Help me tie better streamers.

[ivory arrow]

Hi guys. I’ve been tying a couple years now but am only getting into streamers in the past few weeks. I don’t know much about them.

The real question I want to ask from you guys is what are your favorite synthetic materials and hairs. I bought some “slinky fiber” which is imitation bucktail. So far I like it a lot. It’s like a softer, translucent, and more durable bucktail. But I want some kind of fur that breathes in the water.

I am looking at EP minnow fibers. I know his brushes are popular too.

I want to tie some slump buster type things, and clousers, but really it’s all new to me. If any streamer guys wouldn’t mind sharing your favorite patterns and what makes them special I am all ears.


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[photoguy]

I tie a streamer with two colors of Targus Fox Furr, slightly longer than the hook. I do sort out the wispy ends before laying it on the hook. It has great movement in the water and holds up over time. White on the bottom and either white, purple or brown on top. Wrap the hook shank with a single piece of flash then add a couple of pieces of flash slightly longer than the body. I use a bead head with a few wraps of lead and I whip finish with a small bright red thread wrap behind the bead. Pretty easy and quick to tie but more importantly it works great.

 

[jspfishing]

Oh man, theres so much. Haha. I still like to use a lot of bucktail and rabbit, but if you want a pure synthetic slump buster, you can try the dragon tails and polar fiber around the collar. There's various pre made brushes you can use. EP is good, but it can hold a little bit of water. Renzetti makes a lot of great synthetic fibers. Translucy, SF, baitfish fibers, and frizz fiber are my favorite. I do a lot of game changer flies and bucktail streamers. Doing a CK baitfish will be an easy and super effective pattern. Also, a Kreelex with Kreinik material. Has to be Kreinik lol just my opinion though. An upcoming popular synthetic buck tail is squimpish fibers. Hairs will have to be polar fiber, or craft fur.

Game changer flies can take awhile but so worth it. With 6+ articulations, the action is hard to beat. You can easily do them with a baitfish brush. I do them in buck tail, baitfish material (renzetti), Translucy, and finesse chenille (large). Don't get the original minnow wrap material. It holds water. The picture below is a game changer with finesse chenille. Its about 2.75" with 6 articulations.

 

[clsmith131]

There are a lot. I like to use polar fiber, angel hair, icelandic sheep's wool, to name a few. They all move great in the water. I also like to use flouro fiber for hot spots, it's very reflective and comes in a lot of colors.

 

[ivory arrow]

Thanks guys. I will look into some of those materials.


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[hambone111]

I have found that i gravitate toward bucktail, Lazer dub, rabbit strips for a lot of my patterns.

What i notice is professional tyers i follow will do the same thing, they work with the same 4-6 materials en mass over and over again because it works for the types of fishing they do.

i for example do almost 100% river wading fishing. so im always fishing a current, even a slow one, and i only occasionally get true still water. as a result im imitating a lot of small baitfish, on steady retrieves, i usually start with a "strip, strip, strip, pause, repeat" retrieve. i love to tie game changers but they were designed for Pike fishing, which is flat water lakes or rivers, generally still water tho. you need that still water to get the hover and pause of the wiggle tail. a game changer thrown in steady current doesnt really have much effect because its just flailing about with the tail like that.

So i would say find and tie a bunch of patterns and then find what materials and patterns are working in your fishing environment and work patterns and materials around that. it will take time and testing but over the years you will probably develop a core material base that works for what you fish for more than anything. its sort of a self selecting process.

good tying !!