By Abbi Bagwell
Living in Brevard for the past 10 years has been amazing, and the fishing is outstanding. We have over 125 miles of fishable water in Transylvania County but one thing everyone who lives in this beautiful little mountain area can say is that we get a ton of rain. Rain and fishing typically arenât considered best friends but adapting to the circumstances and getting out there despite the high waters, overcast skies, and humid air can be extremely rewarding.
So how do you fish these deep, murky, fast-moving waters? Streamers. What is streamer fishing, you ask? Itâs one of the most interactive styles of fly fishing. Itâs also the most closely related style of fly fishing to the conventional fishing world. Youâre using bigger flies, in bigger water to target bigger fish. Youâre continuously moving, stripping, drifting, swinging or jigging the fly, to mimic a series of baitfish.
Streamers are large flies made to imitate large baits such as baitfish, crayfish, hellgrammites, leeches, and other large aquatic insects. Streamers (and poppers) are as close as it gets to imitating conventional lures and jigs.
What rod to use? I personally recommend anything over a 6wt. Below that might be a little scary and incredibly frustrating when casting large flies (the flies range from 2in-15in depending on what species you are targeting). If youâre going for a nice 22â brown, youâll probably want to use a 2-5in fly; if youâre going for a 50â musky, youâre going to want a massive 10-15in fly. Also consider the leader and tippet you have on your rod. I typically lean towards a 2x or 3x leader, and never go below 4x tippet.
One of the things I love most about streamer fishing is that you canât really mess it up. Unlike casting a dry fly and trying to make it land elegantly and without disturbing the water, with streamers you can chuck the fly into a hole and not worry nearly as much about its presentation. The biggest thing to worry about and consider, is what you do with the fly after itâs in the water.
Stripping your line gives your streamer life, making the fly dance in the water and mimic exactly what your âbaitâ should look like as it swims along. Make that fly MOVE! This is part of what makes streamer fishing so awesome â the thrill of the chase. You are watching a fish physically hunt down your streamer. In high water the fish hang out on the bank so cast to the bank and strip the fly back towards you.
All styles of fly fishing are about landing the fish. Youâll hear the term âstrip set.â When the fish eats the fly, instead of âtrout settingâ where you use the rod to hook the fish strip setting, is when you use the line so youâll just continue to strip your line in after the fish takes the fly.
There are tons of videos, tutorials and articles on streamer fishing for all of you future streamer junkies. Be sure to consider the risk you take when getting into high water and always let someone know youâre going out. All preaching aside, make your fly dance and move and get ready!
Abbi Bagwell is a life long angler. She dove headfirst into the fly fishing world six years ago and has not stopped since. She served as the Vice President of the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited and has been featured in several fly fishing publications for her enthusiastic work to get more women into fly fishing. Sheâs never too proud to make fun of herself and the nuances of her passion for angling. Itâs all about keeping it fun.