What do you do when a trout won't commit?

[jeremi]

What do you like to do most? Do you speed up your streamer. Let it fall. Slow it down? About a month ago I had a HUGE brown flow, turn, then charge again. Same thing on the next cast. I slowed my retrieve with no hook up. Will NEVER forget that fish!!

[frankm205]

Jeremi,
I know the feeling it has happened to me also. I have found that you need to keep the same speed throughout the retrieve once the fish is following the streamer. I saw the fish chase it and I was so into watching that I forgot to keep stripping and the fish took off. SO much fun to watch these monsters come up from the depths to take your fly, and so hard for me to relax and keep cool. I seem to get too excited!!!!!

[AaronJasper]

Sometimes speeding it up works. You create more fear of loss!

[Duck-butt Chucker]

With me I actually do the opposite when they chase even if I think they will hit anyway, when they follow my streamer and I see this I always speed up to try and connote that the forage will escape them if they don't act on it. I almost never just straight strip in my streamers though I always put tip action and I think this is important as even though the speed of the retrival picks up you are still showcasing that the forage is vulnerable with the tip action imparted on the streamer. If you worked the fly the same speed that would likely still work and you probably even unintentionally speed up the retrive when you see a fish following without knowing it. Just don't slow down whatever you do as I find that rarely ever works unless just bouncing a weighted streamer off the bottom as opposed to a stripped retrieve.

Here is a good video of a guy with a monster chasing and getting it to take by speeding up his retrieve while it follows:

YouTube - streamer take

[jeremi]

I'll forever be heart broken over not sticking that fish. Easily the biggest brown i've seen. Even at the hatcheries.

[H Dot Verseman]

oh man, I took a monster out of the muskie last wednesday on one of brandon alexanders articulated monsters. I went into that fishing day as a technique day and dedicated to fishing spots ive never fished before. I euro nymphed 2 sections of pure white water, riffly pocket water, and pulled 2 fish out of nowhere. upstream presentation only, maybe a 5 foot drift. had to change flies twice to get both fish, but i was needlessly impressed. aaron taught me to fish the b water, i went to some d water and got 2 out there.


then, there are so many flat lulls throughout that place, i said, ima throw some of BA's junk and see what happens. first cast that hit the bank water, a massive *in my mind, not you professional guys* rainbow surfaced, and came midway across. again, i was stunned and hoped he didn't see me high on a rock. sent it back another case, chased the first 3rd, i increased the speed and he finally rolled on that bitch. boy, were the dry flyers upstream of me surprised when I ripped something out on a fly the size of the fish they were hoping to catch being all technical. 18" bow in the net. I also got a brown throwing a different colored articulated monster, the brown and black butt monkey.


the yellow was the hot color of that day. boy am i happy i carry 2 boxes of junk with me.

[Esopus Guy]

When the water is colder the fish seem to prefer a slow strip twitch retrieve. Now that the water is at a prime temp it's strip as fast as you can until the rod doubles over.

Daniel I have a new Lamprey pattern that just wrecked them on the D over the last week.

[H Dot Verseman]

yea, i was stripping as fast as I could really, also was giving it alot of action at the tip, an up and down undulating action, fish were killing those things. i also caught a few smaller fish casting upstream, and sortve dead drifting it, but stripping slightly faster than the current. got a couple on the zoo cougars that way.

[DBspecial]

H Dot, Do you streamer fish frequently or do you use it in when trout are not rising or taking nymphs?

[H Dot Verseman]

i fish streamers quite frequently. I have gone out to a river with just streamer fishing in mind, whether it be throwing large junk (6-7-8" long) or throwing micro streamers