Big Streamers

[dillon]

I picked up these bad boys at a fly swap last night. Everyone laid there flies on a table and we were free to take what we liked. I have never fished flies like these, but I thought they were cool, particularly the one in front. So, streamer folks, please tell me what would you use this fly for and how would you fish it?

 

[bigjim5589]

I've tied & used similar for SM & LM bass, and Striped Bass. They should be good for any predatory fish species, including larger trout.

The waters should dictate how best to fish them. I've done it in both current and stillwater. In current, up and across, with short strips and mends, or even dead drifting them down & across on the swing can produce. In waters with little or no current, cast and strip them back, and varying the strip cadence and speed until you find what the fish want.

I really like anything tied with rabbit stips! This one is about 6" long.

 

[Meadowlark]

I'd use the one in back as a sardine imitation for Baja Roosterfish. Good looking fly.

Not so much on the front one....probably a LMB fly for me.

 

[kentuckysteve]

Great looking flies.In my waters they would be excellent lm and sm bass flies.
The bunny flies really breathe and i don't think there is a wrong way to retrieve them.

 

[bigjim5589]

I didn't tie this one. It's about 8" long. I would use the black one in your pic too. Black's always been a productive color for me, especially for bass.

 

[Rip Tide]

Big Fly--- Big Fish.
(At least that's what my father always told me)

Big Bulky Fly---- Casting Nightmare
(that one I learned on my own)

I agree with Meadowlark. The blue one is a sardine
Big deerhair heads like the one on the right push a lot of water and therefore get noticed in murky water.
They also have a measure of resistance.
By that I mean that even in the wildest water, you can still maintain a tight line, keeping in touch with the fly

I fish big streamers for striped bass all the time. 6-8 inches
For ease of casting, you need to keep the bulk down.
Usually just the suggestion of a wide profile is all you need

 

[karstopo]

That one in the foreground made from rabbit zonker will likely get heavy once the rabbit gets soaked. It might tend to float before it gets soaked. I never liked a lot of rabbit zonker on a pattern if I was going to sight cast a fish. The fly might still be floating (this has happened to me) when the sighted fish moves out of range. Once zonker gets soaked through, it gets very heavy and harder to cast.

The synthetic sardine looks like a great surf/open water option and would probably work on a variety of fish in the mackerel, jack, tuna and other predator type of families. The material looks similar to Steve Farrar Blend that I use on saltwater patterns around my home.

I can’t tell exactly what’s going on with the black pattern. I do like a water pushing pattern as previously mentioned for murkier water. Fish in general have way more power to locate flies in stained or opaque water than most ever give them credit for. I frequently fly fish in water of about one foot of visibility and frequently connect with fish in that type of water using a variety of patterns. Humans may have higher reasoning powers, but most creatures including fish have highly sensitive and refined senses that we could only dream about having. Water pushing flies seem to hit those prey detecting fish senses that might be associated with the lateral line.

 

[clsmith131]

I would use those on fw striper, where threadfin shad are the main forage, or if Blueback herring have been introduced. The black one would be a good night time fly for casting points and sandy banks. It looks like it would throw a decent wake, or maybe "walk" on the surface a little. The other 2 would be good around dock lights, or surfacing fish.

 

[dillon]

Some interesting replies and images on this thread. I dont know what the tyers had in mind on these flies and although i havent fished flies like them I guess the fly I tied below is considered a streamer. It's a shrimp pattern tied on a tube that I swing for winter steelhead with a two hand rod. Out here I think the streamers in my op could be used for bull trout as the like to eat small trout, white fish and sculpins. It's hard to see the black fly, but it has a large spun deer hair head. I think it would work for steelhead swung on a sink tip. Karstopo, I know what you mean about rabit fur being hard to cast when soaked. I first tied large steelhead flies with rabbit strips and they werent too bad but have since gone to marabou, arctic fox, temple dog, and synthetic flashy stuff. Fished with a sz 2 bait hook trailing stinger this thing is nearly weightless. Although I have not done much small mouth bass fishing they are abundant in the Columbia and Willamette systems and Id like to give it a try for a close to home fishery. I will try these flies then.

 

[trout trekker]

Re: Honestly, I wouldn't use it. It's just not something I'd reach for. Big Streamers

To the OP patterns, honestly, I wouldn't use it. It's just not something I'd reach for. The blue over white mylar concoction to the rear looks something like I'd reach for in the salt & freshwater, such as a 2/0 Hi-Tie I've had success with on Nevada's Pyramid Lake, modified to match a Sacramento Perch. I'm not opposed to the limited use of rabbit strips on my own flies ( zonkers etc. ), but because I can get into a situation that requires a lot of blind casting - hundreds of casts in a day, when it comes to large streamers I tend to use more water wicking materials to lighten the load. When I see double bunny flies like the one in the foreground the term " casting a wet kitten " comes to mind. Given a choice, I tend to lean towards feathers & bucktail, then Puglisi's fibers.

Dave

 

[Flyrod Buddy]

Fish them and drift them up to downstream past structure


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[philly]

I'm not a big fan of rabbit/zonker strip streamers. As already mentioned they get heavy when wet and the few I've tied have tended to foul. I like the blue/white bait fish pattern. It's similar to the style I tie, and as is would work in both fresh and salt water around here. I like to keep my big streamers light as I often toss them with my 6 wgt. I stick to buck tail and feathers and artificial materials. Here is a couple of the ones I tie. The first one is my favorite. It's worked well in both fresh and salt water.