Hi everyone:
After all the streamer and double hook talk recently I decided to give it a
shot.
So last week using what I already had, I tied trial snell rigs using
- #10 down eye scud/caddis hook on 20# flouro (very stiff)
- #10 down eye scud/caddis hook on 0X 15.5# mono tippet (more supple)
- #16 up eye caddis hook on 2X 11lb mono tippet
I tied the following test flies:
- cone head bunny muddler on a #2 Dai Riki 810 w/ the 20# flouro #10 as the
stinger
- rabbit strip muddler on a #4 straight eye Mustad saltwater hook w/ the 0X
tippet #10 stinger
- 2 #8 3x long bead head buggers w/ the #16 stingers
So today I got a few hours on the water to field test. Knowing that this
isn't streamer season and the recent weather (ice, snow, single digit temps)
wasn't going to help, I started w/ nymphs and managed to land a brown and a
rainbow in the first hour. Probably could have stuck a couple more, but was
anxious to start the next task.
So I walked back to the top of the run I just fished and started the field
testing with one of the buggers. No takes but I did move one - saw a follow
at the end of a swing. My observation was that the stinger is hidden nicely
in the marabou tail, doesn't noticibly impede the tail action, didn't foul
and didn't hang up any more than the regular bugger would - and I was
working it deep and through rocks and wood. This pattern is a keeper.
Then I tried the cone head muddler. Again, good results, fly action wise.
I did have one solid take that I saw and think i had a couple other bumps
but didn't hook the fish even with the stinger hook. The rabbit strip tail
fouled occasionally, but not annoyingly so. On a fly this size I think it
is better with the heavier snell/trailer material. I didn't fish the more
supple 0X stinger muddler (ran out of time), but think the more supple
material would foul on the body and tail more than the heavier line did.
Next on the list will be to try these muddlers or similar streamers w/
smaller shank fron hook and a bigger hook gap up-eye stinger hook. The
longer front hook created too long a profile for my taste, but that might be
necessary to accomodate the double hooks. Future testing is required here
:) Any suggestions for makes/models of hooks for the next testing round is
appreciated. And the true tests will be next spring and summer whan I can
expect better streamer action.
Cheers,
Kev
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