Choosing the Best Streamers for Montana Fly Fishing
When fly fishing in Montana, anglers tend to push the envelope of new tactics and exciting ways to catch trout on streamers. Probing Montana rivers like the Yellowstone and Madison with large streamers and sink tips is a favorite method for Montana anglers looking for a trophy trout. There are few trout fishing techniques that can be as exciting as a day of casting streamers from a drift boat. The visual nature of streamer fishing from the boat can be as action packed as a good day of dry fly fishing. Streamer fishing can also entice the larger trout in the river to leave their lairs and chase a fly. It’s by no means a guaranteed way of hooking a monster and sometimes surprisingly small fish will strike a large streamer, however a safe generalization is that streamer fishing draws action from larger fish.
A testament to the exciting action that streamer fish can provide, many of our intermediate and advanced anglers come back year after year, booking their guided trips around times when the "streamer bite" is the best. The fall season in Montana has the reputation for consistent fishing with streamers. However, the spring season can also serve up some consistent fishing with streamers. Summer and winter season are less a target of streamer anglers--summer because many trout are feeding on dominate hatches and winter because try tend to be lethargic.
Favorite Montana Streamers: Non-Articulated
Smaller streamers tied on a single hook were the norm for years. Streamers of this sort are typically tied on longer shank hooks in size 2-6. These more “normal” sized streamers are effective trout catchers and are guide favorites as they’re easy to cast and to fish. On average, these single hook streamers are 2-3 inches long, moderately weighted, and tied with materials that tend to hold their profile in the water. Compared to some larger patterns, fishing them is a good way to look for willing fish of all sizes. A smaller fly might also provide a little more action than fishing a very large streamer as a large streamer may only be attacked by a very large trout. These smaller streamers are great searching flies for any kind of water, whether on a small stream or large river.
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Favorite Montana Streamers: Smaller Articulated
In the 20-teens it became a trend to fish extra large streamers in the 8-12 inch long range that were so heavy and bulky casting them necessitated a rod heavier than a 7-weight. Although fishing these huge flies can be exciting, it also may have resulted in as much tennis elbow as it did trophy trout being caught. Fortunately, the preferable fly size for streamer fishing seems to have swung back toward more manageable sized flies that can be effectively fished with a 6-weight. Interestingly, these more manageable sized streamers have evolved from the huge flies. Stylistically these smaller streamers are quite similar to the huge flies that were “in” a few years ago, however they've been scaled down to the 3-5 inch size range. These scaled back flies have become quite popular in the last few years as they're much more user-friendly and can be just as effective as a huge streamer.
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Favorite Montana Streamers: Larger Articulated
Large, but manageable streamers are a great way to pursue large fish with flies that have a large profile but remain easy to cast. These flies tend to be in the 4-6 inch range and are tied with materials that look large in the water but tend to cast small by not being overly bulky. Material selection is also important when it comes to keeping a large fly castable. Flies tied with synthetics and marabou tend to flow and hold a large profile in the water, however they shed water when they're picked up and cast. Also, moderately weighting the flies is important. A little weight helps the fly get down and will give it more action, however a super heavy fly is just tough to cast and can actually be dangerous for everyone within casting range. A few large flies that we like are shown below, they incorporate all of the factors that make a large streamer an effective and castable fly.
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Searching New Waters
Fishing large streamers is also an excellent way to probe new waters in new locations. The travelling angler should always bring a selection of streamers on any fly fishing trip. Understanding and matching hatches in new locations can be tough, whereas streamer fishing is as much pursuing an aggression or curiosity strike as it is matching a food source. Many of our anglers that go to Argentina and Chile with us enjoy probing those wild rivers with large streamers, as the large trout that inhabit them can often be enticed with a big meal.
A guided fly fishing trip with Montana Angler can be an excellent way to hone your streamer fishing skills. All of our guides are expert streamer fisherman and love teaching their anglers how fun and exciting a day of streamer fishing can be on our Southwest Montana rivers. Let us book your Montana fly fishing trip and show you some of the best streamer fishing Montana has to offer!