Streamers are effectively fished by combining a strip or a pull retrieve with the wet fly swing, grease line, modified wet fly swing, or lead core swing. Sometimes the skating retrieve is used.

The strip retrieve is used to move the fly a short distance while the pull retrieve allows the fly to move a longer distance. The rates of both retrieves are adjusted to match the activity level of the bait fish.

Sculpins are bottom dwellers that move from one bottom area to another. My favorite retrieve in imitating this motion is done as follows. Simply use the pull retrieve but release the line back into the water instead of retrieving it. The line hand holds the line in the same place during the retrieve. This allows the fly slack line so that it sinks to a new bottom area. The fly will sort of yo-yo through the retrieve. Your sculpin imitation needs to be weighted in its thorax area to do this. Cast 3/4 upstream, allow fly to sink to the bottom,


and then pull in about 2-3 feet of line as the fly drifts downstream. Take your line hand and move it towards your stripping guide. Your line hand doesn’t release the line. This causes a series of 2-3 foot pulls and 2-3 foot releases. The sculpin’s action is that it lifts off the bottom and settles back to the bottom as it drifts through the presentation. The strike is usually a violent one requiring little hook setting.

Fly Fishing - The Lifetime Sport

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