Spring is here: Everything is dripping wet, from the rain, from the morning fog… the sky hangs low, clouds dark. The rivers are high and the water has a foggy blue color… hardly can you ever see the ground. Under the dry brown gras of last year, a thick green is pushing up, and on the trees, buds are exploding. KNOW is the time to tie on your streamer and catch some really big browns.
The trouts are not extemely active yet, it is not like the typical exciting summer fishing with a fish (more often a small one) following in every bend of the river. You will have few bites, if any, during many hours of fishing. But WHEN something finally strikes, it is very often a big one!
To avoid the strong current and save energy, trouts are often lying on the ground or they in the eddies very close to the riverbanks. Approach the riverbank carefully and fish your side of the stream from some distance. Only then proceed with casting into the midstream and to the other riverbank. BE ON ALERT, as trouts often strike as soon as the streamer touches the surface of the water, and you do not want to miss your chance!
Which streamers work? Honestly I do not have the impression, that trouts really care what you cast at them in this special situation… I fish zonkers, woolly buggers, intruders and muddlers and they all catch their fish. So chose the one you feel comfortable casting, and keep them light enough for a roll- and switchcast. You should be able to fish deep, so don’t make them to bulky, rather keep them slender and small, with a lightly weighted head.
When fishing streamers, a leader tippet of 0.20-0.25mm is preferable, as these perform rollcasts better especially with heavier streamers. Anyhow, from a breaking-strength-point-of-view, a 0.17mm FC tippet should be capable of holding every trout existing in the rivers around here. The advantage of a thin tippet is the faster sinking rate of the streamer, which can be desirable in times.
VERY IMPORTANT is a proper knot, especially with the thicker tippets as mentioned above. I use the rapala-knot, which allows for a very active movement of the streamer.
