# Ice-off streamer set-ups



## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Just curious how those of you that fish ice off with streamers rig your set up: do you use sinking line, or floating line?


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## Guns and Flies (Nov 7, 2007)

I've tried streamers on rivers and lakes and have never caught one fish, I think the whole streamer fishing thing is a hoax


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

I don't fish streamers too much, unless you consider wooly buggers to be streamers. But, when I do decide to throw some kind of minnow imitation I use a sinking line. Floating lines make quite a bit of disturbance on the surface when you retrieve. The best line is an intermediate, slow-sinking, #1, whatever you want to call it. Minnows live in shallow water and thats where minnow patterns should be fished. There are 2 prevailing ideas on retrieves for streamers. One suggests that trout like wounded or fleeing minnows, and erratic darting motions attract strikes. There is certainly some truth to this since people catch fish on lures that have similar motion. So if you subscribe to this thinking, quick strips with a pause in between is what you want to do. Another point of view is that minnows normally swim slowly as they cruise around. So retrieve your fly with long (2') slow strips to simulate a normal minnow. I've had my best luck with slower retrieves around ice-off.

If you're talking about wooly buggers, much of the same is true. But you can fish them in deeper water (up to 12') early in the season with great success. If I'm fishing deeper than about 6' I will go with a #3 sink line and fish them near or on the bottom. I seem to have good luck with a long, slow strip on these too, sometimes adding a quick twitch to either the beginning or end of the retrieve.


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## cheech (Sep 25, 2007)

Ice off = Chironomids. Throw a floating line with a bobber. Hang some zebra midgeish flies under it and hold on. 

If I fish a sink line at ice off, I like to throw a clear intermediate line. This allows the fly to sink without it getting too deep (you will most likely be fishing shallow.)

I like egg sucking leeches too. Remember that the rainbows try to spawn right about now.


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## Improv (Sep 8, 2007)

To answer your question – both. 

I would agree with the comments said so far, however for me most of my successful ice off experiences comes from fishing shallow water near the shore. I would avoid the middle of the lake and deep water. Insects will start to feel the warmth of the sun and will start migrating towards the shore – including midges, immature damsels, blood warms (Chironomids still in their hemoglobin state), crane fly larva, etc. The minnows have been hiding in the shallow water in the weed beds all winter long. Oxygen level is too low for adult trout to live there, so the minnows feel quite safe. However, when the ice comes off, the minnows are still in the shallow water and the large trout know it. I have some epic fishing day throwing streamers at ice off. I like to throw them right up to the bank and quickly retrieve the fist foot or so. I then will pause, sometimes for a full 10 seconds before I start my strip again and I can’t tell you how often I will pick up a fish on my very next strip – it is as if they were waiting for the fly to move one more time and then- WHAM! Last year at Yuba my uncle and myself landed well over 200 fish throwing streamers right to the banks. Like Cheech said, I would use the clear camo line. Don’t be afraid to fish in water that my only be a foot deep. I will often cast my streamer right onto the bank and pull it into the water – you’d be amazed how close to the shore these fish are. 

If I were you, I would rig two rods. My first rod would have the clear-camo line for throwing my streamers and my seconds one would have floating line to do some deep nymph fishing (bobber fishing) I would have a dozen blood worms, a dozen Chironomids, a dozen of Cheech’s Damsabaites, and a dozen Copper Johns all in a verity of colors. If you are not sure how this is done, go down to Minersville in the next week or so and watch anyone of the dozen fly fisherman – because this is what they are most likely doing. 

Good luck to you.


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## wovenstonefly (Apr 9, 2008)

Cheech,
Whats this damsabaites?


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## Greenguy88 (Sep 7, 2007)

This might be a stupid question but what is that clear line you guys are talking about? Just a kind of sinking line or the leader for it or? :?:


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## cheech (Sep 25, 2007)

wovenstonefly said:


> Cheech,
> Whats this damsabaites?


http://flyfishfood.blogspot.com/2008/01 ... aetis.html

eet's niiice....


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Greenguy88 said:


> ...what is that clear line you guys are talking about?


Scientific Anglers Mastery Stillwater
http://flydepot.com/flyfishing/detail.p ... ts_id=1156

This is an intermediate/slow sinking fly line that is clear. It seems to fall between a standard #1 and #2 uniform sink line (1.5" per second sink rate or so). It's a nice still water line.

Rio makes one with a clear tip section they call the Aqualux Intermediate too, I haven't tried it.


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## wovenstonefly (Apr 9, 2008)

Cheech, 
thanks it looks great. i'll tye up a few tonight minus the german shepard


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