to the equation that big trout are natural survivors, or they wouldn’t have gotten so big, and you have a pretty good puzzle to solve.

The first thing to do when deciding to target big trout is put away the dry fly. Sure, there are specialized times when big trout will come to the surface, but it’s not something to bank on. Big fish need more calories to sustain themselves and staying near the surface requires more energy, where most often the rewards don’t cover the energy expenditure. Add in large trout are survivors, avoiding exposure to predators, and the smart money goes under water.

Missoula Fly Fishing Guides

One of the best pieces of advice ever is Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result! In order to start changing your result, you need to start changing your habits. If you always go to the same hole on Rock Creek in Montana, and always catch little fish, something has to change. And don’t count on an earthquake changing the nature of that hole! Take it a step further. If you always nymph with your indicator set at 3’, you might want to add some length. Change your depth. Put on a smaller fly than normally used, or a larger one. If you never use weight, maybe you should try some. Change your game, change your strategy. If it doesn’t work, so what! You’ve learned something, and while you didn’t go big, you weren’t going big before, so nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This might sound a bit contradictory to what was just said, but you still need to be familiar with the water you’re fishing before starting to take big fish. Very few anglers step into a new piece of water and start taking lunkers. You need to have some familiarity with where you’re fishing before the big fish will start to show themselves. And they do show themselves. Sometimes you find them by clumsy or inattentive wading. Who hasn’t walked to the edge of a river and spooked a huge fish from the bank. Remember that! Remember where you spooked that big fish! They’re coming back to that spot, because they were there for a reason. Make a note, and choose a different path next time.

Floating anglers have this built in, but for the wading angler, the best tool they have for finding big fish are their boots! You are NOT a tree- move your feet. Big trout don’t come find you, you go find them. The more territory you cover, the better your chances are of finding a bigger fish. This can prove to be problematic for the wading angler on larger rivers. Often the topography simply doesn’t allow for a wide range of movement. Which is too bad, as larger rivers hold a disproportionate number of big trout.

That’s another aspect of big trout hunting. The bigger the watershed, the bigger the trout. In Missoula, the Clark Fork River holds the largest Brown Trout and Rainbow trout in our area, simply because it’s a our biggest river. Everything is oversized, the currents, the lies, the food supply. You name it, it’s bigger. By comparison, though Rock Creek has the most trout per mile of any Missoula River, the average fish size is less than that of our other local rivers. When you’re on the prowl for Mr. Big, the journey often begins at a larger river, but this isn’t always the case.

Missoula Fly fishing

As you cover more ground, be alert for any motion in the water. Your movement along the river creates sensations that big trout don’t enjoy, and the first time you spot a larger fish may be as it slides back under the bank or sideways  to a downed log. Again, remember that spot! If a big trout is there now, it’s there later. Pay attention as you walk the river. Remember, you’re not on salary! Slow and watchful beats fast and careless 99 times out of 100. Walk like you’re being paid by the hour. Of course, if you’re walking through ankle deep water, you can move at pace, but the moment any decent water presents itself, slow down, put your head on a swivel, and start looking for places of food, shelter and low current speed.

Sid Gordon wrote a book called How To Fish From Top To Bottom. He was paid to go to lakes and ascertain if there were any fish in them, and if so, what were they. When coming to new water, he used a white pie plate on a harness that he lowered into the water. If he had 6 feet of visibility, he would cast his lure out and retrieve. If he had no strikes, he would make his next cast 12 feet from the last. His theory, and its a good one, is that if a fish is out and eating, they can see your lure. Whether the fish eats or not can’t be changed, but why go over old ground. A 12’ casting radius with 6’ of visibility covers the most water efficiently. A good lesson when looking for any fish, but especially big ones.

Let’s go one step farther. Big fish are wary, and the act of draping your fly line across the water is disturbing. Focus on what you’re doing, and make the first cast your best cast. Results diminish with every cast, so make the first one count. Unless you’re euronymphing, and making a very light disturbance on the water, each successive cast is more intrusive and less likely to take fish.

