Tandem Streamer Rig ?

[tie one on]

Good Day to All,

I know we have discussed a tandem rigging before, but that was
primarily for smaller flies. Have any of you ever tried a tandem
rig for bigger streamer flies ? I talking about using like a Cone Head
Muddler & then a smaller streamer as the trailer fly. ( I happened to
record a TV program from a local fly shop, Great Lakes Fly Fishing
Co. & he was out west using that type of rigging. I'm sure that he
was using a 7 or 8 weight rod, but did not catch what length of
leader, etc. Anyone ever use that type of rig ?

Just a suggestion if you answer : add what flies (unless their a secret)
add leader length & lb. test line
add distance between the flies
add floating or sink tip fly line

Always in the Water,

Tie One On

[Joni]

I use a Tandem rig all the time. For Rivers I Tie the big fly on them a smaller off the bend or eye.
On Stillwater, I take about 6' to 8' of straight flouro (4,6,or 8lb) fold it in half but with one side being about 12" to 24" longer. I then tie the Bigger fly on the longer and a smaller fly on the shorter. Makes it look like a big being chased or something. Anyway, that is the set up I use and I have caught two'ers a lot with this.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi tie one on,

I have done a lot of streamer fishing in Alaska and I found that I had better results using a single fly. Using a sink tip fly line and a short leader of 4' to 6' long. I fished weighted streamers and kept it on or very near to the bottom. With a good currant the weighted fly with a trailer had more of a tendency to hang up. I learned to fish a single streamer that I could control where it was in the water column with out hanging up. Lake fishing is a different situation and double streamers can be use quite successfully. If you just have to give it a try for river fishing I would keep the dropper fly close to the lead streamer. Nor more than 12" and I would use about 8" in currant. The reason I would keep it short in currant is that things happen quickly in a strong currant. If a fish takes a look at your lead streamer you need the dropper to appear quickly so you increase your chances at a reaction strike. The fish won't have much time to make up it's mind due to the currant.

[Fly2Fish]

Frank, I just returned from salmon fishing on the White River in Alaska, and agree with everything you say. Fishing double streamers is too tough for me to do in the stretches of fast water I was fishing.

[Frank Whiton]

Thanks Fly2Fish,

I think it helps folks to know that sometimes I know what I am talking about.

I am not sure where the White River is located. I know the White Mountains by Fairbanks but I don't recall the White River. Is it by Nome?

How was your Salmon fishing? Lets hear of your good time in Alaska.

[Fly2Fish]

Frank,
Sorry I've been so long in responding to your question. I just now got around to loading my digital camera pictures on the computer.

The White River I was fishing on (with guide, since it was a shore excursion from a cruise) was near Ketchikan. Beautiful river - lots of bald & golden eagles, some bears, lots of beaver/muskrats (picture attached, if I can get the technology right). Caught several Pink Salmon in the half-day we had (one picture also attached). It was strange to me to be fishing to fish which are not eating. We used colorful streamers which apparently irritated the non-feeding salmon so that they would snap at them out of irritation - nevertheless, it worked well.

[maineguide]

I might be a bit lost do you mean 2 hooks on a fly or like a dropper rig?
We use a tandem rig here in Maine and it is 2 hooks on a streamer, and the whole fly is about 3"-4".

[alanthealan]

Joni

Wouldn't that setup get a bit twisted?

[Fly2Fish]

I might be a bit lost do you mean 2 hooks on a fly or like a dropper rig?

I mean more like a dropper setup, as I think most of the other responders mean as well. That is, an extra fly on a 12"-18" tippit extension tied onto the original fly's hook (or tied onto the tippit before the original fly). There's lots of arguments whether it's better to tie the "dropper" fly tippit extension onto the bend of the hook of the original fly, or whether to tie it on the tippit upstream of the original fly so that it floats independently of the original fly, but the basic principle's the same.

[Frank Whiton]

Frank,
Sorry I've been so long in responding to your question. I just now got around to loading my digital camera pictures on the computer.

The White River I was fishing on (with guide, since it was a shore excursion from a cruise) was near Ketchikan. Beautiful river - lots of bald & golden eagles, some bears, lots of beaver/muskrats (picture attached, if I can get the technology right). Caught several Pink Salmon in the half-day we had (one picture also attached). It was strange to me to be fishing to fish which are not eating. We used colorful streamers which apparently irritated the non-feeding salmon so that they would snap at them out of irritation - nevertheless, it worked well.

Hi Fly2Fish,

Salmon caught in rivers are almost all reaction strikes except for egg clusters. I don't think we know why Salmon will pick up egg clusters.

Your pictures did not post. I would sure like to see them. The pictures must be on a server somewhere on the Internet for you to post them. It won't work if they are just on your computer. If you upload them to the photo gallery on this forum you can then post them in a message.