Truly big trout streamers

[Fish For Life 0]

What kind of streamers do you use when you are targeting the biggest of big trout?? Im talking about targeting trout 15-20 lbs, the truly big boys. Not casting out a big size 4 wooly bugger, more like a size 2 or 1 long shank articulated beast. Imitating small fish, not minnows. Do you guys have any patterns in mind that would work good in this situation? Just take a normal streamer pattern and increase all the parts in size, or are there some special big streamer patterns out there.

 

Thanks

[kennebec12 0]

I only carry a couple streamers larger than a size 6 7xl in my freshwater selection (excluding pike/muskie). A supervisor, a nine-three, and a mickey finn all size 2 10xl. I do have some other larger flies tied on sz 2 7xl of my own creation, one has a short red marabou tail and the rest of the fly is alternating bands of white and blue/green iridescent soft hackle that is too large for soft hackle wets, has a great look in the water and the tail could be swapped for any color. The other also has a short red marabou tail, holo-tinsel body, white buck tail beard, assorted color buck tail wings with grizzly hackle tied on either side, peacock herl overwing, and guinea hen cheeks (either natural or died to match the buck tail). I'd post pictures but I have misplaced my camera.

 

Beyond that all I know of is big fluffy sculpin flies tied in olive, yellow, and/or brown, big deer hair mice, and pike flies that might work good for trout downsized a little. But I find that my regular old streamers in normal trout sizes are just as good for hooking big trout and you catch other smaller fish more frequently, which I'd rather catch 10 smaller fish and one big fish than two big fish all day.

[Jaydub 0]

For targeting big piscivorous trout, such as Bulls, big Browns or Mackinaw, you might look into articulated streamers. Sculpzilla, Mike's Meal Ticket and Kelly Galloup's patterns come to mind.

[eastern fly 0]

Articulated..

[Stevester 0]

Just out of curiosity, where do you find 15-20 lb trout? The record rainbow in my state is 13 lbs, the record brown is 21lbs, both dredged from from large reservoirs. The largest trout I have reasonable access to for fly fishing are migratory browns that come up the Lake Ontario tribs in the fall. Very few of those reach 10 lbs.

 

Steve

[JSzymczyk 0]

Just out of curiosity, where do you find 15-20 lb trout? The record rainbow in my state is 13 lbs, the record brown is 21lbs, both dredged from from large reservoirs. The largest trout I have reasonable access to for fly fishing are migratory browns that come up the Lake Ontario tribs in the fall. Very few of those reach 10 lbs.

 

Steve

I think there are anomalous trout in just about every body of water where they can survive. There is a smallish stream very near where I grew up, in fact it is the stream where I caught my first fish on a fly, my first trout on a fly, and basically where fly fishing became part of my life. It is a stocked stream, and not at all known for big fish. Several years ago, WAY past the years when I learned the ropes, I caught a few browns which were absolutely beautiful, perfect fins, beautifully marked, and they had every indication of being born in that stream. ONCE, one time, I had a brown follow a streamer out of a deep pool, and I know it was 10 pounds. I've caught 10 pound browns in Lake Erie. Granted, a 10 pound Great Lakes brown is not the same fish as a 10 pound stream dweller.... This thing had the length to go all of 10 lbs. My very first thought when I saw it was "musky" but to my knowledge there has never been a musky caught in that stream, and I got a good look at the fish and it was a brown trout. This is right on the hairy edge of being believable. So, IMO there is a chance that any decent stream or lake with suitable conditions could produce a giant.

[Fish For Life 0]

Just out of curiosity, where do you find 15-20 lb trout? The record rainbow in my state is 13 lbs, the record brown is 21lbs, both dredged from from large reservoirs. The largest trout I have reasonable access to for fly fishing are migratory browns that come up the Lake Ontario tribs in the fall. Very few of those reach 10 lbs.

 

Steve

There are several lakes in the area that i know of that you have a chance of getting a trout that big. Most are not common, but a lake or two you can have a pretty good chance at finding one.

[userx 0]

In Michigan it's not unheard of when mousing to catch 25lbs+ browns. I personally know and can verify a 29lb+ brown caught just last year on a 2/0 mouse at night. Kelly Galloup even says if he were chasing monsters. It'd be in the great lakes state. Anyways, most if not all are caught on mice at night.

[whatfly 0]

As with so many aspects of fishing, it depends. A lake I fish where 10-15# are fairly common and >20# have been caught, the fish take anything from #12 midge patterns to #6 Woolly Worms. Depending on the season and river, steelhead can be taken with anything from a #16 nymph to a 2/0 articulated pattern. You do not necessarily have to have a large pattern to take a large fish.

 

All this being said, articulated patterns are the way to go if you are looking for larger patterns, as eastern fly stated. Most patterns have a range that they are best tied in, and if I, using the OP's example, found a need for a #2 Woolly Bugger, I'd probably use a different fly. While some may think action is the main reason for articulation, their real advantage is that you can use a short shanked wide gape hook on a pattern with a very long profile. For more information, take a look at the works of Kelly Galloup (book & videos), and search youtube.com, and you will find a wealth of patterns.

[Matt7082 0]

I just recently started tying and fishing large articulated's this winter. So far, my favorites are the Headbanger Sculpin, The Hog Snare, and the Icepick...all designed by Rich Strolis. Check his videos out on Vimeo. Awesome patterns.

 

Another pattern that I like is the Deer Hair Sluggo. I found this one on youtube. I haven't fished it yet, but I look forward to fishing these at night once the water warms.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.madriveroutfitters.com/p-7235-ditch-pig-linsenmans.aspx

[Fletchfishes 0]

Not exactly on topic, but since someone asked about big fish - these guys caught 15 rainbows over 20 lbs in one day:

 

http://www.yellowstoneangler.com/index.php/fly-fishing-travel/jurassic-lake-argentina-huge-rainbows

 

Back on topic, I really like Tom Lynch's Drunk n' Disorderly (I like the fly, not so sure on the name.) It is a big articulated fly that isn't bad to catch and has great action when stripped. Here's a video of someone tying it:

 

https://vimeo.com/109402587

[Evans1 0]

Just back to the forum after long hiatus. Go to YouTube and look at "fly fishing the ozarks" channel. Awesome big articulated flies. They show you materials and it's filmed in time lapse. If you don't tie, a lot of those flies are sold on Internet.

[eastern fly 0]

These are a few I have done recently.

 

Kevin

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I know less than nothing about trout fishing -but might know a bit about the big flies we use in the salt... These should provide some ideas if anyone's interested. Both of the first two are done up on 4/0 hooks (Owner Aki or Tiemco 600sp...), the third pic is of rabbit strip tarpon flies done up on 3/0 hooks.... The first two patterns are usually in the six to seven inch range (and quite a variety of colors, as well as with wire weedguards). The last pattern usually comes in at four to five inches in length.... Enjoy