Streamer fly fishing in Utah and Wyoming

Im writing this blog to educate the fly fisherman out there that haven’t had much success with streamer fishing.  I hear it a lot, “I have never caught anything on a streamer.”  Well, I hope to change that, here are a few suggestions.  Streamer fishing is simply fishing with an imitation minnow or other aquatic life such as small fish, leech or crawfish that you actively retrieve through the water.  Streamer fishing is a commitment and you need to be prepared to cover a lot of water. Here are two ways you may approach this.  You can either start up stream and work your way down, covering every piece of structure in the river. Pulling your fly through every bucket, in front of and behind every rock, and through every deep run. You get the picture. Or the opposite, start down stream and work your way up doing the same thing.  Personally, I prefer starting down stream and moving up especially when fishing smaller streams. Both approaches will get the job done. It is always helpful if you can see your fly and know what its doing. This will give you a better idea of how to fish and retrieve your fly. Your main objective is to make your fly seem as if it is struggling and confused.  Larger fish pray on the vulnerable.  This is what makes streamer fishing so fun, you are one with your fly. When it comes to retrieving your fly, there is no wrong answer.  A fast retrieve, slow retrieve, no retrieve (letting it sink and bump the bottom) or a combination.  Once you get the hang of it and start moving and hooking fish you will know what all the hype is about.  To me, streamer fishing is one of the most exciting fishing you can do and if you stick with it you will be rewarded with some trophy sized fish.  Next we come to the question, what size and what color?  Bigger is always better. I tend to fish three to six inch streamers, usually articulating.  Sometimes I fish smaller, but not often.  Colors vary depending on light conditions. I try to stick to the rule of lighter colors on sunny days and darker colors on cloudy days.  But rules are made to be broken so feel free to change it up.  There is almost always an eager, meat eating trout out there. With that in mind there is never a bad time to streamer fish. So don’t be afraid to change up your routine and do some streamer fishing.  Have fun out there and remember big fish eat fish.  -Jeremy