Short Strikes on Streamers

[Foxgap239]

Hi guys. I was fishing this past weekend up in Centre County and the water was quite high but certainly fishable. I was fishing streamers mostly and getting plenty of hits but very few hook ups. I think they were short striking. Do any of you ever add an extra hook of the tail of the fly to prevent this? Or do you have any other advice when this occurs?

 

[dano]

You can try stingers and/or tube fly styled flies.
Also, try streamers with very short tails or no tailing at all.
In past situations like what you encountered, streamers such as Mickey Finn, Black nosed Dace or white Marabou have helped me in producing a higher rate of hooked fish.
Stocked trout, especially recent stockers, have a tendency to short strike.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

Fish slower.

 

[Fishidiot]

Short strikes on streamers when trout fishing is a very common occurrence. You can add a "stinger" hook but keep in mind that only single hook flies are legal in Fly Fishing Only waters.
Anyway, I tie my trout streamers with very short tails for this reason. My streamers may not look as good in the water with short tails but they do hook fish better.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

I learned this on spring creek. Sometime trout try to stun a streamer and not eat it right off. If ya can keep yourself composed enuff after it thumps it, throw a big mend and dead drift it. Sometimes they loop down stream to pic it up as it flutters down to 'em.

 

[pete41]

I was a streamer fishing nut for over 30 years,never once recall a fish hitting a streamer that wasn't hooked.
I agree with J.Utah ,fish them like they were bait fish.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

It happen to me on Spring Creek alot and just not to me. I've had this dicussion with alotta guys.

 

[gfen]

pete41 wrote:
I agree with J.Utah ,fish them like they were bait fish.

I do. Little fish are well known fans of running away from larger fish when they're spotted. Its the sort of thing large fish kinda expect from little fish.

Think of it this way: if I casually lobbed a football at your general direction, you'd take a moment to figure out if I were aiming for your crotch or if it was just going to miss because I throw like a girl. But if I drilled that mother at the babymaker like a missile looking for the mujahideen you'd bat it out before I scored one to make your grand kids wince.

And that, my friend, is why sometimes I zing the streamers back at light speed.

 

[pete41]

I should have said I was fishing big water for big fish,often at nite,so I never saw the fish.When they hit, they hit,little ones nibble.
I shouldn't have said anything.

 

[gfen]

Instinct overrides intelligence. Rip it by their face, and common sense shuts down and the mouth opens.

 

[pete41]

Big fish are smart,they don't waste energy on snacks.
think we are talkin grapefruits and grapes here.
Big browns and stockers.
18"min. to count as a fish.So I will defer to the local.pardon

 

[ryguyfi]

Try using very long hooks, but still tying your pattern the same size as the shorter hooks. So tie a wooly bugger and make the hook bend just barely inside the back of the marabou. I've been meaning to try this, but just haven't yet. The concept seems to be good to me though.

 

[gfen]

long hooks give feesh more leverage to get off long hook.

shorter tail like mr. fishidiot says; or articulate. cut off from hook bend and you're cleared for take off and landing in ffo water.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

Gfen- You seem to think fish think like humans. Its quite funny to read your "fish thoughts". While to a human they are logical to a trout they "huh!" There brain is the size of a pea with a iq of 7.

Many fly fisherman do this though, as do I. Fish thinking....lol. silliness. Fish having common sense...now that's non-sense. lol
There fish.....THEY ARE DUMB.

Dead drifts, and "hanging" streamers is deadly. As paco points out slow down, you can strip it in, but when the you feel that tug, go easy. Try as he suggests, or just simply hang the streamer there. Often times the trout will strike it again i have found.

Trout swallow things whole, so if they want to eat your streamer they while engulf it. They are also territorial and down right viscous lol so they will "strike your streamer" only nipping it, as to send the message of "get lost!" short strikes are caused by this imo, to long of tail on your streamer will do the same as well. imo

Shorter tails and wings will give some better results. I have found that a trailer hook and bou dont mix. lol

 

[pete41]

edited

 

[gfen]

JohnnyUtah wrote:
Gfen- You seem to think fish think like humans. Its quite funny to read your "fish thoughts". While to a human they are logical to a trout they "huh!" There brain is the size of a pea with a iq of 7.

No, actually I don't anthromorphize fish. They have brains the size of peas, but those peas are devoted to three things: Sex, food, shelter.

Since they don't have to worry about taxes or effing off at work (hey there!), they pretty much get to focus everything on those core three things. Then lumbering man comes along and thinks to themselves, "I'm going to outwit that fish." Man spends hours trying to analyze sensory input, run it past Chaos Theory and a little chicken blood thrown on top before they come up with some convouluted theory.

When all they really had to do was poke the fish's lizard brain and say, "see this big black thing? its moving away from you fast, react as the over 9000 years of instinctual learning have forced your ancestors to unerringly do, open mouth and insert be it anger boredom or hunger GO!"

Sometimes letting it hang casually works, and sometimes ripping it past their face works. You're smart enough to understand that.

 

[pete41]

I did catch a fish once while wading across the Madison.Had my rod over my shoulder and the fly dangling in the water.a 12" rainbow took it while it was ripping.
Big fish guys fish deep,fish natural.
the choice is yours.
Pounds or inches.
What does all this have to do with fly tying?
Bet we get yelled at,again.

 

[JohnnyUtah]

gfen wrote:

JohnnyUtah wrote:
Gfen- You seem to think fish think like humans. Its quite funny to read your "fish thoughts". While to a human they are logical to a trout they "huh!" There brain is the size of a pea with a iq of 7.

No, actually I don't anthromorphize fish. They have brains the size of peas, but those peas are devoted to three things: Sex, food, shelter.

Since they don't have to worry about taxes or effing off at work (hey there!), they pretty much get to focus everything on those core three things. Then lumbering man comes along and thinks to themselves, "I'm going to outwit that fish." Man spends hours trying to analyze sensory input, run it past Chaos Theory and a little chicken blood thrown on top before they come up with some convouluted theory.

When all they really had to do was poke the fish's lizard brain and say, "see this big black thing? its moving away from you fast, react as the over 9000 years of instinctual learning have forced your ancestors to unerringly do, open mouth and insert be it anger boredom or hunger GO!"

Sometimes letting it hang casually works, and sometimes ripping it past their face works. You're smart enough to understand that.

Ripping, hanging, swinging, and dead drifting are all effective streamer tactics.

Fish being bored.... lmao man your on a roll tonight. Nah you dont anthropomorphize fish at all. lol

 

[gfen]

Sigh.

[d]D[/d]Jonny, you're out of your element here, the Chinaman is not the issue.

 

[surveyor06]

I understand exactly what gfen is saying. Shorten their reaction time, and force them to react quickly, works sometimes, sometimes no. The trick I find about streamer fishing is playing around with retrieval speed to see whats working that particular day. If your getting short strikes, your presentation made need to be altered, not necessarily the fly.