I have an idea that I would like all

[Mark Patenaude]

of your help on.

I got to thinking about streamers after Bill Manser posted his last message. Other than Clouser Deep Minnows, which is a style of tying rather than an actual pattern, I wanted to solicit information from all of the tyers on this board to give me their input into what characteristics, properties, action, et. al. that they like to see in a streamer.

I'm thinking about putting it all together and ranking each item of input from each of you and coming up with a profile for the "perfect streamer". I'm reading a book right now titled "What Cops Know" and it discusses a bit about police profiling. I thought this same concept could be used in determining what makes up the "perfect streamer". I don't think that we could do this for dries and nymphs as they are fished in a somewhat restrictive way (i.e. dead drift in most cases) but streamers you have a number of different methods which can be employed to include a dead drift.

Just begin listing them in this thread and once I compile it I'll post the information and possibly even attempt to tie one that includes the most important characteristics, color, etc...

For colors think about depth, light penetration and what colors show best at certain depths.
For add ons, think about crystal flash, flashabou, legs, beads vs. weighted shank, etc...
For action, think about stripping, dead drifting, swinging and swim characteristics. Also, bouyancy (i.e. depth in water column (upper 1/3, mid, lower 2/3rds)
Think about size, hook gap, shank length (2xl, 3xl, etc...) up, down or ring eye, hook strength, 2x/3x heavy, etc...

Thanks in advance for all who respond.

Mark

[bearsdenbill]

this weekend i tied dark edison tigers, mickey finns and my daredevil spoon imatation (red/white/red calftail) using 3X in a number of sizes. when i first got the idea for the daredevil last spring (after watching hardware/spin casters catch the majority of browns) i returned the next day and caught a 16" on the 1st - not the last cast of the day.

as far as how to fish it - you're the one who could put on the clinic... i'm just swingin and sometimes strippin. having said that - when i visit the y pool on the swift, i often cast, retrieve and observe the reaction to different patterns and actions (its like fishing in a fishtank).... not that i catch that many there - but i get a read on what these gun shy fish are noticing. they seem to like the fast strip best - but i don't cast far enough and by the time i peeled back the line - i'm staring them in the face. this doesn't help you that much but i have much to learn.

and my wifes a cop - and she knows her job - but her greatest asset on the job is memory - facts, a face, etc - coupled with instinct gives her a heads up on the competition.... to bad she doesn't like to fish...

[Mark Patenaude]

Bill:

I don't know if your wife has read the book I mentioned, but I'm sure she wouldn't find it as interesting as me because she lives the life.

The chapters are broken down by type of crime, i.e. violent, property, sex, narcotics, etc...
In each chapter, no matter the topic of discussion, talks about the street smarts of the "coppers" as they often refer to themselves. The ability to remember faces, plates #'s, etc... I find it fascinating. I finished the book in two nights and have come to the conclusion that I could not be a cop; I don't have the restraint needed to keep from beating the s%*t out of the perps, especially the child abusers...

Your wife is in an honorable profession that is grossly under-paid, under-appreciated and dare I say under-armed. I for one would like to express my gratitude to her for doing what she does as they receive far too little appreciation until their needed.

Thanks for the info. You were the first to respond (as I anticipated). I'll begin compiling it, provided I get more of it.

Bill as always,

My Best Regards To You (and To Your Wife),

Mark

[jskowron]

I would have to rate good "multiple" action as the highest priority in a streamer. By "multiple" I mean that the pattern displays good action when fished in different manners, such as down and across, stripped in quieter water, or dead drifted. Patterns with a lot of marabou are a great example of this, as are flat wing streamers such as those popularized by Kenny Abrams for striper fishing.

My second criteria would be ease of tying. One of my most effective patterns lately has been a marabou-bugger (that's what I call it, but I'm not sure of the real name or where I even got the pattern). It's got a marabou tail, the body is the "tag" end of the marabou wrapped forward. I put in a few pieces of crystal flash or flashabou along the side, and then wrap a mallard flank feather collar. My most effective color (primarily on the westfield) has been using a combination of olive and blood-orange marabou- I think it looks like brookie or rainbow par. I often add a cone head and some lead wraps. When dead drifted in a slow current, the thing just swims, and I just let them swing across at the end of the drift, or give them a few strips and let them drift away down current, repeating this strip-strip drift action a few times. More than once I had a bow take the fly as I was pulling it in for the next cast. When I was living and fishing in Rhode Island (Mainly Wood river and tribs), yellow or white seemed to be the hot colors for this patter.

I also like muddle minnows for how they look and act like what they are supposed to be (sculpin), but they very much fail the multiple action and the ease of tying criteria.