Frozen Sculpin

[IdahoFly]

Lately I've been tossin a size 6 sculpzilla at almost a dead drift with a super super slow retrieve to get these lethargic browns to feed. I was wonderin if there was any streamer patterns that have been working lately for you guys this winter. Colors? sizes? fishing styles?

Also have you guys been noticing that trout this time of year have been so leader shy?

[Esopus Guy]

7in Sex Dungeons without the Deer hair head. Snake River Mud and Flouro. We catch some really pressured Steelhead all winter using 6lb Flouro. They really should'nt be seeing your leader. Maybe they are Streamer Shy ;D I posted a few weeks ago about a Big Brown that tried to eat a 12in off my line and it is'nt warm here. Let me also say that I;m not a huge streamer guy but I watched a buddy of mine catch more fish on a streamer than I was nymphing one day. Dealt with it for a while and gave up........... on went the streamer. Cast and cast and not a follow and meanwhile he's pulling fish out of water that I had already fished. I obviously had to ask him what he was doing that I was'nt. Secret: strip the thing a fast as you humanly can. 2 casts and stripping in at light speed and fish on! Not saying this is what you need to do but change your retreive and see. If you put a streamer across the face of a bigger Brown 1 of 2 things will happen, fight or flight and if it's a fish eater it should bite or at least try to get it out of his house.

[Esopus Guy]

Black,White and Rust work here in the winter. Consider running 2 streamers of diff. sizes in tandem. They may like a certain size right now as well. And you woud'nt beleive what I've seen caught on 6-8 Wooly Buggers in the above colors.

[Esopus Guy]

John Barr's Slumpbuster - September 2009 TPO Fly of the Month

[AaronJasper]

Is the water clear? I would be it is this time of year in most places. Use natural colors. Try to match the color of the stream bed. I like olive, brown and tan. Also, downsize the streamer as well. Bigger is not always better

[IdahoFly]

Brandon,

Thanks for the feedback brother, Yah Sex Dungeons are a very effective here, but i generally try and wait till about mid February early march to use em'. But you brought up an interesting thought on using them for steel head, I've never done it, but would be more than willing to try. Lately I have been trying some Slump Busters tied in natural, they are just a sweet little fly, I am very impressed with the pattern. and maybe for a change of pace i could switch up my retrieve, I'm thinkin fast jerk strips for some of my smaller sculpin patterns. Also I've been hitting some really big logs protruding out of the water and have seen some really REALLY big shadows come out after my fly, sadly I've missed the hook up. Thanks again for the tips I really appreciate it!

[IdahoFly]

Aaron,

Yah the water this time of year is shallow and crystal clear, there are some spots where it gets deeper and its in white water with really low water pressure ( big trout territory), I'm thinkin about trying out the double slump buster rig you mentioned in your slump buster vid. Thanks for the feedback!

[Davyfly]

The killer streamers for me here on the White at this time are Zoo cougars, and at times sex dungeon.
Just sent a pic to Aaron of a 32 ins fish one of my friends nailed Friday here on the White, home of world record Browns.

I do see during my guide year well over 100 Browns caught between 20 and 30 ins and these are my golden rules for streamer fishing, others techniques would differ some.

1. Never let the fish know you are there.
2. Make a perfect cast as the odds are that fish will take within 3 strips of your fly. That fly needs to land perfect and be stripped right away, give the fish too much time to see it and they will refuse most times.
3. Make sure you have the right fly line set up for the water conditions you are fishing.
4. Forget about small fish if you wish to target trophies.
5. Choose the right time that those fish are likely to feed, which will vary during the season.
6. Overhead light conditions can be a big issue here generally avoid zones that bright light hits the water.
7. At this time of the year most fish have spawned and will look for comfort zones, which are as a rule soft water zones or back eddies just outside of fast current seams.
8. Do not assume you have to find big fish in deep water as that is not so. The vast majority of fish l see caught are withing 2ft or less of depth.
9. If you have a fish chase you, leave him for a good while and then go back, the odds of that fish taking after he has one time chased your fly are not very good.
10. Never fish with light line. I use 10 or 12lb leader, it makes no difference, if the fish wants your fly as it is what attracts his attention.

DW

[Esopus Guy]

If there is one constant in streamer fishing it is this, You WILL find out where a few Big Boys live. That's half the battle.

[frankm205]

Davy those are good tips, thanks. I want to do more streamer fishing this year and these are good guidelines to start with.