Strippin a sculpin....help!

[TimRobinsin]

I was messin around this evening in a deep hole on a bend and I kept missing em'. I was on the upstream outside of the bend I was casting across the stream (about 12-15') and let the sculpin drift from the far side into the main current about 20-25' ft and once it hit bottom I slowly brought it in with a slow steady pull. I had hits about every other cast doing this but I could not set the hook into em'. I started casting the same way but I brought it back to me with short 6" strips this produced nothing. so what do you guys think? how do you strip in a sculpin? I never fished em' before, I'm pretty bad with streamers in fact I only ever caught one fish on a wooly bugger. I'm more a high stick/nympher so this streamer business is tough for me. thanks for your help.

 

[afishinado]

TimRobinsin wrote:
I was messin around this evening in a deep hole on a bend and I kept missing em'. I was on the upstream outside of the bend I was casting across the stream (about 12-15') and let the sculpin drift from the far side into the main current about 20-25' ft and once it hit bottom I slowly brought it in with a slow steady pull. I had hits about every other cast doing this but I could not set the hook into em'. I started casting the same way but I brought it back to me with short 6" strips this produced nothing. so what do you guys think? how do you strip in a sculpin? I never fished em' before, I'm pretty bad with streamers in fact I only ever caught one fish on a wooly bugger. I'm more a high stick/nympher so this streamer business is tough for me. thanks for your help.

Tim,

Streamer fishing is EASY compared to mastering high-stick nymphing (get off my back Pete, Jay, and the rest of you streamer guys). To fish a bugger, I often cast quartering upstream, let it dead drift, and at the end of the drift swing it in the current, hang it a bit downstream and strip it in. Also try aggressive stripping it (as your did).

At some point you should find out what the fish prefer that day or in the water type you're fishing. You really can't fish it wrong. In your above scenario, you found how they wanted it, but couldn't seal the deal. It's common for trout to short-strike a streamer / bugger (Bass murtilize them and usually hook themselves). Try trimming the tails or tying your streamers and bugger short when fishing for trout.

I guarantee a bugger will catch fish as well or better than nearly every fly in your box. Keep at it. Good luck.

 

[TimRobinsin]

thanks, I'm on my way back to the same spot for an hour or two this morning, I'll see what happens. It's easy for me to get discouraged with streamers because of the lack of experience I have with them but I will try what you said that sounds good. Like you said Its all about how they want it!

This is proof fly fishing can cross cultural boundaries, you now have Pens fans taking advice from Flyers fans...HA!

 

[afishinado]

TimRobinsin wrote:
thanks, I'm on my way back to the same spot for an hour or two this morning, I'll see what happens. It's easy for me to get discouraged with streamers because of the lack of experience I have with them but I will try what you said that sounds good. Like you said Its all about how they want it!

This is proof fly fishing can cross cultural boundaries, you now have Pens fans taking advice from Flyers fans...HA!

I take all advise from Pens fans with a grain of salt...

 

[Fishidiot]

Tim,
How long are the tails on your streamer flies? Am I safe in assuming you're fishing over fresh stocked trout?
In my experience - speaking as a streamer and sculpin junkie (although afish is right, it's easier than nymphing) - hooking trout with streamers is difficult if the tail of the streamer extends more than about half an inch from the bend of the hook. My trout streamers have evolved shorter and shorter tails over the years due to this problem. While I love the look and movement in the water of long streamers, and still love 'em for bass....I've had too many days like the one you describe. For some reason, this is esp true for fresh stocked trout of typical size: they love streamers but just nip at 'em. If you're using a big streamer with a long tail you can get bit all day by stockies and never hook one. I'd recommend you downsize your streamers a bit. Go with a fly 1.5-2" in length and trim the tail so it's no more than about half an inch past the hook. Fish it the same way you did before. You'll still likely get some misses but I'll wager the short fly sticks at least some of 'em.

 

[midnightangler]

Try trimming the tails or tying your streamers and bugger short when fishing for trout.

This is an example of advice from a flyers fan that you should choose to ignore.

Details about your rig would help? Are you fishing a weighted fly or an unweighted fly with weight on the leader?

I personally don't like downstream presentations for streamers. In slower water trout will usually try to inhale baitfish. Fishing a streamer downstream will keep your line pretty tight, and a completely tight line stops the fly when the trout tries to suck it in. I think this causes a lot of the short strikes people experience when fishing streamers. If you cast upstream, you'll have to work harder to mange your line, but you will also always have a little bit of slack, which allows the trout to inhale your fly.

 

[wsender]

As far as stripping goes, I used to just use the standard of stripping in regards to streamers. It seemed, without fail, after I stripped some line and was reseting my hand to strip more line, the fish would hit the streamer and I'd miss it more then I'd set it.

Lately I've been using the 'Striper' method of stripping instead of the standard method of stripping. It generally gives you more control of the strip and you set the hook by stripping instead of raising the rod tip, which is a blast.

To a certain extent, I agree that long tails will result in missed hits. However I've also heard that trout instinctively attack the head of bait fish to try to stun them and reduce the risk of them escaping.

