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 . . .

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — The Super Pause at Troutbitten.

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 . . .

Continue reading The Tracer Streamer Concept at Troutbitten.

“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 . . .

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Let Them Eat It at Troutbitten.

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 . . .

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Your First Move at Troutbitten.

A good fight starts with a solid hookset. We want it fast, sharp and — here’s the key — downstream, as much as possible . . .

Continue reading Hookset Direction — Downstream at Troutbitten.

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 . . .

Continue reading Streamer Anglers — Be Like the Drift Boat at Troutbitten.

You can move the fly ten inches across seams. You can jerk strip, jig and twitch the streamer with jumpy and choppy motions or you can do all of it super smooth. Which do the trout prefer?

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Quick or Smooth? at Troutbitten.

Something electric happens when we hook into the fish of the day, the fish of the season or maybe the fish of a lifetime. Our hearts beat faster. The adrenaline pumps because the stakes are raised. This is the fish we’ve been waiting for, and we don’t want to lose the opportunity.

Continue reading Podcast: How to Fight Bigger Trout — S3-Ep4 at Troutbitten.

By mixing jigging into our streamer presentations, we add a new dynamic. We no longer just slide and glide, cross currents and hover. Now we dip and rise, dive and climb through the column. It’s another dimension to be explored. Offer it to the trout, and let them decide.

You do not need a jig hook to jig streamers. Can you jig a big articulated fly? Absolutely. And while the up and down motion may not be as pronounced as a smaller, thinner, head-heavy fly, jigging works with big and bulky flies too.

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Jigging the Streamer at Troutbitten.

Rolling the bottom, gliding mid-current along a knee-deep riffle and slow-sliding off the bank — these maneuvers are just as enticing and catch just as many trout as do flashy retrieves. But we tend to forget them. Or rather, we might not have the discipline to stay with an understated look for very long, because the modest stuff isn’t as exciting as the razzle-dazzle.

This handful of subtle moves requires an angler with restraint and commitment. Otherwise, the rod tip and line hand are back to big motions and brash, bold movements in no time . . .

Continue reading Streamer Presentations — Glides and Slides at Troutbitten.