Hey Tom- Thanks for the good word. Glad to help you out and if you have any questions, drop us a line at duranglers.com/ on our chat service and I can help you out with fishing streamers! -Andy
I like tungsten putty on my tippet above my streamer. Works great to achieve depth and it's not so hard that it'll break your rod if you accidently hit it.
This is such a great break down. I am currently in the market for a "streamer" set up. Fish mostly ponds/lakes in NC and creeks and streams for trout. I have a sweet 5wt for that, but wanted something a little different to cover Smallies, LGMouth, Stripers and occasional Salt water. I am leaning toward 6 but wonder if it will leave me undergunned. I am also getting into tying and want to be able to sling big flys all the way down to smaller bugs for trout and smallies. So hard to choose haha!! Thanks for the great content.
Hey Benjamin, thanks so much! From what it sounds like you might be doing, a 7 weight might be rod of choice since you will also be chasing stripers and occasional saltwater. While a 6 is great for streamers, a 7 would be better for you with bigger water and bigger bugs. Good luck and let us know if we can help you pick out a rod!
Have not only because we have not had a need to use the slip sinker along with a sinking line like that. Are you using the intermediate streamer express or faster sink? With the Intermediate it might make some sense if you are trying to get it down quicker, but with a fast sink it may be too much in our local rivers.
That is a big 10-4 for hoppers on the Rio Single Hand spey. It's a great line for big dry flies like hoppers and stoneflies. As far as the Rio Versitip 2, it's not a fly line we would normally choose to fish on rivers here in Colorado. The Versitip 2 is a good line for big western rivers in Montana and Wyoming as well as fishing lakes, but here in Colorado, as we covered in the video, we don't really need a sink tip fly line on our rivers. Sometimes a sink tip doesn't hurt, but they don't really offer any added benefit that you can't get from a floating line either. If you were looking for something to offer you a lot of options if you were planning on fishing a lot of different waters, then the Versitip 2 might be a handy too. Hope that helped. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Awesome Video! When is the "what bugs/streamers to have/use" video going to happen? Would really enjoy more guidance. When you attach your Maxima to your fly line, what kind of connection do you use (loop or no loop)? Also, what knot do you use to connect the different pieces of maxima to each other (I use double Uni or Blood knot, but wondering if there is something better)? Finally, If I have a floating line w/ a shooting head, could I only use one like 3' - 4' piece of 8 or 10 lb Maxima for small to medium tailwaters? I'm basically using a 6wt rod to fish small to medium rivers, and good sized lakes (for bass), but I have 3 different spools for my reel. This rod is pretty much for streamers only targeting large browns, and medium sized bass. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
We use a perfection loop in the Maxima to attach it to the fly line. Typically we use either a blood knot or a double surgeon's knot to attach the different sections of Maxima. If it is a larger diameter to a smaller diameter, the double surgeon's knot works best. You could use a short section of Maxima with a sinking line/shooting head as long as it turns the fly over well.
Awesome, thanks for the info. I've had some trouble w/ the surgeons in the past, I love the simplicity of tying it, but I've had it fail on bigger fish a couple of times. It may not be an issue w/ maxima, but I have moved away from it on fine tippet. Really enjoyed the video, look forward to the next couple!
It works well with heavier maxima, and make sure you are lubing up your knots before cinching them down as the heat of pulling them tight can cause them to become brittle.
Yeah for sure, I've had much more luck w/ the double surgeons than the triple (which is counter-intuitive to me). I use 20 lb maxima straight down to 10 lb (or 12 whichever I have) w/ double surgeons or double uni. I make love to them b4 cinching them down. I'm just getting into streamers, and I am so totally into it. I love the active retrieve. I love to hear different ideas, thanks so much for the input! I mostly fish cold mountain trout streams in the Appalachians. Can't wait to get back to Colorado though, I visit often. You guys are th 9' 5 weight of streamer info :)
Nope, typically when casting the bullet weight slides right to the fly and acts as if the fly is just a conehead. You could peg the weight with a blood knot above the fly, but it isn't necessary.
