Big Streamers - Big Trout — Craig Rist

from Tasmanian Fishing and Boating News Issue 134 2018 October

The Holy Grail x Two — Trevor Howard

BIG STREAMERS BIG TROUT

Craig Rist ties them and tries them

Trout the world over will eat big baitfish given the chance. The trout that swim in Tasmania’s waters are defiantly no exception. If they can get hold of a big protein hit by eating a smaller trout or bait fish, they will. Like all predatory fish trout will seize an opportunity to eat another fish that is struggling to swim, triggering an instinctive opportunistic response to capitalise on an easy meal.

Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent is the home of monsters.

The golden galaxias of Lake Crescent can grow up to around 8 inches long. After they have spawned over winter these golden galaxias can be seen dying, floating and kicking near the surface during the first few months of the season. The big fish of Lake Crescent take this easy meal whenever they get the chance and will also hunt down the smaller juvenile galaxias that live in the open water. This is the perfect time to tie on a big streamer fly that is 2 or even 4 inches long to represent a large baitfish. Another good reason to use a big bulky streamer in this lake is to make it stand out and push some water to get noticed in this dirty water which is heavily laden with silt from the wave action on this shallow lake.

I like to fish the edge of the marshes where they meet the open water in this lake. This is mostly blind fishing, so casting to structure like the edge of the reeds and exposed weed beds makes it a little more interesting than blind flogging open water. The depth of the water along these marshes are from 2 to 4 foot deep so a floating fly line with a 10 or 12 foot leader is all I use. When the big streamer hits the water with a splash, I like to give it some time to sink and a chance for any fish nearby to move towards it. Then it’s just a slow wounded baitfish type of retrieve back.

Like most big trout lakes in Tasmania, they don’t come easy. Persistence and the acceptance of going home without a single touch is needed to keep coming back until this lake finally gives one up to the fly.

Western Lakes

For me the real appeal of these lakes is the sight fishing opportunities they provide, in pristine environments. Many of these lakes contain the native galaxias and the ones that do usually hold good size fish. These are nowhere near the size of the golden galaxias of Lake Crescent but they still make a valuable meal for the trout that share the same water.

Remote lakes can have a good population of galaxias, so fool them with a big streamer.

Early and late season are the best times to try large streamers because these are the times when they are looking to put on condition outside of the summer hatches and the influx of terrestrial activity on the highlands. Classic rabbit fur style streamers and Woolly Buggers fished inert ahead of a cruising fish is a great way to start. The fly sinking or drifting down with the wind is usually all the movement that is needed to get their attention. When that mouth closes on the fly I set the hook. When it all comes tight there is no better feeling. If they are not responding to an inert presentation a constant retrieve away from them as they approach the fly will often do the trick. Un-weighted flies that sink very slowly are the best for both situations because a lot of the time these fish are barely moving close in along the shore or they are holding stationary in an ambush position waiting for the bait fish to swim onto them.

When sight fishing is no longer viable due to the weather, I still wear my polarised sunglasses to pick out any submerged rocks, deeper channels or weed beds that are always worth a cast. With the shaded areas being my first choice to fish a streamer. Strangely enough when it rains this will improve visibility into the water with polarised sunglasses, therefore I rarely take them off in any weather when I’m fishing the Western Lakes.

Jig Head Streamers

For deep water work in lakes or rivers where bait fish are on the menu I really like the jigging action from streamers that are tied on soft plastic jig head hooks. Like any weighted fly the casting stroke needs to be adjusted to keep the fly well away from the rod tip to prevent an unwanted breakage. I like to swing the back cast out to one side and then adopt the usual forward casting stroke until the final cast is made.

In the rivers these heavy jig head flies work really well to cut though those deep fast runs to get down to the fish near the bottom which are almost always missed with the more traditional streamers fished on a floating line.

Like all streamer fishing finding the right retrieve on the day is usually found by mixing it up. Even no retrieve at all will sometimes work. Fish will take it on the sink or when it is stopped anywhere through the retrieve on the “hang” can be deadly.

Foam Head Streamers

It’s very natural for a trout to take a wounded or dying bait-fish clinging to life at the surface. Big streamers can be made to do exactly that, simply by tying in some foam at the head of the fly when it is being created. This is Tied on a jig head designed for soft plastics.

Going back to grow some more.

as close to dry fly fishing with a streamer as you can get, and it can work really well in the Western Lakes and during the white bait runs in our rivers in spring.

If I am tying a foam head streamer I always like to tie in some heavy wire in at the bend of the hook to make the tail of the streamer hang down. This will leave the foam head of the streamer just bulging at the surface.

In the Western Lakes a streamer like this will work best if the lake has a population of galaxias and the trout are used to eating dying baitfish. When trout are charging into the lakeshore to take galaxias there is very little warning when it’s going to happen. One minute they are there and the next they are several meters away. A streamer that sinks has to be fished back so that it doesn’t get snagged on the bottom. Repeated casts with a streamer can often line these fish and blow your chance. This is where the foam head streamer shines, because it can be cast out and left floating above the rocks and weeds until the trout finds it. A very small twitch to the fly every now and then will ring the dinner bell to any trout swimming nearby. This same fly can be used to blind search the water, just like a big foam dry fly.

During the white bait runs in spring , trout will charge into the shallows to attack the bait then return to deeper water. A foam head streamer that looks like a white bait or small galaxias can work well if the cast is made immediately after an attack to intercept the trout returning to deeper water looking for wounded baitfish.

The take is unmistakable as the trout’s head emerges from the river to suck down the streamer. Like I said, it is as close as you can get to dry fly fishing with a streamer and is loads of fun to use. Craig Rist