The best streamers for Brook Trout are going to be the same size and color as the other local forage. This could be a small baitfish pattern that the trout might key in on, or it could be used as a crawfish or a leech imitation.
Brook Trout aren’t known for being picky. You could just as easily catch them on nymphs or dries all day. If you’re looking to catch the biggest trout in the river then you’ll need to throw something a little bit larger. That’s where streamers come in to play.
Keep in mind with larger flies you and fish you also might want to upgrade your rod and line size. That 6X tippet you used for nymphing might get broken off with a 13″ brookie hammers your fly.
What Gear do I need?
As we mentioned in the paragraph above you’ll need to use different gear if you plan on throwing streamers all day. The delicate presentation of throwing a size 20 dry or nymph isn’t needed.
Rod Size
For your rod, you could get away with using a 0-2wt, but I wouldn’t recommend it. A 3wt is the smallest I would feel comfortable with. That gives you just enough backbone to heave a larger fly. Also, always make sure you’re matching the reel size and fly line with the weight of the rod.
This ensures a nice balanced setup and will help make your casting more accurate. Which is something you’ll need when fishing these narrow streams.
Tippet and Leader Size
As you increase the size of your flies you’ll need to increase the size of your leader and tippet too. You won’t be catching as many smaller fish so you’ll need to extra strength of larger line to help bring in those fish.
Also, strikes might be more aggressive. That smaller tippet you’re using might be able to handle the fish fighting, but a hard strike could cause the line to snap.
If you’re going to be fishing in gin clear water and the trout are spookier than normal then nothing smaller than X tippet should be used. Under normal conditions you’ll want to be using 4X. This is large enough to handle a hard strike but small enough it won’t put off any trout. 3X can be used in dirtier water.
Line Type
Monofilament or fluorocarbon? This all depends on the conditions and the size of the water you’re fishing.
Mono is a great all-around line. It floats so it can be used for dries, but it also allows you to fish subsurface as well. Making this an ideal line if you want to switch up flies during your trips.
Fluoro sinks and is nearly invisible under the water. Making this great for throwing subsurface flies to trout that are skittish of line.
Both of these will work well, but if you plan to only throw streamers and nothing else then fluoro is going to be your best bet.
Best Streamers for Brook Trout
Now that we know what kind of gear to use, let get to what we’re all here for. Below, we’re going to have a list of the three best streamers for Brook Trout.
Wooly Bugger
One of the most popular flies out there, the Wooly Bugger is a deadly Brook Trout fly. This imitates several different types of forage for these fish and can be used year round.
Depending on how you fish it, it can be used to imitate baitfish, leeches, or a crawfish. Making it one of the most versatile flies out there. It also comes in many different colors and sizes so you can match the hatch perfectly.
Drag it along the bottom to imitate a crawfish. Or strip it through a run or pool like a baitfish trying to escape a predator. Give it a few pauses to make it look injured. That will entice a strike.
Muddler Minnow
Similar to the wooly bugger, the muddle minnow imitates a wide range of forage for brook trout. This can be fished like a cricket, grasshopper, mayfly, and anything else you could possibly think of.
Since this imitates so many different insects, this makes it a great fly for the summer when big terrestrials are out. Trout will key in on these insects, so if there are plenty of them around then you could be in for a great day on the water.
Stripping this fly across the surface and creating a wake, or allowing it to sink and pulse it through the water are the most effective retrieves. If you want to fish the bottom then attach a split shot on your line and work it like a crawfish on the river bed.
Slumpbuster
This is a newer fly when compared to the wooly bugger, or muddler minnow. Despite that, it’s becomes one of the best streamers for brook trout.
This fly is heavy and will displace a lot of water. So, make sure you’re using a rod and line heavy enough to handle the size of this fly. You can fish this fly in a number of different ways.
Dead drift through a run or drop it under an indicator to imitate a leech. Strip it like you would a baitfish imitation, or jig it through a pool. Look for the bite as the fly falls in the water column.
Conclusion
Chasing Brook Trout with a streamer can be an absolute blast. Unfortunately, most anglers seem to omit them from their fly box. Which is too bad because they’re really handicapping themselves by not having these available.
So, if you want to go out and target those big Brookies then look no further than the flies we mentioned above. They can be used year-round and will work in just about any stream or pond that you come across.