 

[pete41]

Over forty of trout fishing,mostly with streamers,I never once used stripping streamers as a method to try and catch trout,only to retrieve the fly for another cast.
I have used stripping as a technique on nite fishing with big surface flies but I was fishing them as mice,baby birds etc.,not bait fish.
[, I often cast quartering upstream, let it dead drift, and at the end of the drift swing it in the current, hang it a bit downstream]Afish-
Good advice-can't improve on that but
The secret is to get it down and just starting the swing at your targeted point-and the secret to doing that is learning to read water.
Good luck.

 

[pete41]

Another way to fish streamers is the pulsating method with subsurface types such as muddler marabous or sparsely tied smaller marabous.
Basically you are fishing wet flies with added action.
Also with deep and dirty method I used the palsy had movement to give added attraction.
As a side note I have found the very similar "jerk bait" retrieve the most effective method of plug fishing for shallow water fish in Florida.
Fresh or salt the fish love an easy meal.

 

[govtmule]

Pete,
youve never stripped a streamer, wow!!.....now thats patience. I think it depends on the size and type of the streamer you are fishing plus the size of fish you are targeting. one thing that i will say is that stripping a streamer and watching a trout destroy it is awesome.

 

[pete41]

Mostly Montana and 2s and 4s so you are right-
except over spawners the larger fish aren't going to hit out of anger or waste energy needlessly-not being a smart butt[yeah right] but its the difference between adults and teenagers[the fish,not fishermen]so if you are where there are enough grownups to pursue you will go with the more reliable tactic over the spectacular.
Unless of course you are a dry fly type ,then its grade schooler's you are targeting.lol

 

[jayL]

Pete,

Your info surely catches fish, but I suspect it's dated. Under the watchful eye of Don, I stripped streamers (2s and 4s) in Montana incredibly aggressively and caught fish repeatedly. If it works, it works. The idea was to get the fly very close to cover and get it out of there immediately. The same thing works well here in PA. As far as difficulty, I'll disagree with Afish to some extent. When you're rapid-fire tossing buggers to within an inch or two of a snag or a bush, it takes concentration. I, personally, don't have much use for fishing them in open water. For swinging them in the current, I'll concede that it's the easiest method.

 

[pete41]

my way is more for wading anglers,slowly working a stretch,not really run and gun but If you are looking for your whopper-its very good

 

[jayL]

pete41 wrote:
how many wall fish did you catch?
500 for me

That's not the point. The point is that stripping streamers works, and has a place, even in Montana.

Swinging them like you detailed obviously works too. I don't doubt that. I was merely adding to it. Not interested in measuring up, so calm down.

 

[wsender]

Different strokes for different days I think. Maybe some days fish like to see a striped, maybe somedays they like to see it dead drifted, maybe some days they like none of it.

If it were easily quantifiable what fish like there wouldn't be places like this.....

 

[pete41]

hope you got my pm-just joking-changed my snooty answer-
I didn't mean to imply stripping didn't work-only that I never tried it-
stripping has been around ever since bucktails.

 

[GreenMan]

here's a great article by loren williams that will give you something to think about...

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/ratbastard.html

 

[TimRobinsin]

I returned this morning with no luck on the sculpin, not even a bump! Ugh! In any case I resorted back to my trifecta which never let's me down on any stream; a split shot 8-10" in front of a non-beadhead prince, 8-10" in front of a non-beadhead hare's ear, 8-10" in front of a skin pink San Juan worm. It's cheap, I know but it works every time this morning was not an exception. I missed one on the first cast with it and landed two other decent fish shortly there after. I also caught some fingerlings, all of which I hope to post up here shortly as the two bigger fish I thought may be fish that were not stocked.
As for stocking; I don't believe they stocked this stream yet. They do stock it but I don't believe they stock this far downstream. However it does bring up a point which I should have answered before heading out; is it legal to fish right now if you don't keep em'? I never keep my fish, I actually don't like eating fish at all, I just love catching em'.
Thanks for all the advice! I am definitely into streamers now cuz' those few hits the other night were freakin awesome, pretty cool way to fish! I'll be headed back for some vindication!

 

[Fishidiot]

TimRobinsin wrote:
However it does bring up a point which I should have answered before heading out; is it legal to fish right now if you don't keep em'?

This depends. Be careful. Trout season is closed right now and most all stocked trout waters are completely closed to fishing of any kind. If it is a stream that isn't stocked or has special regulations such as "fly fishing only" or something similar, then you can fish catch and release. These special reg areas are usually well marked with signs on trees indicating the rules. Before you go back, I'd verify this or you risk a run-in with a fish warden and a hefty fine.

 

[TimRobinsin]

It's a little more than a 1/4 mile downstream from where they stock it. There are no special reg signs or anything like that. It is on private property, its a park that's open to the public by the landowners.
I suck at reading the rule book, I looked it up but I can never understand all the exceptions. Thanks for the heads up, maybe I'll ask the south-eastern hq guys to be safe.