Some people may think that fishing large streamers for river trout is a US thing. This excellent book tells the European side of that story.
Updated or edited 1 weeks ago
I’m a Baltic coast angler. I mostly fish for sea trout in the ocean. I’m also an occasional pike angler. That has made me a streamer guy more than a dry fly and nymph guy.
A lot of fly anglers have been weaned on stream fishing for trout, using nymphs and dries, and to many of them, streamers is uncharted water, but to me it has been what I used, almost from day one of my fly fishing journey.
That has of course made me interested in streamers of all kinds, and when I’m not fishing buggers or shrimps, I’m almost always fishing streamers.
So a book such as this is immediately interesting in spite of its title saying "River Trout …".
My experience is that trout in rivers can be as interested in my coastal flies as any sea run brown trout. The opposite is also the case: fresh water streamers are not reserved for stream and lake fish only, but will work fine in the salt.
I have seen my flies work in streams many places in the world. Trout that are keyed in on baitfish or other large, actively swimming food items, have a hard time resisting a streamer swung across the current or cast upstream and stripped in.
This book confirms that conclusion, and devotes its entirety to further support the fact that streamer fishing for trout in rivers can be highly effective.
This has literally been known for decades, and – according to the book – even for centuries, based on ancient flies found from as far back as the 1700’s.
Some people may think that fishing large streamers for river trout is a US thing. After all we constantly hear names such Joseph Bates, Kelly Galloup, Charlie Craven, Bob Linsemann, Russ Maddin, Blane Chocklett, Mike Smith, Gunnar Brammer and many more mentioned as streamer pioneers and/or proponents – US anglers and fly tyers who have been spreading the streamer gospel for many years, and referred to as the streamer slingers in the book.
But the subtitle reveals that this book has another focus: UK and Europe. And of course there are streamer fans here too, and there has been many and for many years. It’s not like the Americans have invented or discovered streamer fishing. Of course they have added to the game, but so has a bunch of Europeans, and many of those have found their way into this book.
The book consists of two major parts:
- why and how to fish with streamers
- flies to fish with
The first part covers the fish behavior and biology, and also covers where and how to use streamers efficiently, as well as what gear to use.
There aren’t any big surprises in that approach, and of course a lot of things to learn.
What’s great about this section compared so similar introductory sections in many fly fishing books, is that it’s not totally systematic – like gear is: rod -> reel -> line -> leader -> knots – which can be fine, but also a bit boring. Here it’s more like a row of associations, covering streamer history, fish biology and behavior, gear choice, setup and much more, intertwined and laid out in a varying and interesting manner. As people who regularly read my reviews know, I like it when an author takes a different approach, and this differs enough to please me.
My personal favorite bits of this first section are the small anecdotes and stories about fishing that are found out along the way. These small “Streamer stories” each tell about a trip or an incident where streamers made a difference, and add greatly to the enjoyment of an already pretty enjoyable section.
I personally still find the second part even more enjoyable, but then again I have always been a sucker for good presentation of fly patterns.
The section of course lists a bunch of streamer patterns, and the author has taken the “fly tyer centered” approach, and let a number of European streamer tyers present their favorite patterns.
This concept usually works very well, and adds a personal touch and some opinion to the patterns selected and described. In the far majority of cases the tyer is the originator of the flies listed, but there are also a few generally known or traditional patterns.
Each tyer answers a row of questions, and there’s a lot of little gold nuggets to find in their replies, which cover favorite patterns, motivation for fishing streamers, thoughts about streamer design and much more. The questions in each Q&A are not precisely the same, but still covers the same set of subjects.
It’s great reading, and adds significantly to the pattern descriptions, which are both thorough and well set up, but still could come out slightly bland without the background information – as it’s unfortunately the case with some pattern books.
The individual patterns are shown with a good image, a full list of materials and, in some cases, a few notes on the tying or materials. There are no step-by-step images, which I find is a wise choice. They do fill awfully much, and the target group for this book can probably tie a fly from a list of materials and a suitable photo of the finished fly.
The pattern section ends with a small selection of inspirational patterns, which feature a couple of handfuls of various streamer types, and serves as a great kick-off to the reader, kind of nudging you towards the vise to tie some of the flies found in the book. The whole book emphasizes how much fun it is to tie these large and sometimes gaudy flies, and how much fun it is to "sling" them into a stream in expectation of that fierce strike from a large fish. And again: the title may say "River Trout ...", but many of these flies will be just as useful for many other species including pike and a lot of salt water predators.
The book offers time and space to cover its subject and gives plenty room for the tyers to express their views. It’s close to 350 pages in a fairly large format, and gives you a lot of material for its price of 40 UK£ (about 55 USD).
It’s rich in large and high quality photos of both locations, fishing, flies and anglers. The layout is light and modern and easy on the eyes. It’s got a lot of variation without being messy or confusing.
The book is a really excellent source of inspiration for people who want to learn more about streamer fishing and expand their streamer arsenal.
Find much more about the book and the author on his website www.theopike.com
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