Weighted Streamers

[Don Stracener 0]

How many of you streamer users put weight in your streamer patterns? What's the norm, how much?

 

I was throwing some hair streamers and they don't seem to get very deep.

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi Don,

 

I weigth about 3/4 of the streamers in my streamer box. I use everything from a single bead to dumbbell lead eyes. Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[Redwings1 0]

I weigth about 3/4 of the streamers in my streamer box

 

I agree, and often will also fish them on a T100 sinking line to help get them down and keep them down.

[Worstcaster 0]

A lot of the time instead of wraping 5 or 6 wraps of lead, I cut a piece the size of the hook shank and tie it on straight. I makes anything you tie on later more uniform. I just finished tying for a minow swap using polar hair to make the body. I wrapped heavy embrodery floss around the fiy shank to. It adds weight to the fly and hides the lead.

 

With the bunny patterns a sinking line does help a lot. Also swish the fly at the waters edge to get it fully wet before the first cast to help it sink faster.

[fly time 0]

Don, I normally fish my streamers on a sinking line, and for weight, I like to use bead chain eyes, they look good, and they get it to sink.

[deeky 0]

If I may piggy back.

 

When applying weight (other than the full length of the shank), where do you tie it in, in reference to how far back on the shank?

 

I'm aware of the different results in how it swims, just curious what the spread is of where you place your weight. (Feel free to insert fat jokes here.)

 

Deeky

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi deeky,

 

The amount of weight on the shank in relation to the materials determines whether the hook travels point up/down in the water column. The same amount of weight on a hook tied as a Woolly Bugger will cause it to ride point up while on a heavily winged bucktail streamer it will travel point down (assuming the wing is place on the top of the shank). Take a close look at your weighted nymphs sometime and see how they travel in the water. Don't be surprised to find them up-side-down. Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[deeky 0]

Al,

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Sorry, I should have explained better. I am actually curious about moving wieght forward or backward along the shank for jigging vs. gliding action. Tying in a keel along the whole length of the shank obviously won't affect this, but wraps, eyes, beads, etc. can really change the action of the fly. How about it?

 

Deeky

[fly time 0]

That is true, on some I use the bead chain eyes, if I dont want the thing to do a nose dive when it hits the water, then I will add a few wraps of lead on the butt, and if you want a more natural look, start your weight an 1/8 inch from the eye, and take it to the center of the shank. that will sink it in a more natural way, and it will swim natural as well.

[Don Stracener 0]

That's all some good input, thanks.

 

I deceided to tie 75/25 in favor of weighted. Then a light and medium weighted seperated by a stripe of colored thread on the head. That way I can adjust weight to water flow just by color of the stripe on the head. Red for light weight and white or bright green for very heavy works for me. If I want heavy weight I'll go to my clousers and egg sucking leach.

[fly time 0]

Thats a great idea Don!!

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi deeky,

 

Sorry about misunderstanding your weight placement comment. You are so right; where you place the weight really makes the fly react different. I use cone head/dumbbell eyes to make the fly nose dive during the pause part of the retrieve. I wrap lead on the shank to make it go straight down and I put dumbbell eyes past the end of the shank and down into the bend on some of my carp flies so they will sink then sit on the bottom with the fly pointing up and the hook point up so it won't snag the bottom. Often a carp/fish will pick up a fly that is sitting on the bottom. Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[Duane Vigue 0]

Im late on this topic, but since I fish "streamer" more than anyone I know, Ill see if I can add anything.

 

Depends on the kind of streamers youre talking about first of all. A muddler, wooly bugger, bucktail, featherwing, etc. Most streamers I fish I dont weight because then youre stuck with a weighted fly that you cant un-weight. Fish either a sinking line, or if its legal, add split shot using a floating line. Thats the easiest and best way to go without limiting yourself to a fly that will always have wieght in it, AND, you can control the amount of weight too. Featherwings and bucktails I NEVER weight, but I do have some cone head muddlers & wooly buggers and I prefer cone head weight over wrapped weight since it gives a better action. Hope that can help. Duane

[Don Stracener 0]

Thanks Duane .

 

Points well taken.

[Don Stracener 0]

Went with the no weight flies as suggested. Put split shot 18-24 inches up the line. Shot keeps coming off and we start over with more. Ideas?