who dead drifts streamers?

[two_nymph_rig]

Just curious who here will dead drifts streamers along the bottom. I fish a river where leeches are very prevalent, and I think dead drifting a leech along the bottom, with a stonefly drop would be very effective. Do I need to do anything different than I would fishing a nymph rig? do you usually swing it back at the end of the drift? I have never done this before, but would like to start trying it.

---------- Post added at 09:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------

More specifically, thinking about flies like a simi seal leech and egg sucking leech, among others that have a lot of movement.

 

[itchmesir]

Dead drifting streamers is common... Whenever I do it... I'll make most of each cast... Drift... Let it swing past me and strip it back before casting back upstream... Cover a lot of water this way...

 

[two_nymph_rig]

Do you fish it as you normally would a nymph rig? With weight and an indicator?

 

[jbird]

Ive caught MONSTER winter steelhead with small egg sucking leeches under an indicator. Fish it just like you described

 

[itchmesir]

I personally wouldn't use an indicator... Just because on the strip back is be splashing water... And all my leech patterns are weighted

 

[jaybo41]

i fish mine just as these guys have mentioned, including the simi seal leeches. Swing it, drift it, twitch it, strip it. I'll add weight if I need to, it all depends on where i'm fishing--current, depth, where the fish are hanging out. When I fish simi seal leeches, they're beaded with tungsten and or brass with a few wraps of wire for weight.

 

[Ard]

I've been tying then (streamers) since my very first attempt at making a fly and trying to catch fish with them for the same length of time. What all that time has done is to allow me to actually know an answer to some questions. Remember, I said 'an answer' not, the answer

Now that I've gotten you to read something that had no bearing on what the fellow ask; I'll say that a good part of every cast I make, unless the cast is quartered across & downstream, is dead drifting my streamer. What is perhaps important for you to note would be that except for one incident, 100% of the fish I catch take the fly on the cross current swing or the dangle.

You may find that you can float even an exquisitely tied Gray Ghost beneath an indicator and catch a fish but you will not have had the thrill, the sense of achievement, that comes with having learned to effectively work a streamer fly and have a fish smack it hard on a tight line! When you feel that jolt of life energy and wildness, transmitted through the line that connects you to one of the Earths wonders, a trout or salmon, you will know exactly what I mean and why I have been fishing streamers religiously for so long

Since I mentioned the pattern in my reply, & have a copy handy.......
​

 

[itchmesir]

You may find that you can float even an exquisitely tied Gray Ghost beneath an indicator and catch a fish but you will not have had the thrill, the sense of achievement, that comes with having learned to effectively work a streamer fly and have a fish smack it hard on a tight line! When you feel that jolt of life energy and wildness, transmitted through the line that connects you to one of the Earths wonders, a trout or salmon, you will know exactly what I mean and why I have been fishing streamers religiously for so long

The tug is the drug!

 

[jbird]

I love fishing streamers, theres so many presentations that work. I mentioned fishing one under an indicator because thats what the original question asked. It is super deadly! but there are many other presentations that work well. Many of which require a little practice and intuition. One of my favorite presentations with streamers is to do a slow, deep swing with several feet of line in my hand, and randomely I will drop a couple feet of line to make that streamer die for a moment. Then pick up the line with some jerky strips, then drop it a again. Many times, a fish is tracking the fly and this technique can illicit a response.

 

[Rip Tide]

High stick dead drifting a pair of streamers in the long shore current
Stripers patrol in close looking for bait that's been stunned by the surf

 

[cpowell]

itch pegged it in all 3 posts.

You can fish a bugger as a leach or large nymph with dead drift and it works well.

I always dead drift when stripping and vice verse.

I know a few guys who use an indicator because they never strip.

And then Ard slammed it home, the wait comes with a feel...not just sight. When the connect occurs the rush is worth the wait.

 

[cab]

I've got a lot to learn about streamers. There's a lot I'd love to learn about
streamers.

The only fish I've caught on streamers were on a dead drift under an indicator, nymph style. I used weighted streamers, in fact, the streamers were the weight. Worked pretty well. Especially deadly off the back of a drift boat!

CAB

PS: In his book, "Barr Flies", John recommends dead drifting streamers.

 

[wjc]

Dead drifting streamers is one of the most effective ways of hooking tarpon in the rivers, cuts and channels in the back country when you know, or think you know, where they are holding. And I am never in a hurry to retrieve either - especially when using bunny tails.

Two years ago, I came close to breaking a rod when I didn't even know I was fishing. It was getting late, and I was untangling the Q-beam cord from in the center console getting it ready for nightfall, and had stripped in all my line and laid the fly on the deck with the rod tip over the gunwhale.

Evidentally, a loop of line fell into the water while I was tangled up in electric cord and fly line, and I didn't notice it, being occupied with the mess. The loop had sucked the fly overboard and down the cut. Suddenly all hell broke loose with line, cord, light and rod suddenly heading out over the transom. I was able to grab the rod and break off the tarpon, but just barely in time. I didn't figure tangled marine electric wire would make it through the guides.

My buddy has hooked so many with a fly just swimming lazly in place, he looks like he's bait fishing half the time. He attributes that technique to the fact that he's either eating or chain smoking most of the time and was always hooking up while lighting up or stuffing his face.

It's a method that works for a lot of species and you don't need much current - especially with bunny tails.

 

[chased]

I have an amigo who does this all the time. Casts up stream, dead drifts back, and lets it swing down. He catches trout like crazy doing this.

chase

 

[JoJer]

This is one of the first lessons for new fly fishers. The "stunned baitfish" tumbling downstream that "wakes" and heads for shallower water.

 

[theboz]

Dead drifting streamers is such a great method to take all kinds of fish in current whether in rivers, streams , cross currents or tidal flows. But with that being said for me the strip , strip ,strip , pause strip, strip, and BAM on a tight line just makes my day!!