Can Streamers Constantly Be Successful?

This is a question many anglers ask themselves, especially if they are streamer junkies like myself. The answer is Complicated, Yes and No. The answer can swing in both directions, after all we are fisherman, and every day for us on the water can be different.

My answer for this question we ask ourselves is yes. Streamers can be successful all the time. I believe they are successful all the time due to the fact that I only fish streamers and, as every fisherman does, I have only gotten skunked twice in 178 days on the water. I have caught a fish on a streamer every place other people catch them on dries or nymphs.

(Leach eating bow!)

        My belief is the more experience you have with fishing streamers, the more successful you will be on a regular basis. Since I started fishing streamers I have gotten better with every cast. You can’t expect to be successful right away because fishing streamers can be tough to get the hang of. It is important to think about trying not to spook fish, or how far ahead of the fish you’ll have to cast so your fly will sink at the right ratio and get into the fishes face for just the right time. My experiences have taught me that once you learn this ratio, to the point where you are OCD about every cast, mend, or swing you will be nothing but successful. You just have to take the time to practice it.

(Fish eat meat... nough' said.)

        Now I did say the answer is complicated and that there is a no to my yes. The reason I say no is because though you may be catching lot’s of quality fish, every now and then you might look over and see a 13 year old bombing dries out there and hammering 2 fish by the time you catch one. There are times when you might be catching fish on streamers, but occasionally the stars may have aligned perfectly against you and you could be more successful using Nymphs or Dries.

        In conclusion: yes streamers can be successful all the time, but once in a great while dries or nymphs might be a better option. In all the fishing I have done, I have been more successful with streamers than anything else. However, it might be a different story for others. My theory is if you throw a badass streamer in front of a fishes face at just the right time, it will eat the meat!!! Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed!

~Hunter Derrick