Earlier, we said look for fish sliding out of their feeding lanes and back under cover. Big trout are exceptionally structure oriented. If they’re not feeding, they’re under cover. When you go in search of big trout, have a lot of flies with you, because you’re going to lose some. Our Bitterroot River is known for trees in the water, grounded, stump end facing upstream. The root wad breaks the rivers flow, carving out deep side channels on each side. Those root wads scream big fish. Not surprisingly, they’re also full of roots! Which will snag your fly and keep it. It’s a risk/reward situation. Are you willing to put your bug where it needs to be, knowing you probably won’t get it back? That is a question every big fish fisherman asks before they cast. Is it worth it? Before you set out to chase Big Papa, you need to know the answer to that question.

Clark Fork Rainbow Trout Downtown Missoula

Contrary to what was previously said, there are people who come to new water and catch big fish. They’re your everyday, average streamer junkie. You know that angler! Runs a 7 or 8 wt., doesn’t have a floating line, and the flies they throw are close to the size of a trout taking mayflies. They catch big fish. Because that’s all they’re going to catch. Biologists (back to 7th grade!) will tell you that a trout strikes only if they are at least 3 times the prey’s size. When you’re throwing a 6” streamer, unless you find a kamikaze trout, the smallest fish you’ll take is 18”!  Specialized equipment for a specialized task. They keep score in a different way. A brutal yellow flash that turns aside at the last instant counts! You moved a fish as wide as most fish are long. It’s a different game when you’re hunting big fish, and a flash is almost as good as a strike! Keep this in mind, those big fish chasers remember that spot for the next time!

Big fish require different tactics, and a different level of commitment. You’re going to leave your comfort zone, and venture into a new area. It can be frustrating. Success is not going to come walking down the river to shake your hand. There will be days when fish count is lower than flies lost. Chasing big fish is a mindset. For many anglers, it’s not important. But as with all aspects of fly fishing, when you decide to learn something new, the spillover will up your game in every aspect. Learning to examine the water closely will pay dividends no matter what size fish you catch. Expanding your boundaries will quickly improve your casting. This may sound funny, but losing flies makes your knot tying faster and stronger. So as you bumble about on the water the first few times you target that Hooknose, know that whether you’re successful in the short run or not, expanding your fish size will expand your skill set, and that’s never a bad thing!

Missoula Fly Fishing Guide Chase Harrison
Montana Fly Fishing Guide Matt Robb
Missoula Clark Fork River Fly Fishing
Montana Guided Fly Fishing Float Trip
Montana Brown Trout - Missoulian Angler
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Fishing Report

Creek Time

by MAngler

Tributaries in the Western District open the third Saturday of May every year in Montana, opening up a lot of new waters we haven’t been able to fish since December! The cold nights and cooler days will provide some good fishing in the upper reaches of the tribe, so there’s going to be some good fishing to be found!

But as we start to venture farther away from the main stems, we start to wander closer to the wilder sections of our area. For the last two years, the bears have been prevalent in the Blackfoot valley. So if your,re going to head up to your favorite Blackfoot River tributary, you will want to have bear spray. The bears are up and moving, be ready for that situation.

Mooses are starting to calve. When we think of dangerous animals in Montana, we think of bears and wild cats, but in truth, in the Spring Moose can be incredibly dangerous. They are calving, and if you find yourself between a moose and its calf, you are going to have problems! If you see a moose, steer very clear. While moose are normally docile to humans, they will defend their calf vigorously, so don’t spend time looking to see if there’s a calf, just find another place to fish!

It’s still Spring in Montana, so as you venture up the tributaries, make sure to take additional layers, and maybe a little extra water and some essential safety gear. As we all know, the weather in Montana can turn on a dime, so you’ll need to be prepared for whichever way the wind blows. A little pre-planning can be a true life saver if you find yourself high in the hills when the weather gets unfriendly.

Once you’ve made the necessary preparations for Montana’s weather and critters, the fishing can be fantastic as the tributaries open. The Mother’s Day Caddis is still out and about. Make sure to have some dries and pupa to be ready when they come off. The Salmon Flies are right around the corner. While the big bugs probably won’t be flying, the nymphs are starting to stage in the shallows. Make sure you have a few sizable Pat’s Rubberlegs or Some big Double Bead Stones. The fish are looking for these tasty morsels, so make sure you’re prepared.

There is a lot of excitement around Missoula fly fishing when the tribs open, and there’s good reason, especially this year. They should be relatively clear, if still moving fast. The water is cold, and some of the bigger fish will still be holding out of the main stems. Don’t count on much surface activity, so be ready with your streamers and your nymphs. While the opening day is important, not as many anglers will take advantage as you think they will, especially this year, as the students are mostly not here. It will be easy to find the best spots, and make sure you work them well. Fast water keeps the fish close to the bank, so keep your flies there as well.

