Streamer fishing is a vital “discipline” within the trout-fishing world, and doing it well takes some practice. What’s more, doing it well from the bank, especially for anglers who normally cast their meat-whistles from the confines of a drift boat, takes some patience.
Above, RIO’s Russell Miller walks through the techniques he uses to cast streamers for trout from shore. It’s an exercise in patience—everything slows down because, instead of blasting through likely holding water in a boat and mabye getting a cast or two in before you’re on to the next stretch of water, fishing from the bank requires stealth and the understanding that the water in front of you can be fished thoroughly before you have to to hoof it to the next likely pool.
Russell fishes a two-fly rig while wading, and in the video, he’s using a sink-tip line. Both of these tactics require some slightly advanced knot work, and, frankly, some casting patience (knowing that, with two flies, you’re twice as likely to get hung up, both while fishing and while casting, will help you when the inevitable happens). If this makes you uncomfortable, I’d suggest, at least at first, you find some water that’s floating-line-friendly, or, at the very least, just go with one fly.
Nevertheless, the lessons taught in the video are good ones. It’s always good to “go to school” on someone else’s expertise.
– Chris Hunt