I like old school simple bucktails since they were the standard fly back when I started. Browns seemed to like the black and yellow. In the spring when the chubs are spawning a Ken Lockwood or other bucktail with red, black, and white does well.
Those 5-7" articulated streamers really can bring out the monster browns if the water is a little off color.
Any Ed Shenk streamer will do good service on browns. Shenk's white minnow is a favorite of mine - especially for dead drfting when a good minnow shape helps. Shenk's sculpin is another good one, but there is plenty of competition like Don Douple's sculpin, sculpzilla, etc, etc
Gubster, do you tie your own? I ask because I have a couple of store bought (don't tell Marty) clouser style smaller ties and they have that criss cross wind behind the barbells just like some of yours show. I wondered if that's a technique used for this kind of streamer specifically since I have some of the barbell heads on order in a couple of different sizes.
My favorite Streamer is Carrie Stevens' classic Gray Ghost. I love the traditional pattern and I fish it quite a bit, but I also like to fool around with slight variations of it like those pictured above.
There is nothing quite like fishing for Brook Trout and Landlocked Salmon in the Great North Woods with classic Maine flies and classic Maine tackle.
Lockfast: I love the sparsely tied Governor Aiken flies you posted, and, as thegubster said, that Brown Trout is a real trophy!
In no particular order; marabou Muddler, Hornberg, wooly buggers (particularly peacock/olive), Clouser, and the slumpbuster. I usually add weight to weight the Muddlers.
A gorgeous F.E. Thomas Streamer Special, a Hardy St. George, and a handful of beautifully-tied Gray Ghosts... Jamie, you clearly have your priorities in order! Looks great.
My Warren Pond Special, a tent wing style Hornberg, it is used as a dry initially then fished in the scrim and finally as a streamer, I keep them separated. any of the Stevens Ghost patterns work as well.
bassman wrote:Gubster, do you tie your own? I ask because I have a couple of store bought (don't tell Marty) clouser style smaller ties and they have that criss cross wind behind the barbells just like some of yours show. I wondered if that's a technique used for this kind of streamer specifically since I have some of the barbell heads on order in a couple of different sizes.
Nick
Yup, I do Nick. It's really a nice, simple way to fasten down the hair. Nothing special at all and you can use it or not...depends on if you like it or not. I just think it looks good.
OnlyTrout wrote:Jeremy, a little off subject but since you tie I think a streamer developed by you and named "The Gubster" would just sound like a real fish catcher.
OnlyTrout...my apologies. I initially misread your post. Must've been half-asleep!
Thanks for the compliment/suggestion. My bad!
And...I'll work on it.
Jeremy.
Last edited by thegubster on 12/29/12 11:33, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks Quashnet and Barry! As Quashnet mentions the rod pictured is an FE Thomas Streamer Special. It is a 9 foot 3/2 rod weighing 6 1/4 ounces. I prefer to fish it with a WF7 line.
Tim Marchetti wrote:and if they grow big where you are the Road Kill
This reminds me of a time when I was on a little Limestoner in Eastern PA. I was getting skunked using the requisite itty-bitty emergers, while just downstream of me a woman must have hooked-up 3 or 4 times. She was using a 2" strip of shammy cloth.
I agree Tim,
We’ve been using white zonkers on the Delaware’s WB long before I was shamed by the shammy strip. The zonker is similar to your road kill – it’s just a white rabbit strip on a streamer hook with a white soft hackle collar and silver something(?) wrapped on the shank. They say to use it up against the banks when the water is spilling over the dam – imitates the alewives from the reservoir. It also works in the early mornings when the water isn’t coming over the dam.
I'll use olive or black woolly buggers, sparkle or plain, weighted, with beadhead or cone head, or without. They're all good. I'll also be using various variations of Cat's Whiskers.
One&Duns wrote:
This reminds me of a time when I was on a little Limestoner in Eastern PA. I was getting skunked using the requisite itty-bitty emergers, while just downstream of me a woman must have hooked-up 3 or 4 times. She was using a 2" strip of shammy cloth.
"out of the box" I guess....
Back in my pre-teens when the family used to go to northern WI fishing a few weeks every summer I was taught a "crappie killer" by a fly fisherman. Even over 50 years ago he told the "purists" would not like it but don't let it bother you as the crappie do. He used a yellow weighted head fly or mini-jig with a strip of fly pork rind on it. Many times over the years back then I'd catch crappie after crappie while bait fishermen and "clean fly" fishermen we're working for the occasional bite. "out of the box" I guess."
I'd still have that Shakespeare rod and automatic reel if they hadn't been stolen years ago. I've replaced them with similar equipment which is mainly decorative now, but those were great years. The equipment is classic, I'm just old.
any of the Stevens Ghost patterns work as well.
