Fly Fishing the Streamer on Lakes

 

Guys, I hope everyone is getting into the Christmas Spirit. I was scanning through my blog the other day, viewing past posts. March was when my fishing season always started, which is 70 to 75 days from today. Mid-March is when the spawn begins for the spotted bass on Smith Lake. They start moving into the lake's nooks. Unlike largemouth, the spotted bass usually spawns in water 4 to 6 feet deep. They are in the mood to hit almost any lure this time of year because they have been dormant during winter. The streamer is my favorite fly to toss during the early spawn, moving it with a slow drop-retrieve and waiting for that savage hit to occur! I feel I'm not the only fisherman counting the days to feel the tug of that first fish on the popper, nymph, dry fly, or streamer. 

Here's wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The Curly Tail Streamer

 A streamer is a streamer but I discovered a somewhat variation of this fly this past week. The following video really got my attention, because I was not familiar with this type of streamer. 

I could see this streamer getting the attention of Smallmouth, Spotted Bass, and of course rainbow and browns. This streamer is not listed on any of the fly shops I have visited!!

I would appreciate any info concerning this particular streamer.

Fly Fishing Streamers

One of my New Year Resolutions for the coming year is to fish the streamer more on days when the top action has slowed. Fly fishing involves seeing a fish break the water surface and take a dry fly or popper which is the norm for most fly fishermen. Sub-surface flies are not the top choice for fly fishermen, because the visual aspect of seeing a bass, bluegill, or trout hit the fly or popper is missing. 

After watching a number of streamer videos I'm convinced I can land fish in the middle of the day when a lot of fish are less active. Patience and trying different retrieves is the key to getting a hit from a fish that has gone deep during mid-morning or mid-afternoon. 

Streamer fishing is not new to me, but as stated earlier in the intro of this post I can be lumped in with most fly fishermen who like to see the fish explode on a surface fly. Fish explode on sub-surface flies as well but we don't see it but we certainly feel the take. 

The largest Spotted Bass I have ever caught was taken using a Wooly Bugger streamer in November of 2021 fishing Ryan Creek on Smith Lake. You would think that fish would have convinced me to fish more streamers, but I was hooked on the surface poppers instead. All my fishing buddies are into the surface action, but I am slowly convincing them that we need to give the streamers a try for the coming season. 

I want to share some of the streamers I will be using for the coming season and I hope to report back in the Spring on their success. 

All these buggers are in sizes 6 and 8 with rubber legs which I feel will attract a hit more than the traditional bugger pattern. The size 8 is a great size to use for the trout on the tailrace. 

The Little Fort Leech in size 6 and the Near Nuff Crayfish size 6 top two flies would add some variety when the bugger slows. The last three are the Clouser Marabou Minnow size 6 is something I would try for the bass and the crappie. All these flies would be fished with a sink-tip poly leader. I was using this leader when I landed the big female Spotted Bass in November. I ordered all these streamers from Big Y Fly Shop for .89 a piece. I have ordered from this company before and was impressed with their quality and shipping. 

The Sink Tip Poly Leader

 

If you fish long enough you may think you've learned everything there is to know about this great sport. There is always new gear, accessories, flies, and equipment to enhance the skills or catch ratio of any fisherman. Like many of you, I am willing to try a new fishing product if it improves my chances of landing fish. The Sink-Tip Poly Leader at Orvis is one of those products I purchased some months ago but never used until this past Tuesday. This is a sink-tip leader that can be used as an extension of your floating fly line. You simply loop to loop the leader to your fly line and you are good to cast. The leader has a monocore tip which I cut off and tied in a tippet ring instead so I could change my tippet much faster instead of using various knots to attach the tippet. Once you add two feet of tippet from the tippet ring you are fishing a leader about 9 ft. I choose the intermediate sink tip leader from the four sink tip leaders they sell. This leader sinks at a rate of 1 1/2 inches per second and by adding a bead-head nymph the tippet line is sinking close to the same rate as your sink tip leader. The Orvis link will give you a detailed description of all the Sink Tip Poly Leaders they sell. 

