Throwing big, weighted streamers can be challenging for a lot of anglers—the added weight also adds some needed nuances to your cast, if for no other reason than to avoid wearing a big, purple monstrosity as an earring.
But what about flies tied to even heavier jigheads? Is the need to get really deep, really fast worth the headache of tying streamers onto 1/4-ounce or even 1/2-ounce jigheads that would normally be fished near the bottom of a lake?
The video above covers this notion well. The answer is, of course, yes, it’s worth all the hassle if it helps you reach fish in the deepest runs in quickly moving water. But you’ll have to adjust, as you’ll see in the short film. Start with a heavier fly rod—the narrator, Dave Jensen, goes with a 7-weight. In smaller water, he goes witih a floating line, and in bigger water, especially when casting from a boat, he goes full sink. Also, they require some leader alterations that Dave explains, too.
Most importanty, he says, it’s not about how you look, because “you have to cast with the hang time of an NFL punter.” You just do what it takes to get the job done, reach the deepest water in the river and, theoretically, reach the biggest fish, too.
If you’re jig-curious, check it out.
— Chris Hunt