Productive Downstream Streamer Technique

[FrankB2]

It's not the first time I've used this technique, but for the past month I've used it extensively on the Delaware River. I was standing above some riffles,
talking on the phone, and a stripped bass* grabbed my Clouser. The fishing hadn't been too productive that day, and this was the first fish I caught. In my world, if it works once, it should work again. I drifted the Clouser back through the riffles again, and quickly caught another striper. A few smallmouth and stripers later, the action slowed down. I walked downstream to the top of the riffles, and noticed little minnows swimming in place like they were possessed! Since fly anglers try to mimick the behavior of insects/etc, I see this as imitating the behavior of the possessed minnows. I've had this happens before, usually walking upstream without retrieving my line, or...talking on the phone (Jr calls a lot to complain about being bored while on duty).

The weather turned here in the last day: much lower temps and steady showers. The Delaware River water level jumped in 24 hours, and I went fishing for smallmouth. I've been unsuccessful the past couple of outings, but hooked in 5 nice smallies once I found where they were holding. The first was the largest, and I must have fed 70 feet of line out when he whalloped the Clouser. He immediately began jumping, and was quite a brute for its size. I was using the questionable Umpqua 3X leader mentioned in another thread, and thought I'd never get this fish to the net. The current was swift, and my rod was bent more than I've seen in quite a while! Needless to say, I re-tied the Clouser after each smallmouth. Ya' never know.....



*PA's Fish Commission stocks the Delaware River with stripped bass.

[mcnerney]

Frank: Nice going, congrats on the great looking smallie!

Larry

[FrankB2]

Hi Larry,
Thanks! That fish was just what I needed. The best I've been able to get in the past week was a couple of bluegill. I didn't measure the fish, but it looks like a solid 14 incher to me. After I snapped a quick pic, he jumped right out of the net with the same ferocity as his earlier leaps. Even the smaller smallmouth fought like maniacs this afternoon. The change in weather seems to have given them an appetite.

EDIT: That's a 3.5" reel, but it's hard to estimate size from that. In this case, it was the insane fight. Toward the end, that smallmouth held its ground about
15 feet from me. I thought he was wrapped around something, but he wasn't. Gotta love a fish like that!

[chi flyfisher]

Talking on the phone!!!

[hangin chad]

Originally Posted by FrankB2

EDIT: That's a 3.5" reel, but it's hard to estimate size from that. In this case, it was the insane fight. Toward the end, that smallmouth held its ground about
15 feet from me. I thought he was wrapped around something, but he wasn't. Gotta love a fish like that!

Nice fish, man!

Here's an idea for getting a measurement after the fact: get your net and the pic you posted, and you should be able to get close. Eyeball where the mouth is resting on the rim and measure almost straight across away from the handle.

Could work

[FrankB2]

I usually try to match the fishes' length to some point along the rod, and then measure later. Seeing that this guy was made to fight his way upstream, I wanted to get him back in the water quickly. So many people tell me that they caught a 22" (seems to be the favorite number ) trout in the local stocked lake, perpetuating the notion that fishermen are all liars.....

Chi,
I used to look foward to Jr's phone calls when the fishing was slow. 9 times out of 10, a fish of some sort would take my dangling streamer/bugger. Now
he seems to only call at night..... The whole thing slowed down the presentation, even if it was like holding the dumb end of a measuring tape.

This one was a solid 16 inches, but didn't fight as hard as today's smallmouth (maybe.....):

YouTube- Smallmouth Neshaminy Creek May 25, 2010.... Flyfishing

YouTube- Smallmouth Neshaminy Creek May 25, 2010.... Flyfishing

That could be the difference between a creek smallmouth in May, and a big river smallmouth in August....

[jcw355]

I'll do that too, more misses fishing downstream but I'll take a miss over no bites any day.

[FrankB2]

Most of the takes were light, but they were downright vicious yesterday. I forgot to mention that I fed out line, and then move it from left to right. If
nothing takes, I fed a few more feet of line downstream, and repeat. The smallmouth have been tending to congregate in pods, so once I've homed in on them, there are usually a few fish caught in that spot.

[Hardyreels]

Nice smallie Frank,

I used to fish that way from my drift boat (in boats they call it 'Back Trolling' least they used to. It's how I fished the lower part of pine creek for bass. It works well.

Nice fish, brings back memories

[papabearoutdoors]

Originally Posted by FrankB2

Most of the takes were light, but they were downright vicious yesterday. I forgot to mention that I fed out line, and then move it from left to right. If
nothing takes, I fed a few more feet of line downstream, and repeat. The smallmouth have been tending to congregate in pods, so once I've homed in on them, there are usually a few fish caught in that spot.

been known to use that technique as well for holed up trout. i even will go right off the reel and slowly feed it out and reel in slowly....

very unconventional but it works.

glad to know someone else is using similar techniques