Last month I talked about fishing streamer flies. One method I forgot to mention was high-sticknymphing using a streamer. It's the same method you would use with stoneflies or a similar rig.Instead of just dead drifting the fly, I tend to swim it a little more. I try to make it look like a natural baitfish sliding down through the currents trying to find a place to hide. Hopefully a large predator trout will find it a meal it can't refuse.

I like to use a 9-foot 5wt or 6wt rod with a 9- to 10-foot leader tapered to 2X. I usually find a sculpin pattern to be most effective but other patterns can work as well. I try to match the local food source but sometimes it pays off to use an attractor pattern, something bright to get their attention.

I don't use a strike indicator. I cast quartering upstream with a weighted fly or an unweighted fly using split shot (where legal) to get the fly down. I hold the rod high and steer the fly through the best holding areas. This presentation is really useful in pocket water and runs. Swim your fly between the rocks and seams… any cover that will hold the larger fish.

After last month’s meeting, Joe Woodburn and I headed east to further test our strategies for fishing streamers. Joe has a cabin just out of Joseph and we based out of there. Armed with some information from a friend (young Brad) who did some studies for ODFW on bull trout, we headed for the Imnaha River. We hit the river on a perfect fishing day, overcast with wind and rain.

The big bulls were on the feed. Watching these incredible eating machines following and inhaling your fly was an experience not soon forgotten. We landed fish from 19 to 29 inches long with a few larger being long-line released. A sink tip line and large streamer flies were the ticket for success.

For flies we used Double Bunnies, sculpin patterns and even a large 2/0 White Lefty's Deceiver, as saltwater pattern. Bulls like a big meal!

It was a great trip with the fall colors and beautiful mountain scenery. You can bet we'll be back next year!