Streamer

Streamer

by Kuba Chruszczewski 

             The pole lies parallel to the surface of the water, sometimes even partially submerged. The line (usually sinking) passed under the finger of the hand holding the handle. The other hand with vigorous , longer or shorter strokes selects the line. Often in our fisheries we will see a fly fisherman fishing in this way. If we ask him what he is fishing for, he will answer: a streamer. Well, and everything would be ok, if it were not for the fact that at the end of the leader this angler has tied in 75% some fluff, 20% is some zonker, the rest is bristle or - very rarely - matuka. So where did the “streamer” come from? Well, probably from the fact that the name fishing methods comes from typu flies. Before we were inundated by a wave of maximally simplified, easy to make, made of cheap material constructions, the classic streamer was a fly quite commonly used. At the moment it is practically forgotten, used by a few. A considerable number of fly fishers do not even know what such a classic streamer looks like. And it is a rather simple construction. On the other hand, it requires from the “spinner” certain skills, and the use of appropriate, well-chosen materials. However - in my opinion - it is worth mastering the art of making such a fly in its classic version. It is worth it, because the ability to make a streamer correctly is a kind of test of the skills of the “spinner”, who - regardless of whether he likes to fish on a particular fly or not - should be able to make any type of fly.
   But let's get back to the fly itself. What is this classic streamer? What distinguishes it from other, “streamer-like” flies? Well, the streamer may or may not have a tail. The torso is often made of shiny lamette, but it can also be thin silk, or thick, fluffy dubbing. A blackberry( or several in different colors) can be tied at the bottom of the fly as a tuft, or at the front, in the form of a collar. We can add shoulders and cheeks made of colored feathers - of course, they look prettiest with natural jungle cock. As you can see, there is a lot of freedom here when it comes to the choice of materials and the way they are used. However, the most important feature is the material, the use of which clearly tells us that we are dealing with a streamer. These are the neck or saddle feathers of the rooster, from which the streamer wings are built. You can use one, two, or even three pairs. It depends, for example, on the quality of the material you have at your disposal(the best are “female”, well-lined down feathers). You can also build interesting-looking wings by applying successively shorter and shorter feathers of different colors. Translucent, different colored feathers give very interesting effects in the water.
Such a fly, obligatorily made on a hook with an extended shank - at least 3xl - is precisely the classic streamer. It originated on the American continent, along with muddler and bristle flies, about which I will also say a few words.
  Hairy, is a fly similar to the streamer, with an identical purpose of use, but instead of feathers for the construction of wings used hair of various animals. Having at our disposal various types of hair in different colors, we have almost unlimited possibilities of composing wings in the most fanciful combinations. The advantages of hairflies are probably most appreciated by sea trout hunters, who, thanks to the availability of a large selection of relatively cheap materials, do not expose themselves to such great losses as in the past, when it happened to cut down a tree with a salmon fly stuck on a branch with a fink.
  Muddler, on the other hand, is a fly with a very distinctive head made from the winter hair of deer( or other deer). And here note - not every fly with such a head is a muddler. A classic muddler ( and we are writing about classic flies here)- in addition to the obligatory head - has a tail made from a strand of aileron or rudder and from the same usually material wings, but arranged on a base from a not too abundant bundle of hair( for example, from the tail of a squirrel). The thorax usually made of gold or silver lamette.
  And one more, my favorite type of fly used in the method “ on the streamer”. It is a mattock, and in fact matuku, the word comes from the Maori language and probably means the bird whose feathers were used to build the wings of this fly. This fly has a very distinctive silhouette due to the construction of the wings. Well, these wings are made from the neck or saddle feathers of the domestic hen, saddle feathers of the rooster, and a wide use can also be made of cover, neck and breast feathers of game birds. At least one pair of such feathers is applied from above to the hook on which we previously made the trunk. Then the feathers are tied to the torso along its length, forming a characteristic comb from the rays of the feathers, while the tips of the feathers constitute the tail of the fly. The blackberry is made in the form of a collar , usually using the same feather as for the wings, a good effect is also given by a second blackberry in a contrasting bright color. Of course, as with streamers or bristle flies, we can add brightly colored cheeks or shoulders.
 All the above-described types of flies are certain solutions created a long time ago, certainly deserving the name of classics. It's worth getting to know them, it's worth knowing how to make them, it's worth fishing with them, which I heartily encourage you to do. But, of course, the world is moving forward and it would be frivolous not to notice this fact. You should not ignore the appearance of new, sometimes very interesting materials, types of flies, techniques for making them. The field of possibilities is huge.The availability of materials, a huge number of types of hooks that once no one dreamed of, plus your own invention can give the result of extremely interesting and effective flies.You can combine in one fly elements of classic patterns, enriching them with modern additives of which, after all, on the market legion and thus get your own original pattern. If, on top of that, it turns out to be effective.... It is difficult to find greater satisfaction for a fly fisherman who makes his own flies.

Matuka.I.

Hook - 3-6xl, #8-2.

Trunk - pearl dubbing.

Petiole - a bunch of red rays.

 Wings - two pairs of black saddle or neck feathers of a hen or rooster.

 Scroll - silver oval lamella.

 Arms - Jungle cock

Streamer.II.

Hook - 3-6xl, #8-2.

 Trunk - tip gold flat lamella, red dubbing.

 Tail - tippets.

 Scroll - gold flat lamella.

Blackberry - a grizzly hen.

 Wings - two pairs of saddle or neck feathers of the olive grizzly rooster.

 Arms - Jungle cock

Muddler.

Hook - 3-6xl, #8-2.

 Torso - gold flat lamé.

 Scroll - gold oval or wire.

 Petiole - aileron of the golden pheasant hen.

 Wings - the dart of a golden pheasant hen, located on a bundle of fur of the American squirrel.

 Head - winter hair of the deer

Matuka.II

Hook - 3-6xl, #8-2.

 Torso - olive dubbing with glossy accessories.

 Wrap - oval gold.

 Tail, wings - two pairs of neck feathers of the olive hen.

 Blackberry - olive grizzly hen, orange hen.

Streamer.I.

Hook - 3-6xl, #8-2.

 Torso - silver lamé.

 Wrap - silver oval or wire.

Wings - two pairs of neck or saddle feathers of a grizzly rooster.

 Blackberry - red hen