Streamer fishing is hands down the most active and exciting way to chase fish with a fly rod. With streamers, it’s all about the retrieve and how you impart motion and action to your flies. This is what fools fish into believing they’re attacking small prey.
Unlike types of fly fishing where we strive for a drag-free drift, fishing streamers is more like reeling in a spinner on a spin casting rod. You are actively retrieving a lure to make a fish give chase and take it.
The key to fishing streamers is to get them close to structure like woody debris, big boulders, and undercuts in a river bank. There are lots of styles and techniques you can use to do this. Here is a basic run down of ones to try.
The 6-inch strip
Strip pause
The swing
Streamer fishing is one of the most fun and exciting ways to catch fish. Learning how to do it means you’ll be set to catch a huge variety of fish in a wide range of locations.
Not every fly fisherman needs to know how to delicately present a dry fly (Tarpon don’t eat Blue Wing Olives). But every fly fisherman should learn and know how to strip a streamer.