Night Time Streamer Fishing

JustFish

JustFish

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Thinking about fishing in the dark this year in the shallows with some big streamers or big wet flys. I know the biggest of browns are less cautious at night.

Anyone have experience doing this? Any tips?
 
30 years of it bro... but that was in montana.
Summer time ,low water-use a surface fly-something like a big hairs ear caddis-size two or four-greased and enjoy smashing surface takes-30 to 50 fish nights or go the other way and use a leech hair streamer-more fish but less exciting takes.
Fall when browns are on the move and rainbows following them-2s and 1/0 streamers are the ticket but
Use ones that don't have wings or tails that wrap around the hook and be prepared for long hours of no hits but expect there will be a hot time when the river comes alive.Maybe for only a half hour but you won't believe how many fish that dead river holds-lol
 
Pete,

If you know of a spot where there are some big fish holding in some deep runs would you fish the shallower riffles right up stream from where they are holding during the day? I heard the big guys will invade the shallows under the cloak of darkness going after baitfish.

Also I was told if they see your line it's over before it started. I am referring to PA streams. As different tactics might have to be employed...although I don't know b/c I never fished Montana to be able to compare.
 
Shawn, browns are browns, for the most part. I night fished in Pa for years and used big streamers, classic night wets and bushy dries like Pete mentioned and even mice. I have used the same flies and tactics here in Montana at night. We find big browns in low light conditions in amazingly shallow water as long as that shallow water is adjacent to deep water refuge.

By big browns I mean upper teens, inches, to low 20's. Those rare, over two feet, hogs seem to come from deeper, mid river holding water.

One of my all time favorite fishing books was writen by Jim Bashline. It was all about night fly fishing in Pa, mainly around Coudersport, Pa. It is called, "Night Fishing For Trout: The Final Frontier". This is an older book, and the flies he talks about are old classics. If anyone is even remotely interested in night fly fishing for trout I highly recommend finding a copy of this book!

I hope that this thread means that you will be up for some night floats this summer! Tie some of those big elk hairs that Pete mentioned. One of my favorite flies from that book is George Harvys "Pusher". I hope the moon is right for a night float when you guys are here. There is a short float by my house that has lots of classic night fishing places. I like a little moonlight for night floats. Bashline is a fan of night fishing when there is no moon.

It is so frustrating that Pa is so backwards in that they do not allow night fishing in special reg water! (Not that I ever fished Penns at night when I worked second shift near Harrisburg and got up there at 3 am.)
 
Don and Pete thanks for the info. I was hoping you two would chime in! :-D

I have been reading up on this topic, as well as talking to a guy at my local fly shop who I know has done this before. I am sure it can be a pain in the butt. My only worry is getting caught in trees! :lol: I figure with 2 x tippet I should be able to rip it out! :-D

Don, PA is so backwards with a lot of things! We're always the last state to change.
 
Pete mentioned that night fishing can have long dead spells, just like day time. There is an interesting subject related to night fishing: That is nocturnal drift. Nocturnal drift is the mass drift of aquatic insects, nymphs. This drift can spark a serious increase in the fishing. However, many of the classic night flies are bigger bugs designed to push water. I kinda fall into the thinking that many (big) night feeding trout are opurtunistic feeders. They are looking for bigger stuff, like those huge moths, mice, bait fish, etc.

I firmly believe that a 2X leader will not be a problem as far as it spooking fish goes. Before you night fish any water know it like the back of your hand! I also always try to use a flashlight as little as possible. I love Jim Bashline's definition of the perfect flashlight for night fishing. One whose batteries die as you get back to your car.
 
Sleep is unnecessary. I'll fish every day and night out there.
 
Don if I use anything it will be a red light. Doesn't affect your night vision and apparently doesn't spook wildlife....I wonder if that pertains to fish too?
 
Jay, I tell all my buddies who come out here to fish that they can sleep when they get home! Besides the fishing you can also play here, www.chicohotsprings.com
 
Truth be told-I am a creature of the night-have always preferred nite fishing-even in Florida.I am out on the water[in my kayak-with spinning gear-a couple of hours before daylight.]So peaceful-no wind,usually and no one rushing to get in front of you.
The leech fly I mentioned is far and away the best summer time low,warm water fly I have found but you will have to tie it yourself.
Real tough one-size 8 or 10 2xlong wet fly hook.
Lead wrap if legal-tinsel over-rap and a piece of leech fur[black or brown]that extends about an inch or inch and a half past bend.Tie it in at head like a feather wing.Pick the fur loose from string so it flows when wet.
Deadly-possibly the deadliest fly you can come up with for nite fishing and it does not tend to wrap around hook.
Flies that do-matukas[sp],marabous,feather wing streamers,etc. are a pain in the butt as you will need to keep stripping in and checking.
Summer nite fishing can be good all nite long-in the fall when you are after 24 plus,not 12 inchers is when i have noticed sun lunar type hot times and long dry spells.Hang in there and hope.When the magic happens it doesn't get any better-no matter what the daytime weenies think.
Wind at nite-pack it in-
Don't be surprised when deer or beaver swim with in a rods length.
watch out for skunks esp. for Hypothermia-caught myself just minutes away from laying down[probably never to wake]once-scarey.
I always fish alone[nutty but thats me.
 