Jeff and I ended the season Tuesday fishing Ryan Creek on Smith Lake. I checked the forecast for Tuesday mainly for rain and didn't think of checking for wind. We arrived at the lake with wind gusts 10 to 15 mph and temps in the low forties. We knew the fishing was going to be slow and we had to find rock walls out of the wind. With that in mind, we proceeded up Ryan Creek in my Tracker Boat until we located the one wall suitable to fish. I found out years ago that there are two negative factors when fishing surface flies, wind and sun. We had the wind but not the sun. We were amazed we landed a few bluegills and smaller spotted bass with the surface temps at 65 degrees. The popper action ended almost as quickly as it started when peaks of sunlight penetrated through the cloud cover. With the surface action over for the morning, I knew what I was going to try, my sink tip poly leader rigged with a bead-head wooly bugger. I had been planning this trip for a couple of weeks. I even tried the sink-tip leader rigged with the wooly bugger in a small pond where Cathey and I walked. I was impressed with how easy it was to cast using my 5 weight Redington fly rod. In other words, I was sold after landing the largest Spotted Bass on Smith Lake this year. 

This pot-bellied female took me for a ride into the depths of Ryan Creek. I had my 5 wt. rigged with a  brown tensile wooly bugger which got her attention. I was casting the bugger as close to the rock walls and at times I would hit the wall with the head of the fly. My first fish on the bugger was a small rock bass, causing me to tell Jeff that at least one fish was interested in hitting it. As we moved slowly down the wall I continue to make shoot cast letting the excess line at my feet shoot through the guides of the rod. Once the fly made contact I started using different retrieves, in the form of short jerks, slow-moving retrieves, and at times letting the bugger drop and giving it a quick jerk. The slow drop and jerk motion is the retrieve that connected with the fish. 

I can't think of a better way to end my Smith Lake fishing season for this year. I've already started planning for Spring to arrive and land some more of these fantastic fighters on the fly rod. 

Keepsakes

 A Keepsake can be defined according to Webster's and Google as something kept in memory of the person who owned it or something kept as a memento. All of us have items in our possession that would qualify as a keepsake or mementos. The older and longer an individual keeps the memento items the more valuable they seem to become to that person or persons. 

So you guys ask, where did this post originate from? As I was stringing my three fly rods for one of my early morning fishing trips the other afternoon, I couldn't help but admire the three flyrods/reel combos I had chosen for the early morning outing. It has taken me years to assemble the seven combos I own and all have special meaning. I can recall some of the fish I've brought to hand using each one.  All seven of my combos have met my needs for fly fishing and I will continue to do so for the rest of my fishing. This may be a bold statement, but I will never purchase any more fly rods or reels for the rest of my fishing days. All are considered special in my mind, but the one that really stands out is the combo given as my retirement gift 15 years ago. I have mentioned this fly-fishing combo numerous times on this blog. I am referring to my special Streamflex 9 ft. 3 wt. paired with my Orvis 3 wt. fly reel.

This combo is truly a Keepsake that I treasure and I hope it will stay in the family for many years.

Another Keepsake I treasure is the bone-handle Case hunting knife that my Dad purchased over 50 years ago. He never used the knife because he didn't want to damage it. Dad was a Case pocket knife guy and owned quite a few in his lifetime. My Mom gave the knife to me over 25 years ago. The sheath has seen some wear over the years but will still holster the blade and protect the handle.

Two written texts that I am glad I took the time to assemble are my  Ancestry research and my blog to book. Both have special meaning and will be shared with family members over the years.

All of you know what a big western fan I am and anything to do with the wild west interests me. Ten years ago,  my son gave me a solid bronze 8 lb. statue of a Sioux warrior in full battle dress. It sits proudly in our den and one day will sit in Jason's den.

Three years ago, I decided to give Jason a Christmas gift that he would keep for the rest of his days. His interest in fly fishing got me thinking about some unique streamers framed under glass. This is where my blogging buddy Alan at  Small Stream Reflections entered the picture. I wanted him to tie 15 streamers utilizing as many colors as possible in the streamer patterns.  Jason and I were amazed at the detailed work he did creating each streamer pattern. He is truly a master at the tying vice! This streamer picture is what one would consider a keepsake that will stay in the family for years to come. It has been hanging on Jason's bedroom wall at our house for the past three years. It will find a new home in Jason's house in Noverber, which is when his house will be ready to move in.  

All these Keepsakes or Mementos will hopefully stay in our families for many generations. I know all of you guys have mementos or keepsakes you value. What would you consider the top three or four items you would want to keep in your family?