Articles in the Category Streamers

Building the Troutbitten Mono Rig – Reels, Lines, Materials, Connections and Knots (VIDEO)

For over a decade, I’ve written and talked about fishing a Mono Rig for all underwater presentations — nymphs with and without an indicator, with and without split shot, dry dropper, streamers of all shapes and sizes and even pure dry flies.

I’ve detailed the formulas for my favorite leaders in many places, but I’ve never put everything together from the ground up. This video answers the most frequent questions about reels, fly lines, leader connections, materials and knots. No matter what tight line leader you choose to build, the principles shown here apply.

Fishing With Visible Flies — Learning From What You Can See (VIDEO)

Seeing the fly is one of the most enjoyable aspects of fishing. But there’s a world of education inherent, too. Watch the fly dance and fall as it mixes with the currents. Notice how it responds to rod tip animation and line strips. Then see a trout materialize around the fly and judge its reaction. Visible flies are teachers. Whether dries, wets, nymphs or streamers, watching the fly helps us refine the techniques that catch fish.

Streamer Anglers — Be Like the Drift Boat

Keep moving. That’s the key to streamer fishing. And moving downstream with the currents makes it possible for hours at a time. Wade down and fish up . . .

Fishing the Edges (VIDEO)

Here are specific strategies for targeting edge water, with footage from two trips — one on small water and one on a larger river. I fish nymphs and streamers, changing frequently to suit the conditions.

PODCAST: Streamer Presentations #2 — The Jerk Strip (S14, Ep2)

Feb 2, 2025 | Announcements, Streamers, The Troutbitten Podcast

The ability to move the fly with the rod tip and not just the line hand is a fundamental skill that opens creative options for every streamer angler.

Almost two decades ago, Kelly Galloup’s first streamer book changed the way anglers thought about moving a streamer. All these years later, the jerk strip isn’t just one way to move the streamer. It’s a technique for using both hands, in concert, synchronized, for presentations that are impossible to achieve any other way.

Move the fly with the rod tip and then recover with the line hand. In this way, the Jerk Strip sets the table for everything else to follow in this Troutbitten Skills Series on Streamer Presentations . . .

PODCAST: Streamer Presentations — What We Control (S14, Ep1)

Jan 26, 2025 | Announcements, Streamers, The Troutbitten Podcast

Season fourteen is a ten-part Troutbitten Skill Series, all about Streamer Presentations. Streamer fishing is salesmanship. But how do we sell it? What are the animations? What are the things we can do with a long fly, to make it look like a baitfish, like a crayfish, a sculpin, maybe a small trout or a fall fish?

Most anglers hate this wasted time. In fact, all of this preparation just to go fishing puts a lot of anglers off in the first place. And the colder it is, or the longer you plan to be out there fishing, or the more tactics you plan to use the more all of this pre-trip prep is required.

We want a system for minimizing the time between cutting the car engine to walking away from the vehicle with our fly rod in hand.

Troutbitten Shop Winter Sale ’24 — All Leaders, Hats, Stickers and Apparel In Stock

Dec 4, 2024 | Announcements, Nymphing, Streamers, Tactics, The Mono Rig

The Troutbitten Shop Winter Sale ’24 is here, with all leaders, hats, stickers and apparel back in stock.

Fish and Film – Fishing Fall Streamers (VIDEO)

Nov 27, 2024 | Streamers, Tactics, Videos

Nothing compares to actively fishing streamers and watching trout attack the fly. In early November, I found good streamer action in some favorite water. The takes were spotty enough that I had to work for them, but frequent enough that I could learn the preferences of the trout and dial in a presentation . . .

The Jerk Strip – Streamer Presentations VIDEO

Nov 20, 2024 | Streamers, Tactics, Videos

Moving the fly with the rod tip and not just the line hand is a fundamental skill that opens up many presentations that bring trout to a streamer.

The jerk strip is critical for any serious streamer angler. It’s a must-have skill for animating the fly — for selling the streamer to a fish. And it’s the baseline for what I think of as a jig strip, a twitch strip, a glide strip, a head flip and twitch, a lane change, and much more. At its core, the jerk strip is a hand off from left to right — it’s about moving the fly with the rod tip and then recovering with the line hand. In this way, the jerk strip sets the table for everything else . . .

Streamer Presentations — The Super Pause

Feb 22, 2024 | Streamers, Tactics | 3 Comments

Quite simply, the Super Pause is a lack of animation to the streamer for a long time. But that pause usually follows some kind of movement. Last fall, on our podcast about streamers, Bill surprised all of us by saying he often didn’t move the fly for five seconds. That seemed like a long time to all of us. I remember saying that I didn’t know if I had that much patience with a streamer. Dell did, and I didn’t. But I do now.

As Bill told me the other day, getting big hits and bigger fish at the end of the line can make you pretty patient.

Good point . . .

The Tracer Streamer Concept

Dec 31, 2023 | Streamers, Tactics | 19 Comments

The tracer streamer keeps the visuals in your streamer game and catches a few trout while doing so. But getting the most of a two-streamer system requires a little forethought . . .

Troutbitten Shop Fall Sale ’23 — Leaders, Hats, New Trail Merch, Stickers and More

Nov 23, 2023 | Announcements, Nymphing, Streamers, Tactics, The Mono Rig | 6 Comments

The Troutbitten Fall Sale ’23 is here, with all leaders, hats and stickers back in the Troutbitten Shop. With this round, we have a few special items to offer, from the Troutbitten and New Trail Brewing company collaboration. There’s a Fish Hard / Drink Beer hat, sticker and t-shirt. The Troutbitten Shop is fully stocked. Hats, leaders, stickers, shirts, hoodies and more are ready to go.

Streamer Presentations — Let Them Eat It

Nov 8, 2023 | Streamers, Tactics | 9 Comments

“Let them eat it. Don’t take it away from them.” I’ve burned that simple message in my brain. For many years, I focused obsessively on the motion I would give to a streamer, I now focus equally on where and when I will pause it.

Attract them with motion. Then let them eat it. Streamer fishing for trout really is that simple. But the variations within the framework are where artistry arises . . .

Streamer Presentations — Your First Move

Oct 19, 2023 | Streamers, Tactics | 4 Comments

Streamer anglers will tell you that most of their hits happen within the first few seconds or strips. Trout see the fly enter, and their decision whether to attack, chase or ignore your fly is often determined by your first move after entry.

. . . Trout don’t miss much in their field of vision, and they surely notice anything the size of a streamer landing in their zone. Therefore, what that fly does next either entices, dissuades or spooks the fish . . .

Q&A: Streamers — Sinking Line or Tight Line?

Oct 4, 2023 | Questions & Answers, Streamers, Tactics | 9 Comments

The sinking line does a few presentations very well. And a tight line streamer rig can do many things well. While the sinking line approach gains me more distance and longer retrieves, the tight line system is great for a targeted approach, with more casting and shorter retrieves.

Tight line systems provide direct contact and direct control, where sinking line systems put a weighted fly line in between me and the streamer. Two different styles.

There are many things to consider, but start with this: What is the water type? And what are your goals?