How About a Trout Streamer Thread?

[Ard]

I mean a thread on which to paste pictures of your favorite streamers for trout. I just answered a post on another forum asking "what are your top 5 trout streamers" and after a moments thought I copied the pictures and am posting here.

A thread filled with pictures is always a good thing I think :cool:

Different streamers for different species of fish sometimes;


All trout everywhere = Ard's Nine Three or the original 9/3
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/ArdsNineThree0001_zpseea74b48.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/ArdsNineThree0001_zpseea74b48.jpg.html)

While the 9 - 3 works everywhere I've fished trout I used Oatman's Brook Trout on wild brook trout streams almost exclusively.
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/BrookTroutMini0001.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/BrookTroutMini0001.jpg.html)

For wild brown trout where they make babies I made The Answer and it worked very well.

Dry in Vise
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/TheAnswer0001.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/TheAnswer0001.jpg.html)

When wet
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/Answerwet0001.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/Answerwet0001.jpg.html)

For rainbow Trout here in Alaska where they are often in the deep and swift I use the Big Fat Bunny Fur Sculpin
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/Sculpin0768_zpsc983f92b.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/Sculpin0768_zpsc983f92b.jpg.html)

And while not the top producer the Gray Ghost has worked everywhere I ever fished so it makes the cut also.
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/GrayGhost0001_zpsed9f1a61.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/GrayGhost0001_zpsed9f1a61.jpg.html)
It is no doubt true that a lot of fish get caught on Wooly bugger's I've only ever used the Bugger one time. I did catch a fish but it just wasn't the same. I like my fancy stuff and continue to build all sort of pretty flies that catch fish as well as fishermen :)

[John Sv]

I like a Black Ghost when the water is off color, especially on stocked rainbows. I'm with you on buggers although fish them more than you... Nice job on those ties!

[Ard]

I've tied some Black Ghost's over the years and fished with them. The strange thing is that I don't recall ever having a trout stuck to one of them. It may be that if we try something when we are young and it works we tend to stick with it, the old confidence thing I guess.

I guess that if we were to page through any number of pattern books containing classic feather wing streamer patterns I have tied and tried a vast majority of known and little known patterns. The post that I responded to had ask what were the top five and the ones pictured have all been good to use. The Sculpin is a product of evolution in that it began as the classic Muddler I made circa 1977 and then slowly morphed into the Whitlock Sculpin patterns finally ending up as shown. I was at first suspect of those flat metal heads due to weight and difficulty to cast. I solved that by making leaders for them scaled from 50 Lb. down to a 15 Lb tippet. With lines of at least 600 grains they are manageable. If I intend to fish with those all day I take a rod that uses an 850 grain line and it carries the weighted flies very well. Due to the mass of the wet materials and the metal head there is no need for a sink tip. When you get into a spot where there are plenty of trout and can move one of them deep across the currents they work great. I don't know if they are grabbed as Sculpins or leech's but the results are good.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Ard.....

This is one of the nicest posts I have seen in a while. Your flies and photos are beautiful.


I first sold flies over 50 years ago at Sports Unlimited, a top sporting goods store, on Arden Way in Sacramento, California.

Back then we had tons of old classic streamers, classic winged wet flies and dry flies.

Not too many nymphs were available in the 1960s compared to today.


Sadly the Woolley Bugger put an end to most of the classic streamers.

Nymphs put an end to many of the classic winged wet flies.


Kelly Galloup is one of the most visible trout streamer guys today.

His videos, fly lines and flies have moved many to fishing streamers for trout on moving water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr_SwnIx6bA

.

[Ard]

Hi Bill,

I must say that any store selling classic feather wing streamers on a road called 'Arden Way' meets my approval :)

I try not to go over board on my fly tying but was sort of tutored into proper tying by some very good tiers back in Pennsylvania when I was young. It stuck and I became a streamer guy when I didn't know of any others. Back then everyone fished, as you say, dries or wet flies. I sort of broke away little by little as I began to understand more about proper presentation of the big wets. Once I began to think I had it down I'd say I spent 80% of my fishing with submerged flies and only the remaining 20 on dries.

I've always viewed the Woolybugger as simply a long shank version of the old British pattern known as The Grub and illustrated in an old tying guide by Thomas E. P. Tannatt. Somehow we immigrated the Grub to America and renamed it Woolybugger and the rest is history. The Grub is a productive fly for almost anything that swims and that I believe is the attraction of the Bugger also.

I just like pretty flies, here's one ready to go this past fall.

http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/0964_zpsepkgnxks.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/0964_zpsepkgnxks.jpg.html)

I still use all my old single hand rods for small stream fishing here and look forward to a day with both classic gear and flies.

Ard

[Ard]

My collection of streamers isn't huge but it does include some seldom seen flies in real life use.

Preston Jennings's Lord Iris;
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/LordIbis0001_zps34d50088.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/LordIbis0001_zps34d50088.jpg.html)

The Cupsuptic; I could have done a better build on the silk on this but it is the one I photographed.
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/Cuptuptic0001_zpsa61af425.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/Cuptuptic0001_zpsa61af425.jpg.html)

I still tie some stuff just because I can, a sort of fun with feathers. The next 2 are takes on some Cains RIver patterns, the Cains River Rainbow I'd call them.

One a little pale with wood duck;
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/CainsRainbow0332_zpsbcf9c0e6.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/CainsRainbow0332_zpsbcf9c0e6.jpg.html)

And one more vivid using Tragopan for the tailhttp://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/Newcainsrainbow0341_zps029726c8.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/Newcainsrainbow0341_zps029726c8.jpg.html)

This past season I handed a fellow a fly he chose from one of my boxes to fish for silvers, a Cains River Miramichi, he proceeded to catch several nice salmon on the Atlantic Salmon streamer pattern.

