The Streamer Head Flip VIDEO

by | Mar 29, 2023 | 6 comments

My favorite streamer presentation and my best trick for convincing trout to eat a streamer now has a companion video.

I first wrote of the Head Flip almost five years ago. Since then I’ve shared this with many friends, and we’ve talked about the tactic on the Troutbitten Podcast. But what seems like a simple enough tactic — changing the head angle of the streamer — can get a little complicated once your feet are in the water.

READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations — The Head Flip
PODCAST: Troutbitten | Streamers — All About the Head of the Fly

The head flip helps seal the deal on tough trout that won’t commit, and it’s a great look for almost any streamer — big, small, heavy or light. It’s a presentation that I use every day, because it works in so many situations.

Watch the video, then read below for more tips.

(Select 4K or 1080p for best video quality)

If you enjoy this video, the best way to support the effort is to like the video and subscribe on YouTube.

A Few More Points

The 2018 article holds all the information you need, so I won’t revisit much of that here.

READ: Troutbitten | Streamer Presentations — The Head Flip

But here are a few more things to consider, regarding the Head Flip:

— The video above shows the streamer just under the surface, so you can see it. But the Head Flip can and should be performed at all levels. A deep flip, right near the riverbed and around a rock can be deadly.

— Trout absolutely do know where the head of a streamer is. And manipulation to our streamer always starts with the head, as that’s where we attach the hook. Honorable mention goes to the crayfish, which lives life backward. However, but the same principles apply here. We flip a cray pattern the same way.

— The Head Flip often does bring the fly toward you a bit, especially on a tight line rig. But it does not bring it across seams or downstream or up through the column like a strip, jerk or a jig.

— Head Flips can be fast or slow. Try everything.

— The double flip introduces a touch of slack on that second flip. And if your fly is weighted, it falls a bit with that slack. BAM! I get a lot of hits right there.

— Use the Head Flip, and mix it in with your other presentations. Strip, strip, pause, head flip, strip, lane change, speed lead. Recast. That’s a good drift!

— I purposely left out much talk about rigs in the video, because for streamer presentations, many leader systems can work. We fish streamers most often under tension, and you can impart that motion to the fly and manage the tension effectively in a variety of ways. The Mono Rig works exceptionally well for the Head Flip. But don’t let that limit your imagination.

Fish hard, friends.

 

** Donate ** If you enjoy this video and you enjoy Troutbitten, please consider a donation. Your support is what keeps this Troutbitten project funded. Scroll below to find the Donate Button. And thank you.

 

Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com

 

Share This Article . . .

Since 2014 and 1000+ articles deep
Troutbitten is a free resource for all anglers.
Your support is greatly appreciated.

– Explore These Post Tags –

Domenick Swentosky

Central Pennsylvania

Hi. I’m a father of two young boys, a husband, author, fly fishing guide and a musician. I fish for wild brown trout in the cool limestone waters of Central Pennsylvania year round. This is my home, and I love it. Friends. Family. And the river.

More from this Category

Fish and Film – Fishing Fall Streamers (VIDEO)

Fish and Film – Fishing Fall Streamers (VIDEO)

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

The Jerk Strip – Streamer Presentations VIDEO

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 . . .

Fish and Film – Mountain Water Memories (Dry Flies, Dry Dropper and Wild Trout)

Fish and Film – Mountain Water Memories (Dry Flies, Dry Dropper and Wild Trout)

Deep into the fall season, I revisited one of the most important small streams in my life. I fished dry flies and dry dropper. Fishing was technical at times, and the weather swayed from sunny skies to strong winds that created a canvas of colored leaves, until eventually concluding with a cold, calm rain near the end of the day.

But as great as the fishing was, all of it was secondary to the memories, both old and new, among the minor waterfalls of a steep canyon valley.

Fishing Big Water – One Key Tip

Fishing Big Water – One Key Tip

Most anglers are tempted by big water. We fall for the trap. The river dares us to fish the far side, and it tricks us away from the things we do well.

. . . These are easy mistakes to make on big water. But discipline solves the problems. Actively planning and following through is an elusive quest with a fishing rod in hand. Most of us want to be creative. We want to follow our whims. The shady side of that boulder sure looks good, right? So why not make a few casts? Then fifteen minutes later, you’ve wasted time, energy and confidence with bad drifts and poor judgment . . .

What do you think?

Be part of the Troutbitten community of ideas.
Be helpful. And be nice.

6 Comments

  1. I always wondered how you made that work. Showing us made a big difference

    I fish more lakes than streams. In The spring fish are along the edge of the lake in shallow water. I am going to try this technique with a floating line. I will let you know how it works

    Again thanks.

    Reply
  2. I’ve been practicing this a lot over the past few months after one of your podcasts. Two questions for you: (1) Your arm movements look fairly large to set up a flip, but the close of the flipped fly looks almost too subtle for such a large arm movement. My guess is that a smaller arm movement might be better for a closer presentation. Or maybe with the tip closer to the water, a smaller arm movement would be best. (2) Do you feel that eyes on a streamer is a strong trigger? I go back and forth with this and don’t have a strong opinion. Thanks much! Toney

    Reply
    • Hi Toney,
      Yes, on a tight line you need to move the rod from all the way left to all the way right to get the head to turn 45 degrees. Try it and you’ll see what it takes.

      Also, I’m not a big believer in eyes on a streamer being all that important. Can they be a good trigger? Sure! Anything can. But they can also turn trout off quickly. I think what we see as good eyes can look very fake to a trout.

      Cheers.
      Dom

      Reply
  3. Ahhh….finally understand! Video is great to show this!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Articles

Recent Posts

Domenick Swentosky

Central Pennsylvania

Hi. I’m a father of two young boys, a husband, author, fly fishing guide and a musician. I fish for wild brown trout in the cool limestone waters of Central Pennsylvania year round. This is my home, and I love it. Friends. Family. And the river.

Pin It on Pinterest