For some of Missoula’s tributaries, this is the best time to fish them. Some of them get low and warm as the season progresses. If you love the small waters, the solitude of the woods and the simplicity of wading, today will mark the first time in 6 months that you can indulge in these joys.

Flies and Fly Tying

Fly Fishing Jig Nymphs

by MAngler

Perdigon. Perdigone. Doesn’t matter how you spell it, Perdigons are sweeping the fly fishing world. With euro-nymphing as the buzzword, and effectiveness proven, the Perdigon jig nymph is now the hottest style fly we sell for trout at our Missoula fly shop and work anywhere in the world that trout are found. But where did this design come from? It’s a bit of a journey to get from the bottom of the ocean to the shores of the Blackfoot River, Bitterroot River, Clark Fork River and Rock Creek, but the journey was well worth it!

The jig, and jigging, has been popular in saltwater for many years, and then brought to it’s modern fruition in bass fishing. Using a molded lead head, the hook rides inverted (hook point up) and uses an up and down action to attract fish. The advantages of the jig slowly dawned on fly fishermen, and in the late ’80’s Bob Clouser tied the first Clouser Minnow, using Wapsi lead eyes instead of a molded lead head. The Clouser Minnow may have taken as many species as the Woolly Bugger- it’s that effective.

It took a while for the jig hook to catch on amongst fly fishers, but it’s here to stay now. When bouncing a jig nymph along the bottom, the inverted hook point snags less, saving the angler flies and time on the water. Additionally, in order to invert the hook point, the jig style nymph requires a tungsten bead. The tungsten is heavy enough to turn the hook point “over”, if you will. Tungsten is much heavier than the brass beads that were popularized by Theo Bakelaar back in the ’80’s. Theo is from Holland, and was the first to use gold beads in his flies. The slotted tungsten bead is a direct offshoot of Theo’s original gold bead.

Closely intertwined with the emergence of jig nymphs and Perdigons is Euro-nymphing, or Czech nymphing as it was originally called. Euro-nymphing is a highly sophisticated version of high stick nymphing, and without doubt the most effective method of fly fishing. Most of the World Championships of Fly Fishing have been won by people using Euro-nymph techniques. On hard fished waters these bottom bumping tactics move fish that have seen every fly and lure available. In Montana, Euro-nymphing takes so many fish because of the comparative lack of pressure found here. In the summer of 2019, a euro-nymphing guest who competed for a position on the Italian National Fly Fishing Team had two 100+ fish days with one of our Missoula fly fishing guides. Euro nymphing works!

Because Euro-nymphing relies on getting flies deep quickly, the jig nymph is perfect for the application. While not snagless, they certainly hook the bottom with less frequency. The tungsten bead gets the fly to the bottom faster than other materials used in construction. At the Missoulian Angler, we carry over 75 jig nymph patterns and many of them can be found on our online store, but not all of them are Perdigons. Any nymph can be tied on a jig hook- we carry Hare’s Ears, Pheasant Tails and Princes that are tied inverted on a jig hook. Not going to say they aren’t a bit different, but they’re quite recognizable. Many of our jig nymphs use a CDC collar. (More on that later!) The Perdigon is a style of fly that has specific construction techniques.

Perdigons are specialized jig nymphs, and while they vary in color and size, Perdigons are defined by their construction style. They are tied sparsely, usually with a Coq De Leon fiber tail, and the bodies are coated with either UV resin or epoxy. The coating is critical to the Perdigon, as it allows the fly to sink faster. Not due to additional weight, but because the coating is glass smooth, and almost frictionless in the water. The coating dramatically improves sink rate. Some Perdigons are tied with hot spots, or a bright, contrasting band or collar. The hot spot is used to attract fish to the fly, though they’re not found in all Perdigons.

The first time you look at a Perdigon, you wonder why they work. There doesn’t seem to be much there. There isn’t, and that’s the beauty of this style. Because the Perdigons don’t really imitate anything specific, they pretty much imitate most things. The color and shape could be a caddis pupa, a small stonefly or mayfly nymph. Because it’s a universal shape, the Perdigon is never really the wrong fly to tie on. It’s why it’s so effective. The non-denominational nature of the Perdigon makes it universally accepted by fish. Add that to the rapid sink rate, and you have the perfect storm for a nymph.