Im new to fly fishing, i do have a small amount of streamers in the box but i shy from using them, and its only bc when i tie them on, they tend to kind just fall in front of my line, i cant seem to get them as far from me as i can a small adams or similar, any ideas
Hey Ricky, my first question would be what kind of rod and fly line are you using? It could be something that is good for the small stuff, but hard to power a larger streamer out there. Secondly, what kind of leader and tippet are you using? It could be that you are using a leader that is very long or too small to turn over heavier streamer. Finally, are you overhead casting or trying to roll cast the streamer. Thanks and I hope we can help you out!
@@Duranglers it does cast smaller flies very nice as it is. But when i want to use a streamer or similar larger fly it just seems to pile up on me, also over head casting into a very wide river. The up cast and all that looks good, no snapping or breaking flies off
@@rickpelland3768 Hey Ricky. It could be that the rod is not a super powerful rod and overloading it with a very heavy streamer causes it to collapse and not turn over the flies as it should. The other possibility is that you may need to adjust your casting stroke for the larger flies and allow for the backcast to fully unload before you start your forward cast.
Thanks for the reply, also, I was wondering what your leader might look like if you were fishing rivers like the San Juan? Would you still use maxima or would you go to flouro?
It would really depend on flows and clarity of the San Juan. For high, off-color water in the spring, Maxima would be just fine. However, when the water is really clear, you may want to add an additional 18" section of 2x-3x going to the fly. Going with flouro wouldn't hurt either. You can also scale down your maxima to 8lb or even 6lb. Unlike fishing small nymphs where fish have a moment to examine your flies, with a streamer the fish have to make a split section decision if they are going to eat your fly or not. Sometimes scaling down your tippet makes sense, but a lot of times you want a higher break strength over invisibility. Another factor to consider is where you are going to be fishing a streamer on the San Juan. If you are throwing one close to the dam, those fish get very selective as all they really see are midges, worms, and the occasional leech. The farther you get downstream from the dam, the more diverse the food becomes, and the nature of the river changes. Baitfish show up in the warmer waters as well. I have personally found that tippet size on a streamer (mainly leaches) makes more of a difference the closer you get to the dam, but the farther down we go, you can go bigger with the tippet (and streamers). I typically will fish 3x flouro to a streamer throughout the quality waters, but through the town of Navajo Dam and on down, I usually go a little bigger, and use Maxima. Hope that helps Wadkins!
Hey Rudy, the OPST lines are decent for streamers, as they can really throw heavy bugs. However, you don't really have a whole lot of mending ability with those lines as they are only using a heavy skagit head and shooting line. The shooting line is not great for making good mends. If your goal is to launch bugs and strip (or swing your flies), they are good. For mending your line in a river situation to get your streamer pointing the direction you want, they are not as great.
Man surprised you run streamers on floating Line. Seems bizarre. A lot of this info changes once you start using sinking line especially heavier sink line. A 6wt with sinking line would really push the limits of that rod
Big fish hitting big streamers are not leader shy, expensive reels with great drag systems are not necessary. i bet most break offs are due to poor knots or leader abrasion.
as a newbie for streamer fishing, this is the one of the rare videos which is valuable to watch from start to end. great contents and helps me a lot👍
Thank you so much Eddie, that is great to hear your feedback! Let us know if we can help with anything else.
Awesome video, thanks for the info. Quick reference below
Rod Discussion @5:48, Reel Discussion @9:25, Line Discussion @12:39, Leader/Tippet Discussion @19:23
Thanks Hans!
Awesome video. Best one I've seen for streamer set ups. Trying to up my streamer game. Thanks
Hey Tom- Thanks for the good word. Glad to help you out and if you have any questions, drop us a line at duranglers.com/ on our chat service and I can help you out with fishing streamers! -Andy
Thank you soo much for this video. Ill be fishing Cache La Poudre and rivers around Foco and this helped me a lot
Absolutely Alex, very glad that we could help you out!
Thanks for this video. I foresee a trip from Flagstaff to shop for a streamer set up.
Tons of great info.
Thank's John!
I like tungsten putty on my tippet above my streamer. Works great to achieve depth and it's not so hard that it'll break your rod if you accidently hit it.
That is a good idea! Thanks.
What about for Wooly buggers? Will that leader setup work also?
Yep, absolutely.
