Your go to "streamer chucking" streamer for trout, what is it?

[John Sv]

I like tying and throwing versions of classic streamers because I think they make me look handsome, make my waistband less girthy, and make me a hit with the ladies, but seem to do the most catching on huge dark wooly buggers. And a Goblin in the spring if the water has color. I haven't seemed to notice a large difference in the preference of the fish in California, Nevada or Oregon.

Looking for inspiration at the fly tying bench...whatcha like to use?

[Bob Loblaw]

egg sucking leech. Seem to have more success with the black buggers if there's a big orange cone on the front.

[PV_Premier]

zuggers are a nice twist on the classic woolly bugger and equally effective.

bellyache minnows are money on the lower yuba and i would have to imagine on other local streams too.

[mattv-mcfly]

I'm in love with buggers. They are my go to when fishing unfamiliar places.

After fishing sculpin patterns with success I decided to come up with something more original that worked better around here. I created the Hero Sculpin and it's been my go-to for streamer fishing. I've used them on the Yuba, Putah, the Feather River forks, and the Truckee.

http://s12.postimg.org/jytq10gel/Hero_Sculpin.jpg

[Rossflyguy]

My go to is something I call the happy meal. It's a bow streamer. If that fails I'll throw mini sculpzillas, slump busters, and other big streamers.

[JasonB]

Depends on where, and when. Overall, if I'm swinging and stripping streamers I tend to go for sculpin patterns more often than not. I tie variation of bunny leaches a lot, almost always in sculpin colors with an exaggerated head. There are times and places though where those just don't seem as productive for me and I opt for smaller stuff. If I could only have one streamer it would have to be a sz 8 wooly bugger in either black, black, or black (or maybe olive?). I say that only because of the versatility of the a modest size WB, that thing can catch fish in so many places and so many presentations. For prospecting for bigger fish though, sculpins are my favorite, most of the time. Of course this begs the age old question: do I fish those a lot because I catch a lot of fish on them... or do I catch a lot of fish with them because I fish them a lot?
JB

[John Sv]

Cool!
You guys using sculpzillas (and mattvmcfly it looks like your fly uses a shank-n-octopus trailer) do you have hookup issues? I'm of the ilk that supposes fish eat sculpins head first so the hook in theory would be best served close to the head. But I really have no quantitative analisys and it might all be much ado about nuthin'

[John Sv]

My go to is something I call the happy meal. It's a bow streamer. If that fails I'll throw mini sculpzillas, slump busters, and other big streamers.

Got a picture of said happy meal? I'm envisioning either red/yellow, or maybe hamburglar striped black and white? :)

[Mark Kranhold]

John! I do love me some sculpins!11576

[mattv-mcfly]

Cool!
You guys using sculpzillas (and mattvmcfly it looks like your fly uses a shank-n-octopus trailer) do you have hookup issues? I'm of the ilk that supposes fish eat sculpins head first so the hook in theory would be best served close to the head. But I really have no quantitative analisys and it might all be much ado about nuthin'

I've experimented with both trailer and stinger hook point up hooks with my Hero Sculpin. I hooked the same amount of fish on both hook styles but got way less spits with the trailer. I fish my streamers with a fast and steady strip retrieve so the fish don't have much time to eat the head of the fly. They just react and hit the trailer.

I get a few short strikes with the trailer from time to time but at least I get a nice solid hook-up.
The stinger hooks work great for bass.

[John Sv]

Mark, that's a good looking fly!
Matty, thanks for the insight!