Unweighted streamers & sinking lines

[FIREMAN]

This year Im going to try and do some different streamer fishing. Short leaders, unweighted streamers and sink tip lines. Anyone else use this type of set up with success?

Thanks,
Seege

I consider the "Streamer" category of flies, to be comprised of two sub-groups...

Surface Streamers: representing Surface Bait Fish, Amphibians (Frogs), and Terrestrial(Mice).

Bottom Streamers: representing Bottom Bait fish (Sculpins), Crustaceans (Crayfish), Leeches.

Each is tied differently, and I fish each sub-group differently. I have found that for streamers there are two effective zones for presenting the streamers, top two feet below the surface of the water, and bottom two feet above the bed of the lake/stream. In between the two, seems to be a dead zone for hooking a fish. The fish are either looking up (surface streamers), or looking down (bottom streamers).

My surface streamers are tied with the hook down, while my bottom streamers are tied with the hook up.

Surface streamers are fished with a floating line, with a small weight affixed about 18 inches above where the tippet is attached to the tapered leader. The weight helps achieve the depth (below the surface) that I want the stream to travel at

Bottom streamers are fished with a sinking line, and the weight is attached about 18 inches above where the tippet is attached.

Neither Surface streamers, nor Bottom Streamers are weighted. Some of my Bottom streamers have foam underbody, for some flotation to help separate the fly from debris on the lake/stream bottom.

~Parnelli

PS: Surface Streamers I use 9' or 12' tapered leaders. Bottom Streamers I use 7?' tapered leaders.

[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 29 January 2006).]

[Philly]

I take a completely different approach. I won't weight my streamers/baitfish patterns. Now my "streamers" include patterns like Crease Flies, and various patterns tied with artificial hairs with silicone coating the head area.
I'll fish them on a floating line, an intermediate sinking line, or a fast sinking depth charge line.
Surface I use a 6 or 7 foot furled leader with a 3 to 5 foot piece of tippet material.
Subsurface with the intermediate or fast sinking I'll fish a 3 to 6 foot fluorocarbon leader. I like to fish a floating fly, like a Crease fly with this set up.
The short leader on the sinking lines has been very effective in both fresh and salt water.

All depends on the depth, current, and where the fish are. I love floating lines as Rio Clouser or heavier line for the rod (Ex.: 6wt rod + 7wt line), long leader (10-11ft, 0X) and Clouser Minnows, Epoxi head flies or adding a light split-shot over the leader-tippet knot in case of unweighted flies as hair streamers like Blondes. I get to catch trout that are more than 6 ft depth with that stuff. Of course, sink-tips lines go deeper but Is not my preferred thing because I cant't "play" with the line as with a floating one.
Good luck!
Rocketfish

[yonks311]

Check out this article by Kelly Galloup and Bob Linseman. [url=http://www.flyfisherman.com/skills/jsgalloup/:8713b]http://www.flyfisherman.com/skills/jsgalloup/[/url:8713b]

They use that setup for streamer fishing. They use the full sinking line but instead of going deep they use it to keep a consistent depth. I have wanted to try this technique since last year when I heard Bob speek at a seminar. Seems like they have pretty good success. I'd say give it a try.

Yonks

[fcch]

Fireman, ...

We don't use weighted anythings here (on my homewaters). I have enough problems casting in the first place. Second, ... it's illegal on my waters.

In high water, we'll sometimes use wet tips, braided leaders and really short tippets (18 inches).

A bit of line control and a few mends and you'll be able to get down. We don't allow lead here, ... but a cored sinking leader line the Moser's will get you down right fast.

Try it, ... You'l Like It!


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Christopher Chin, Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/Forum1/HTML/015738.html:efe5e]2006 FishIn Ste-Marguerite River[/url:efe5e]

[url=http://pages.videotron.com/fcch/:efe5e]Fishing the Ste-Marguerite[/url:efe5e]

[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 30 January 2006).]

[Micropteris]

My streamer rod has a full sinking line on it. I get good depth control by how long I wait before I start stripping. Even with a full sinking line I can keep a fly relativly shallow by starting to strip as soon as the fly hits the water. Rarely do I weight my streamer flies with that set up. My favorite combination is a floating size 2 White muddler with a four to five foot leader. It is as close to fishing a rapala as I can get with a fly rod. As soon as the fly hits the water I will do a couple short stripps and pop the fly like a popper then wait until the line is at the depth I want then strip the fly in. That way I can target fish throughout the water column with he same fly and rod setup. One day this past spring I caught 2 smallmouth bass on two casts in a row, one on the surface waiting for the line to sink and the other at 10 ft deep stripping the fly in.

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Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick

[This message has been edited by Micropteris (edited 30 January 2006).]

[brookid]

I try to keep things fairly simple. I generally fish unweighted streamers so i'll choose between 2 different configurations depending on the river/stream.

I have a couple reels spooled with either Orvis or SA sink tips...if those can get my fly down thats what i stick with...if not i change spools and go with Orvis depth charge
which i believe has a 30 ft sinking "head"

and if that doesn't work i break for lunch and hope for a hatch....

[FIREMAN]

Well this idea came about because of Kelly Galloups doing. I like his approach to fishing streamers very much. The rivers I fish are somewhat smaller in size like the PM, Kalamazoo to name a few. Thanks for the replies fellas.

Seege

[Eight Thumbs]

Hey Fireman,

At this time of year with high, cold, off-color water, I'm a big fan of the rig that you describe. While I fish a lot more buggers than traditional streamer, I like a line with a sinking tip, a short chunk of tippet material (4-6 feet) and unweighted or lightly weighted flies. I feel that I get much better action from the fly than tossing an anvil on a floating line. Its also much easier to cast. Worked great for me yesterday. 8T

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You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it's a real short camping season.




[This message has been edited by Eight Thumbs (edited 30 January 2006).]