# Smallie Streamer Presentation



## Wild One (Jul 3, 2008)

I've been spending a decent amount of time on the LMR this summer (upper reaches) chasing smallies. This weekend I realized that I'd been fishing streamers "wrong" and wanted to see how you guys fish them in rivers. I have wrong in quotes because I'm honestly not sure I've been fishing them wrong in general, but possibly not in the most effective way. My go-to presentation has been to swing them in the same way I'd swing a wet fly. It has been hit or miss with effectiveness. This past weekend I took a more aggressive approach and tied on a heavy clouser minnow, cast downstream or across and quickly stripped in. My hookup and fish size increased significantly. 
So the question is, how are you guys effectively fishing streamers for smallmouth? Dead drifting, swinging, stripping upstream, etc?


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## zimmerj (Oct 17, 2014)

I mix up my presentation. I'll go down and across and swing the streamer through the river and then strip in about 10' and cast again. Then I'll go down and across and strip quickly instead of a swing. My success rate is opposite yours. I catch more swinging the streamer than I do with quick strips.

I don't do much dead drifting.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Depends on the day Imo
During summer my normal approach is big and fast or small and natural. Often I'll fish a larger streamer in sight and erratic, often I'll use my rod to add a left , right motion much like a spin- fisherman would "walk" a Sara spook, up down or across can vary by day but fast is often the key with a large fly ( Often making a wake on the surface, also deadly on wbss and hybrids in the lower reaches of the lmr)
for me this works well in highly pressured spots and/or clear water.
Other days I'll resort to a much smaller natural minnow or crawdad imitation fished in a more natural manor dead drifting a craw can be deadly if you can get a natural drift---- but. poppers have been hot recently -- so 
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I think the action you give to streamers, flies in water is temperature dependent. In warmer water, make it move faster and maybe more. In cooler water say 45 degrees and lower, dead drift or swing would be better. At least that's how I fish trout and it seems to be true.
Rickerd


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I let the fish dictate the presentation. Some days fishing a streamer fast is productive. Some days a slower cadence with varying pauses. Some days, if it's slow, I'll dead drift. I'll dead drift a craw or weighted minnow through the best looking water every time if I find great water (depth and cover) that I know has to be holding fish, especially if a faster retrieve through those places produces nothing. There's no one answer, in my opinion. I'd say out of everything, I swing a streamer the least.


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## 18inchBrown (May 1, 2016)

I think if you cast it and you fish it like a jig it resembles a crayfish or frog or leech and if you throw it and strip it looks like a minnow. What action do you want? That's up to you. I have found though that when I hook up it happens very soon after the streamer settles after I throw it. I usually only hook up after stripping if I drift by a log or wood pile and strip by it.


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

There is no wrong way to fish a wooly bugger


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

Patricio said:


> There is no wrong way to fish a wooly bugger


Truer words have yet to be spoken.


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## fly_ohio (Oct 31, 2014)

I like to think the angle of your retrieve matters when stripping streamers, from the stand point of being able to cover the water column and making a fleeing baitfish look natural. I try keep my angle so the streamer is broadside to the current or swimming slightly downstream at an angle. This helps the fly swim better and get down further since the water isnt keeping tension on the line on the pause. If I was a baitfish I wouldn't be swimming upstream past a holding fish to get away, its more natural to flee downstream at an angle with the current pushing you or to head directly towards the stream's edge/ safe water. Keep moving and making different casts varying the angles/ fly depth and the fish will tell you what they want. Swinging is a whole different mindset but is also effective, i feel like you're getting more strikes out of agitation than predation. Thankfully smallies aren't picky.


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