Pete, I always enjoy your posts...you're a very colorful personality! Thanks for the info. It was much help!
 
Pete, do you ever get back out to Montana?
 
nope-thought I would miss it horribly but I have never looked back-It was fun for younger people but Florida is great too.
Thanks just fish.
 
pete41 wrote:
nope-thought I would miss it horribly but I have never looked back-It was fun for younger people but Florida is great too.
Thanks just fish.

No Pete, thank you!!! I really always enjoyed your posts. Experience is something you can't teach.....but appreciate!!! I like that, I am gonna quote that! :-D :-D :-D
 
2x will certainly not be a problem. I generally fish 0x while fishing streamers at night and the fish aren't bashful in the least.

On the topic of moon, I like cloudy nights or no moon, but a little light is nice if you're fishing from a boat.

I used to fish Harvey's fly and caught a bunch of fish with it. These days I really like articulated bugs with heads that push a lot of water. I also try to incorporate some noise into the fly: like beads on the mono that joins the two parts of the fly--you won't get a lot of noise, but if you leave space between the beads, they will smash into one another when you strip or twitch the fly and rattle enticingly. Most of the subsurface stuff I fish at night is between four to six inches long. Even the smaller fish eat these big flies with abandon.
 
Dont think it's any secret that big fish come out at night.

J. Humphrey's book Trout Tactics has a chapter on night fishing.

I also would recommend the Galloup Book "Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout". It is an easy read and if you want just skip to leader designs, flies, tactics, casting it's in there. Short stout leaders with jerk strip retreives using big flies. You are going after big trout right?

Have used the the loop to loop connections from my fly line to a short sink tip- looped to loop with a short stout leader- maybe 2-3 feet of .20 maxima blood knotted to 1-2 feet of 0x. (I hate loop to loop connections- this is the only time I have used them) And since I dont plan on streamer fishing all day usually- I am not rigged this way but a few times a year.

Also, I have used just a clipped section of my normal blood knotted maxima leader (just wanted to switch to streamers) with no sink tip and have done just well- but if you have really deep water I guess that could make a difference.


Here's some streamer flies-

http://www.schmidtoutfitters.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=268

http://www.slideinn.com/store/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=4801007c18721fd2399f6837d9932c4c



Know the area very well in the daylight before you ever attempt wading at night.
 
I just received Night Fishing For Trout: The Final Frontier from Barnes & Noble and read half of it last night. It definitely has me more excited about night fishing. I've been thinking about trying my hand at it for the past year or so and this summer I'm determined to try it out. This is the second great book that I've got off reading about it on this forum. Keep them coming guys!
 
Jim Bashline's book is a good assessment of the sport of night fishing, and it's all the more relevant, given that it was written mostly based on experiences on PA waters.

I can attest to a couple of his points, mostly that the darker the night, the better. I imagine that a little bit of moonlight (or a lot of it) is enough to give up the game for someone fishing. Yes, browns lose some of their wariness at night, but they don't grow that big by living a life of complete reckless abandon at night.

It still amazes me how any fish can pick out a fly in the middle of a pitch black night, in turbulence.

I have heard that red lights are the way to go if you need light, as the fish can't perceive them as well, and have added a nice rechargeable Black Diamond light, with interchangeable lenses, to my kit - all purpose for camping, backpacking, and fishing as well.

Still only have one successful hookup at night, where I was intentionally fishing flies for big fish. But it only takes that one to be hooked :)
 
Following up on acristickid's post, here is a link to a 90 minute podcast featuring Kelly Galloup entitled "Fishing Streamers for Trophy Trout". It is one of the better podcasts I've found on the web:

http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/speakers/kelly/kelly.cfm

Galloup is big into fishing streamers high in the water column that move a lot of water. To that end, a bunch of his patterns use spun deer hair. The biggest trout I have ever had on the end of my line I hooked at dawn using a Zoo Cougar. The brown attacked the fly a fraction of a second after it hit the water like a largemouth.
 
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