Awesome Video! When is the "what bugs/streamers to have/use" going to happen. I could use the guidance!
This is such a great break down. I am currently in the market for a "streamer" set up. Fish mostly ponds/lakes in NC and creeks and streams for trout. I have a sweet 5wt for that, but wanted something a little different to cover Smallies, LGMouth, Stripers and occasional Salt water. I am leaning toward 6 but wonder if it will leave me undergunned. I am also getting into tying and want to be able to sling big flys all the way down to smaller bugs for trout and smallies. So hard to choose haha!! Thanks for the great content.
Hey Benjamin, thanks so much! From what it sounds like you might be doing, a 7 weight might be rod of choice since you will also be chasing stripers and occasional saltwater. While a 6 is great for streamers, a 7 would be better for you with bigger water and bigger bugs. Good luck and let us know if we can help you pick out a rod!
Duranglers Flies and Supplies awesome! Thanks. I think I am going with a 7 for sure. Tight lines! I’d love to make it out west some day soon. 😎
Have you used the slip sinker technique with the SA streamer express 250gr?
Have not only because we have not had a need to use the slip sinker along with a sinking line like that. Are you using the intermediate streamer express or faster sink? With the Intermediate it might make some sense if you are trying to get it down quicker, but with a fast sink it may be too much in our local rivers.
What about hoppers on the Rio Single Hand Spay? Any thoughts on the Rio Versitip 2?
That is a big 10-4 for hoppers on the Rio Single Hand spey. It's a great line for big dry flies like hoppers and stoneflies. As far as the Rio Versitip 2, it's not a fly line we would normally choose to fish on rivers here in Colorado. The Versitip 2 is a good line for big western rivers in Montana and Wyoming as well as fishing lakes, but here in Colorado, as we covered in the video, we don't really need a sink tip fly line on our rivers. Sometimes a sink tip doesn't hurt, but they don't really offer any added benefit that you can't get from a floating line either. If you were looking for something to offer you a lot of options if you were planning on fishing a lot of different waters, then the Versitip 2 might be a handy too. Hope that helped. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Awesome Video! When is the "what bugs/streamers to have/use" video going to happen? Would really enjoy more guidance. When you attach your Maxima to your fly line, what kind of connection do you use (loop or no loop)? Also, what knot do you use to connect the different pieces of maxima to each other (I use double Uni or Blood knot, but wondering if there is something better)? Finally, If I have a floating line w/ a shooting head, could I only use one like 3' - 4' piece of 8 or 10 lb Maxima for small to medium tailwaters? I'm basically using a 6wt rod to fish small to medium rivers, and good sized lakes (for bass), but I have 3 different spools for my reel. This rod is pretty much for streamers only targeting large browns, and medium sized bass. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
We use a perfection loop in the Maxima to attach it to the fly line. Typically we use either a blood knot or a double surgeon's knot to attach the different sections of Maxima. If it is a larger diameter to a smaller diameter, the double surgeon's knot works best. You could use a short section of Maxima with a sinking line/shooting head as long as it turns the fly over well.
Awesome, thanks for the info. I've had some trouble w/ the surgeons in the past, I love the simplicity of tying it, but I've had it fail on bigger fish a couple of times. It may not be an issue w/ maxima, but I have moved away from it on fine tippet. Really enjoyed the video, look forward to the next couple!
It works well with heavier maxima, and make sure you are lubing up your knots before cinching them down as the heat of pulling them tight can cause them to become brittle.
Yeah for sure, I've had much more luck w/ the double surgeons than the triple (which is counter-intuitive to me). I use 20 lb maxima straight down to 10 lb (or 12 whichever I have) w/ double surgeons or double uni. I make love to them b4 cinching them down. I'm just getting into streamers, and I am so totally into it. I love the active retrieve. I love to hear different ideas, thanks so much for the input! I mostly fish cold mountain trout streams in the Appalachians. Can't wait to get back to Colorado though, I visit often. You guys are th 9' 5 weight of streamer info :)
HAHAHA thank you Kev! That is the best compliment.
It would seem like you’d have issues with the bullet weight flying around when casting have ypu ever used a bobber stopper to peg the weight ?
Nope, typically when casting the bullet weight slides right to the fly and acts as if the fly is just a conehead. You could peg the weight with a blood knot above the fly, but it isn't necessary.