While Perdigons are very uniform in their shape, size and color are very important. Think of the dominant colors prevalent in insect life in the river at any given time, and match the color and size. In Spring, the G Kes and SR Olive Bullet are both effective, one imitating the Western March Brown and the other the BWO. As run-off ends, again the G Kes is a winner, imitating a small Golden Stone or a PMD nymph. The SR Bullet Quill is also effective for WMB’s and  BWO’s. The Black SR Bullet is perfect for Nemoura nymphs as well as trico nymphs. As you can see, there’s a Perdigon out there for every hatch, and we carry them!

Here’s a heads up. When you go hopper/dropper with a Perdigon, especially in slower water, be ready for a “bump” when the fly hits the nadir of the drop. They sink so quickly that when the Perdigon gets to depth, it might pull on the back of the dry and make you think you had a strike. Just be ready for that. Additionally, you may want to shorten your dropper length just a bit, as the angle from the dry fly with a Perdigon is much steeper than a standard brass bead nymph. It’s why they work.

The CDC collar can be a very effective nymphing weapon if you choose to utilize it. CDC comes from the preen gland of waterfowl, and is very resistant to matting. It’s so effective with dry flies because it holds air bubbles, which refract light and look very realistic as wings on a dry fly. When you first cast a Jig Nymph collared with CDC collar, it’s dry, and retains air bubbles. Those air bubbles refract as well underwater they do on the surface, and really attract the fish. But after 3-4 dunkings, the feathers will mat and lose their ability to hold air bubbles. If the fish are fussy, you may want to take a little Frog’s Fanny or Shimizaki desiccant and dress the collar again. If you’re using a jig with dubbing, try to keep the desiccant away from the body. With a dressed collar, your jig nymph will become a more effective fly. Just a thought!

Jig nymphs have changed the way we nymph for trout. They sink faster, getting them to “the zone” faster. That alone makes them more effective! Add the inverted hook which snags less, and now you’re more willing to get to the zone! You become a better nympher when you use a jig nymph. The best fly fishing guides in Missoula have been using tungsten bead join nymphs for at least 6 years. We think they will change the way you approach your nymphing, and make you a more successful angler.

Some Of Our Favorites

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PT Hot Spot Orange

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Fly Fishing Hot Topics

Beginner’s Guide To Streamer Fishing

by MAngler

Intimidation Factor

For novice fly fishers, learning how to fish streamer’s can feel very intimidating. Which is strange, because as a technique streamer fishing is the easiest to master. Nymphs and dry flies demand a drag free drift, which is not always easy to obtain. Because a streamer imitates a minnow or leech- creatures which can control their movements in the water- they do not require the subtleties of the dead drift. They can be tugged and pulled through the water in any desired direction. Instead of searching for no drag, you’re creating drag that will entice the fish.

Choosing Streamers

The number of streamers available to the angler is absolutely mind-boggling. They’re found in every color under the sun, and range in size anywhere from 1” in length to 7”. Start to add variables like weighted v. weightless, articulated v. single hook and other variations, and it’s enough to send you back to the nymph section!

Choosing streamers is not as difficult as it looks. There are considerations to take when choosing your streamers. The first is the size of the streamer. It needs to be compatible with the line weight you’re using. The lighter the line weight, the smaller the streamer should be. Think of it this way. If you attached a fly to a Ping Pong ball and threw it, it would go a certain distance, and land fairly lightly. In comparison, if you attached a fly to a baseball, you could throw it much farther, and land with much more disturbance. The Ping Pong ball will carry less weight and travel less distance than the baseball. In a nutshell, that’s how fly lines work for streamer fishing.

If your main rod for trout is a 4 wt., you’ll need to choose flies small enough to be controlled by such a light line. However, if you’re using a 7 wt. for trout, you will have access to much larger streamers. The 7 wt. is a much heavier line, and will be able to control a much larger fly. If your fly line falls between, adjust your fly size accordingly.

