This is my favorite pattern to fish as a streamer on a Euro-nymphing leader. With this method you can dead drift, jig, horizontally jig, or stall the streamer in front of trout for as long as you want. This results in more committed takes from trout instead of the chases and missed short strikes that can be common when casting and stripping streamers.
I tie this pattern overweighted, compared to nymphs, to get it to depth and keep it there between jigging motions. It is slim compared to a lot of streamers to aid in its sink rate but the zonker strip still provides movement that suggests it is alive. I tie the pattern in black, olive, and natural/tan to see which color the trout prefer on the day.
Recipe
- Hook: size 8-12 jig hook. I use the Dohiku jig but we have lots of other good options as well. Dohiku HDJ or Hanak 400
- Bead: Tactical Fly Fisher Slotted Tungsten Bead or Inverting Tungsten Bead
- Weight: 0.025" or 0.030" lead wire or 2-3 Tactical Fly Fisher Countersunk Tungsten Beads superglued together behind the main bead and buried under the dressing
- Thread: Uni 8/0 thread. I use black, olive dun, rusty dun, or tan depending on the fly color.
- Tail and body: Narrow width zonker strip. Troutline Pine Squirrel Strips, JMC Micro Rabbit Zonker Strips, or Nature's Spirit Pine Squirrel Zonkers.
- Body flash: Hareline Medium UV Polar Chenille in black, olive dun, or gold depending on the fly color.
- Hackle collar: Hareline India Hen Back or Nature's Spirit Whole Hen Saddle colored to suit the fly.
- Dubbing collar: Hareline Ice Dubbing
Tools used
- Whip finisher: Dr. Slick Stainless Steel Whip Finisher
- Bobbin: Griffin Supreme Ceramic Bobbin or Dr. Slick 4" ceramic bobbin
- Superglue: Loctite Brush On Superglue or Brush on Zap a Gap