Silly question. What watch are you wearing here?
A Citizen Echo Drive. Great for the fly angler as it is powered by light! www.jomashop.com/citizen-bm8180-03e.html
Im new to fly fishing, i do have a small amount of streamers in the box but i shy from using them, and its only bc when i tie them on, they tend to kind just fall in front of my line, i cant seem to get them as far from me as i can a small adams or similar, any ideas
Hey Ricky, my first question would be what kind of rod and fly line are you using? It could be something that is good for the small stuff, but hard to power a larger streamer out there. Secondly, what kind of leader and tippet are you using? It could be that you are using a leader that is very long or too small to turn over heavier streamer. Finally, are you overhead casting or trying to roll cast the streamer. Thanks and I hope we can help you out!
@@Duranglers a 5/6 weight rod and matching reel, i use the 9 ft tappered leaders. Tued to the floating line, then tied to the backer line.
@@Duranglers it does cast smaller flies very nice as it is. But when i want to use a streamer or similar larger fly it just seems to pile up on me, also over head casting into a very wide river. The up cast and all that looks good, no snapping or breaking flies off
@@rickpelland3768 Hey Ricky. It could be that the rod is not a super powerful rod and overloading it with a very heavy streamer causes it to collapse and not turn over the flies as it should. The other possibility is that you may need to adjust your casting stroke for the larger flies and allow for the backcast to fully unload before you start your forward cast.
What size are those slip sinkers?
1/16 Ounce
Would you recommend the slip sinker for fishing from the bank?
Depending on the situation and depth of the water you are wanting to get to, absolutely!
Thanks for the reply, also, I was wondering what your leader might look like if you were fishing rivers like the San Juan? Would you still use maxima or would you go to flouro?
It would really depend on flows and clarity of the San Juan. For high, off-color water in the spring, Maxima would be just fine. However, when the water is really clear, you may want to add an additional 18" section of 2x-3x going to the fly. Going with flouro wouldn't hurt either. You can also scale down your maxima to 8lb or even 6lb. Unlike fishing small nymphs where fish have a moment to examine your flies, with a streamer the fish have to make a split section decision if they are going to eat your fly or not. Sometimes scaling down your tippet makes sense, but a lot of times you want a higher break strength over invisibility.
Another factor to consider is where you are going to be fishing a streamer on the San Juan. If you are throwing one close to the dam, those fish get very selective as all they really see are midges, worms, and the occasional leech. The farther you get downstream from the dam, the more diverse the food becomes, and the nature of the river changes. Baitfish show up in the warmer waters as well. I have personally found that tippet size on a streamer (mainly leaches) makes more of a difference the closer you get to the dam, but the farther down we go, you can go bigger with the tippet (and streamers). I typically will fish 3x flouro to a streamer throughout the quality waters, but through the town of Navajo Dam and on down, I usually go a little bigger, and use Maxima. Hope that helps Wadkins!
So 2ft of 20 2ft of 15 and 2ft of 10? How long is your tip pit?
The 10 lb is tippet, total leader length is usually 6 feet, maxing out at 8 at most.
Duranglers Flies and Supplies Thank u I’m new to streamers. How are those opst fly lines for streamers?
Hey Rudy, the OPST lines are decent for streamers, as they can really throw heavy bugs. However, you don't really have a whole lot of mending ability with those lines as they are only using a heavy skagit head and shooting line. The shooting line is not great for making good mends. If your goal is to launch bugs and strip (or swing your flies), they are good. For mending your line in a river situation to get your streamer pointing the direction you want, they are not as great.
Man surprised you run streamers on floating Line. Seems bizarre. A lot of this info changes once you start using sinking line especially heavier sink line. A 6wt with sinking line would really push the limits of that rod
Sounds neat man.
Big fish hitting big streamers are not leader shy, expensive reels with great drag systems are not necessary. i bet most break offs are due to poor knots or leader abrasion.
Depends on where you are fishing for sure!
this dude is totally stoned
Haha no I don't smoke weed or do drugs. Strange for Colorado, I know. XXX
maybe you just fish too much, regardless great info in the vid
That might be true lol Thanks for watching!