This fly is from a batch I tied back in 1980 or 82 I think. I had begun fishing Northern Maine for Land Locked Salmon in 1980 and that really set me into a classic tying binge.

The Supervisor; this and others were tied on the first Ball Eye hooks I'd ever owned.
http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/Materials%20Image%20Files/Supervisor0001.jpg (http://s542.photobucket.com/user/Hardyreels/media/Materials%20Image%20Files/Supervisor0001.jpg.html)

I explored rivers, mountain climbed and fished as far as the Allagash every year from 1980 through 86 and then last visited in 1994 after an eight year hiatus. I never returned after that but the memories remain among my fondest.

[Morgan]

Those flies are nothing short of gorgeous Ard! I think I speak for us all...Very cool piece of history here and we would love to see and hear more. It seems these days those pretty winged streamers are more often seen on walls in nice frames.

I would say I fish a beadhead olive crystal flash bugger more than any other streamer. Trout love em!

[Ard]

Hi Morgan,

Thank you for the kind and generous review, please understand that I know that the Bugger's work like magic and would not try to discourage anyone from using them, ever. It's just that these feather flies are a part of my past, present and future. I've been making and using them since I began fly tying, they weren't always so pretty but by the late 70's I was getting it figured out and began producing some decent flies.

Posting this thread was meant to be a form of entertainment; forums need content. Content draws activity and this board has a good core group of members who I was looking to engage with.

Ever since I discovered internet fly forums I've been preaching streamer fishing as more than a sideline to take when things aren't going so well otherwise. I started that way, carrying a wallet filled with show flies but relying on dry flies or nymphs to use for my fishing. I loved making them but sucked at using them to any great result. There were a couple pivotal days when things were discovered that set me on a course of using them more. I'll see what I can dig up for existing articles about those 'pivotal' days and start a thread with the story behind my beginnings and gradual evolution into this form of fishing.

Glad you liked the old flies,

Ard

[Larry S]

Great thread, Ard! Never been much of a tyer. I've taken a number of classic flies that found their way into my
possession and created several shadow boxes that bring oohs and aahs from folks. Sure are purty!
One streamer that I always carry is the Muddler Minnow - both conehead and unweighted.
I list a dozen species that I've caught with it - if you include the lowly chub.
So glad that you have joined the Keine folks.

[johnsquires]

Hi Morgan,
Posting this thread was meant to be a form of entertainment; forums need content. Content draws activity and this board has a good core group of members who I was looking to engage with.
Ard

Agreed. Entertainment is fair content for a forum, in my opinion.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures. As I've said before, I admire those who possess that kind of ability.

[roywest]

A bit under 50 years ago I was learning to fish for brookies, landlocked salmon, and lake trout ("togue") with streamers on the tributaries of Moosehead Lake in Maine, when the big lake fish ran up the rivers in spring and fall. (Such cold water in jeans and sneakers -- the first time I stepped into the Sac with waders 8 or 9 years ago was quite the happy revelation ; )

Bill, does your shop carry "Strip-Set: Fly-Fishing Techniques, Tactics, & Patterns for Streamers" by George Daniels? I've been leafing through my copy over the past several months, and it's a pretty interesting modern take on the topic.

[Ard]

Based on what you're saying Roy then you remember how the fish used to stack up at Lower Roach Dam. The first time I ever saw that was I believe 1979 and even then I knew that with a crowd of people there from all over the North East US. it would lead to no good. When I took a friend on a sort of Guided trip through all the places I had fished in 94' the Roach was basically fishless and C&R only. I have read recently that things are turning around but have no real up to date info on the area. In 1994 the Kennebec was still fishing well but the fish were small.

Things were still pretty good as late as 1987 in many of the rivers between the Ragged and over on the Moose but by my return in 94 there was a significant change. The Roach was closed to any harvest at all and there was a small visitors pavilion under which the State had a bin containing surveys which they requested anyone fishing to fill out. Among the questions I remember were:

Number of fish caught

Species caught

They wanted to know if you thought you had seen a landlocked salmon, I forget how it was worded but it made clear that the salmon run had been depleted.

I never kept one of them but when I first started going you could catch many fish with big ones being between 5 & 6 pounds which for the species were huge. I don't recall seeing anyone release fish, pretty much like here in Alaska now. The only fish I see handled carefully and released unharmed are those caught by myself or those fishing with me. other than that any caught salmon is a dead fish.

[PV_Premier]

bellyache minnow is a lethal fly on valley trout

[roywest]

Wow, Ard. That's hard to wrap my mind around. I think my last trip to the Roach was in about 1981, but I don't remember what you describe.

When I started fishing that water in the early 70s, the Roach ponds and rivers were still part of an active pulp wood industry. Multi-acre rafts of 4' long pulp logs would get dragged across the "ponds" (really lakes by our measure). They'd let the pond level rise up and then open the dams to flush the pulp down to the next pond during the summer. This was an ecological horrorshow, of course -- I can remember the huge banks of bark sucking the oxygen out of the water in the first Roach river. But the big lake fish would come up out of the depths to track the pulp rafts for the bugs coming out of them and then end up in the river, which made for a few days of exciting fishing after the flows went down. Spring and fall of course were another thing.

We used to fish below the dam for sure -- once "caught" a cedar waxwing while fishing from the old wooden dam -- luckily it was just grabbed over the shoulder and not hurt when I released it. But the better fishing was always down river.

I'm sure the ecosystem is healthier now that the pulp farming is over, but perhaps there were unique aspects of that industry that led to more big lake fish in the river systems.

Hope to go back one day....