Streamer fishing questions

[Skook]

One simple thing - be patient on your backcast. I often see people rush the cast when fishing streamers. That might be the cause of your line piling up.

I'll echo the advice from JeffK. You mentioned that you are fishing an "Airflo Streamer Max Short Head", and I am going to assume it is a sinking tip line instead of a floating line. I believe Airflo makes both types with a similar name for streamer fishing.

The Airflo Streamer Max Short 6WF has a sinking tip/head that is 24 feet long. I have this same line in both 6wt and 7wt. If you are casting shorter than that, as you say you are, you are working with only some of the sinking head portion of the line outside the rod guides, especially if you are including the length of leader in your distance estimates. If you can get to an area with some room to practice, you might find that once you are able to get the entire sinking head out of the rod guides, the weight of the head will allow you to shoot the running line a farther distance.

Trying to cast a relatively heavy sinking head might be different than what you are used to if you have fished floating lines in the past. There should be minimal false casting, and your casting loop will generally be more open with a sinking line. Try a roll cast pick up if you are practicing on water. Flip the sinking head out in front of you using a roll cast, then pick the line up off the water directly into your backcast. If you hesitate much at all, the sinking head will do just that - sink - and it will make picking up the line difficult or impossible. Once your backcast straightens out behind you, the heavy head and large fly should easily load your Streamer X rod, and then begin your forward cast. No false casting.

If you are fishing smaller water where a cast under 30' or so is optimal, then the Airflo Streamer Max Short with a 24' sinking head might not be the best line for you. Perhaps a 10' sink tip line or a floating line would work better. If you are wading and casting less than 24', all of the line you strip in with the line you are using will be sinking line, so it will sink at your feet, thereby making it very difficult to shoot into your next cast. If you were fishing from a boat, some of the sinking head could lay on the deck and not be a problem so long as it wasn't tangled or stepped on.

It took me a few hours on the water with a sinking line until I had that "ah ha" moment. Once you allow the line to fully load your rod on the backcast, the rest just falls into place. The feeling is unmistakable - at least it was for me - because the rod loads more deeply than it does with a floating line, and you can feel the difference.

Once you get a good feel for it, you can slip some line out on your backcast and shoot line on your forward cast to add more distance, if you need it.

 

[tjsingle]

I'm evolving a growing preference for streamer fishing, but not necessarily following most common practices, so I have a few questions:
1. How far do you cast?
2. How much of the cast do you retrieve?
3. Which portion of the retrieve is most productive, first half or last half?

1.) However far it is to get to the bank and/or structure. Shorter is better, you can get a better hookset with less slack.
2.) On foot I will usually retrieve until I get to shallow water or where I am standing. On a moving drift boat I will retrieve say half the line and watch for follows. The goal there is to cover as much water as possible with as many casts as possible. I do feel that on foot I have more control over the streamer game in general and will generally work a spot with two or three casts before I adjust my position.
3.) Honestly that depends. I have had fish eat once after the first retrieve and some right at my feet. I don't think there's a right answer to it. Generally speaking I would say first half

 

[Broodstock]

Fishing a streamer requires mimicking the behavior of the predominant baitfish in the stream you are fishing. It's actually quite simple to do.

This is probably the most important piece of info presented in the thread.

If you stop thinking about fishing streamers in terms of rods, lines, leaders, etc and think about "how can I best imitate a prey item" it makes solving this much simpler.

FWIW, the monorig for streamers - both articulated and jigs - is my preferred delivery method rather than fly line and tapered leaders when wade fishing. If I am in a boat, fly line usually provides more control for swimming flies.

1. How far do you cast? - as far as needed, starting with the water closest to me and working out.
2. How much of the cast do you retrieve? - every single inch
3. Which portion of the retrieve is most productive, first half or last half? - The whole thing. Assume the fish of a lifetime could eat your fly at any point in time, at all times when fishing big streamers.

 

[Sonder]

If it has not been mentioned yet you can swing streamers. Now admittingly it causes you to not cover as much water because the way you have to cast which is down and across. I'm using two rods to do this. One rod is 11' long and is a 5wt switch rod with a 10' sinking leader 1.5"/foot the other is a 9' 6wt with the same leader set up.

The 10' leader set up is built with the leader plus 2ft of 8# floro followed by 2ft of 4# floro.

As it's been said before your piling of line is from the loss of energy in your forward cast. Slow down and nice easy motion in both directions.

Take your time and remember it's a journey not a race.

I also apologize is for a still body of water or a river?

 

[NRD]

First of all, I want to offer a big THANK YOU to all who replied!
Skook nailed what I have and how I have been casting. Per his recommendation, I'm definitely going to try a shorter head sinking line.

I've always interpreted a "roll cast pick-up" as Skook described it: "Flip the sinking head out in front of you using a roll cast, then pick the line up off the water directly into your backcast."
This 3 minute video demonstrates something quite different, where the roll out stays in the air:

Yesterday, I got to some bigger water and gave this a try. Following this procedure to a T, I was banging out clean 40 foot casts in no time. Could surely do farther with practice, but all I want right now is 30 feet to hit some more pockets without zig zagging all over my favorite stream.

My PB brown trout hit my streamer an instant after the streamer hit the pocket I was targeting.
This is the way I want to fish, hitting all of the best looking pockets and most of the rest of the water quickly and efficiently.

 

[TerrellBFly]

Streamers... fish everything. I think of it like bass fishing with jerk baits and it produces, just on a fly rod with feathers and tinsel.

Everyone has a different way to go about it. From a raft, beat the bank. From the bank, swing into eddies and hit in front and behind boulders. If there is wood down, fish it.

I have caught fish on a streamer in just about every type of water. Hell, even just randomly slapping my streamer on the water to get line out before casting has produced takes.

Something I have been doing recently with success, is making the streamer hit the water HARD. This isn't bone fishing where a delicate presentation is required, make a commotion and the fish will respond if they are hunting.

If you have a 7 wt or above, fish big, like 4-6". You won't catch every fish in the stream, but you'll be targeting the ones that are worth it. Then downsize as necessary. Colors: dark day, dark fly. sunny day, light fly. It can be that easy. Just keep going, the tug is the drug.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Run n gun and swing for the fence not a big numbers game. But you move fish and know whats there....today should be hot after this rain

 

[DO_inthewoods]

Kelly Galloup had a good series a few years ago on streamer fishing. He had few that were wading oreinted.

The best advice i pulled from that helped was being deliberate and moving on. Find a specific feature, fish it, then move up to the next feature. Blind casting everywhere wastes time and fish will see your streamer the first time in a pocket.

 

[rustbeltwilds]

Yep run n gun especially larger wiser wild browns. They usually take on the first or second cast...move em get them to follow..kinda like musky fishing lol. Tried the figure 8 move on them but it dont work lol

 

[Cougarbaby]

That initial slap and run are most important especially along the banks during high water events,there are places where we countdown before stripping so no correct or wrong way, only experience will help ,I've caught as many 22" plus inch brown trout drifting a micro dungeon as ripping them as fast as possible,no wrong way