Five Favorite Autumn Streamers
My tying seems to go in spurts and in checking my fly boxes, it seems this is a good time for a spurt - especially in the streamer department. I was assessing what I needed to tie for the autumn season and that go me thinking about my top streamers.I fish a lot of streamers throughout the year but with autumn approaching, its definitely streamer time. Everyone has their personal favorite flies including myself. I doubt mine are more effective than any one else's (quite possibly less) but they are the streamers I like to fish which counts for something. So here they are:
- Wooly Bugger - must be on everyone's list. I tie them in olive, black and brown but the last few years it seems brown has been my preferred color. I like a bit of brown crystal flash in the tail. Sizes range from 6-12. Of course there is always room to vary the patterns. Here is a version I tied the other day. I haven't tried it yet but I am curious to see how the Krystal Hackle body works.
- Palmer Chenille Bugger - not withstanding the name, this is definitely a unique fly and one I recently posted about. It has become one of my go to streamers. I tie them in black, brown, olive and am trying a new orange version. These tend to be smaller than traditional buggers - size 8-10 usually
- Hamill's Killer - despite its New Zealand origins this is a consistently good pattern for me here in Canada. Colors include olive, yellow and orange.
- Mrs. Simpson - to me this pattern is a generic minnow imitation. I find them tricky to tie because of the multiple wing pairs and the need to keep them tight against the body but they sure work well.
- Grizzly King - I got on to this one a couple years ago. It has worked well for me but I seem to have a problem tying them in a way that they don't fall apart after the first fish. More practice I guess.
There are so many others that I say I should fish - and I may try them for a bit but I seem to revert back to these five pretty consistently.Having said that, I can always be convinced to try something new. So, let me know what must have streamers I am missing.