The leader also plays a critical role in streamer fishing. With nymphs and dry flies, anglers try to use the lightest tippet possible for a better drift. In streamer fishing, a light tippet is counterproductive. Trout taking streamers are not leader shy- they are slashing at a moving target with very little concern for tippet size. If you decide to fish streamers, a spool of 1X tippet, or a 7.5’ 1X tapered leader will prove to be very helpful. The thicker leader will transfer more of the casting energy to the fly, allowing you to straighten line and leader with less difficulty. The thicker tippet also resists abrasion, which is important, as larger trout often live in some pretty gnarly spots!

Once you know the correct and approximate streamer size, you need to decide what colors you’re going to carry. To simplify matters, we’re going to fall back on some classic thoughts on streamers from the 40’s and 50’. Dark day, dark fly- light day, light fly- bright day, bright fly. Which means on a cloudy day, or in stained water, a black fly will provide the best silhouette. On a lighter day, try a tan or white fly. On a sunny day, try a fly with a lot of flash. So as you choose your streamers, choose with that in mind. The other thing to keep in mind is size. Have a big and small fly in light dark and bright, always remembering the limitations in size as defined by the line size you’re using. Now you have your flies, it’s time to go fishing!

Streamer Tactics

If you’re floating the river, tactics for streamer fishing are quite easy. Since 80% of the fish are found within 10’ of the shoreline, you will be casting your streamer to the edge of the bank, and moving your streamer away from shore. Correct streamer technique has the angler pointing the rod tip directly at the fly, and manipulating the fly with your line hand by pulling on the line. If you use the rod tip to move the fly, the tip is moving backwards, and if the trout strikes near the end of your rod’s backward swing, the rod tip will not be able to move further back far or fast enough to set the hook. The streamer is a large hook, and it takes a lot of force to set it it. Additionally, the trout is slashing at the fly, and the time you have to set the hook is very brief. Having the ability to sweep the rod its entire length while yanking on the line gives the angler a better chance to hook the fish in that brief moment.

A wading angler has a different approach. You will be fishing your streamer across the river, casting at approximately a 30 degree angle downstream. The fly will swing down downstream through an arc. Allow the fly to extend almost straight out below you. The line should extend for two reasons. One, if you’ve attracted a fish from mid river, the extension of the cast allows the fly to stay in the water longer, allowing the trout a longer time to decide to eat. Second, since most fish live next to the bank, the full extension allows the trout by the shore to get a look at the shore.

Once you’ve completed a cast, take a step downstream and do it again. Streamer fishing is about covering water. You want to give as many fish as you can a chance to see your fly. Standing in the same spot limits how many fish will see the fly. As you cast downstream, again, you will be manipulating the fly with your line hand as you follow the path of the fly with your rod tip. The manipulation should be arrhythmic, imitating a wounded or injured baitfish. As a strategy for manipulation, start with small, slower movements, and as you progress, make the movements bigger and more forceful. Don’t worry, you can’t move the streamer so fast a trout can’t catch it if it wants your fly. Let the trout tell you how they want the streamer moved, so make sure you vary your retrieve throughout the day.

Streamer fishing is never the “wrong” way to fish, though the results will vary widely from day to day. At any given time in a body of water, there are smaller fish available for larger fish. So the streamer is never wrong. However, biologists say a trout needs to be at least 3 times larger than its intended prey. That means if you use a 3’ fly, the smallest trout that will eat that fly is 9”, and will probably be larger than that. When you fish a streamer, you are removing approximately 60% of the trout population from eating your fly. It’s too big for those trout to eat/attack. Which means streamer fishing can be slower than other types of fishing, but the rewards can be very big!

Final Thoughts

A last thought on steamer fishing. When thinking of dry flies, nymphs and streamers, the least intrusive type of fishing is dry fly fishing. Since dry fly fishing only disturbs the surface, it affects the least amount of water. Nymphing, because it’s underwater, disturbs the stream a bit more. Streamer fishing is the most intrusive style of fly fishing, as the streamer is subsurface, and pulled vigorously through the water over a longer distance. So if you’re planning on fishing a section of river for an extended period of time, don’t start with streamers. Work the water with a dry, move to nymphs, and then try streamers. Unless you plan to keep moving all day, the streamer may not be your first choice when you approach the river. But when you decide to dedicate some time to the streamer, you’ll find the size of the trout you’re catching will get much larger. Big fish eat little fish!

Additional Streamer Fishing Resources

Streamer Overview
13 Tips For Fly Fishing Streamers
Best Streamer Fly Patterns