Streamer Time
Streamer season is upon us. We have high water in many locations across the country. When there's high water, one of the best ways to catch fish is to streamer fish. One of my favorite all around streamers is the Muddler Minnow. This is a very versatile pattern. During this time of year, you can use it to represent a tempting little sculpin. Later on in the year, you can put some floatant on it and fish it like a hopper or skate it across the surface to represent a mouse.
The original is not weighted. It has dense hair wing that can push a lot of water. The tail and underwing are made of turnkey feathers, and the body has a tinsel wrap. Of course now, there are a myriad of different variations nowadays. I'm partial to the purple on a bright day and the olive in more overcast conditions, but the range is pretty broad and vast.
Flies aren't cheap, at least not good ones. Take care of them. If you go streamer fishing this weekend, and keep your streamers closed in their box, they will be well next weekend. Believe it or not, water is the enemy of a fly. It will breakdown the materials. Natural materials can rot, and synthetics can get all matted. The moisture in the box can affect flies you haven't even used. After you get home from fishing, air them out like you would your wading boots. Just leaving them in the open air will suffice unless it's freezing where you keep them. I tried in the laundry room on top of the dryer once. After some suggestions where to put them from my lovely wife Tracy, I decided the RiverBum home office was probably best.
A comment about fly quality.....you get what you pay for, as with most things in life. There's plenty of folks that sell a discount flies by the dozen only few bucks. All you need to do is lose that trout of a lifetime on a straightened hook and you'll quickly understand. They are "discount" or "cheap" for a reason. Because that's exactly what they are. We buy from the factory direct. Our factory is recognized as one of the best in the world. We use Daiichi and Tiemco chemically sharpened hooks. All the best materials. The only reason why our flies are less than what you might expect is because we buy direct from the factory and we pass those savings on to you. There is no wholesaler in the middle.