Streamer Colors And Best Times (4 of 13)

Colors don't seem to be all that important as streamer selection, but in some places fly fishers favor one color over another. Check with fly shops or fishing guides in your area to see what streamer patterns and colors are the most productive but don't be afraid to experiment. Barring any advanced knowledge, the old rule of Atlantic salmon fishing, bright day bright fly, dark day dark fly, seems to work. In other words, if the day is dull and rainy, try a black fly. If it's a bluebird day, try a white fly.

Streamers are often considered as the best fly to use when no insects are hatching, but there are times they work better than others. The very best time to fish a streamer is when a sudden rainstorm raises the water level because in the increased turbidity predator fish, like trout, have an advantage over the more maneuverable bait fish because the bait fish get pushed out of their shallow water havens. Of course, streamers work well when you see trout slashing at bait fish in the shallows. Look for a sudden eruption with tiny fish showering out of the disturbance and strip a streamer through the boils.

Often, streamers don't work really well on bright days, and if the day is very bright, they may not work at all. If you want to try streamers in the middle of a sunny day, fish a smaller stream or slowly and carefully. Sometimes, just the sun going behind some clouds will stimulate a fish to take a streamer when five minutes ago they wouldn't even chase one. And some rivers are better streamer rivers than others for reasons we don't totally understand, but probably it has to do with the abundance of bait fish.