Our Favorite Flies for Ice-Off Streamer Fishing
After fishing mostly tailwaters through the winter months, we always look forward to the ice melting from our favorite mountain reservoirs. Fishing to big, cruising trout in the shallows is always exciting.
In celebration of ice-off season, we asked our crew for some of their favorite ice-off streamer patterns and fishing tips…
Why Fish Streamers at Ice-Off
Take advantage of the opportunity to go big! There are two prime windows for fishing big streamers in western lakes: in the spring, right after ice-off; and in late fall, right before the lakes freeze. During both windows, trout are looking to pack on calories.
While a hearty, 6-inch streamer might get refused during the summer, there’s a much better chance it gets crushed in the spring by a hungry trout that has been locked under the ice all winter.
Rigging for Spring Streamer Fishing
Rig heavy. Twelve-pound, 16-pound, or 20-pound leaders and tippet are ideal for turning over large flies and fighting big fish. There’s nothing worse than breaking off an $8 streamer and losing a seven-pound cutbow just a few feet from the net. These fish aren’t leader shy, so always size up.
Our Favorite Ice-off Streamer Patterns
When it comes to pattern selection, go with your favorite confidence patterns first. Stillwater streamer fishing requires persistence. So start with the flies that give you the most confidence. After that, try changing up the color. Then eventually, you can start throwing the kitchen sink.
We asked the Anglers All Crew for some of their favorite ice-off streamers. Check out what they had to say…
Delaney’s Pick:
- Drunk and Disorderly Deceiver - Yellow/Olive
Delaney says he loves to fish the D&D deep, with a heavy sinking line and with two quick strips and a long pause, which lets the buoyant fly flutter back towards the surface.
Blake’s Pick:
- Goldie - White
When it comes to covering water on a mountain lake, you should plan on making a lot of casts. Blake likes the Goldie because it is light to cast, sheds water once airborne and swims like crazy. It isn’t heavy, nor light, so controlling depth is easy with sink tips, or versileaders.
Jeff’s Pick:
- Silk Kitty - White
When fishing the Silk Kitty, Jeff prefers a floating line, and to give it a jigging action using the rod as the primary way to give the fly action, and really only stripping to pick up slack in the line. This fly moves water and flutters after each jig motion.
Jimmy’s Pick:
- Boogie Man - Yellow or White
When fishing the Boogie Man, Jimmy likes that once the steamer gets wet, it hits the water with some force. Rings the dinner bell as they say! With a sink tip line, Jimmy strips immediately which gets that streamer to dive and swim. Be ready for a big swirl and side swipe with this fly as those hungry trout tend to aim for the head.
Kat’s Pick:
- Thin Mint - Olive/Brown/Black
Kat likes how this streamer is the perfect combination of natural dark colors with a little bit of flash. She commented that the fly is easy to cast, sinks well and is absolutely a confident fly for her!
Daryl’s Pick:
- Mini Sex Dungeon - White, Natural or Tan
Daryl likes to fish lighter colors when ice has just come off the water and it is very clear. If wind or precip turns the water off color, he likes going darker. The Mini Sex Dungeon in the barred colors are a favorite of his, and offer lots of color variations to work through. He fishes them with an intermediate tip and both strips and jigs them, using the rod tip for at least half of the fly movement.
Drew’s Pick:
- Northwoods Ninja - Fire Tiger
Drew, a toothy critter finatic urges us to not forget about pike and muskie at ice-off! These tooth predator fish are in many of the same lakes we fish for big trout, and need to pack on some calories this time of year as well. Drew likes to fish this huge Northwoods Ninja fly on an intermediate tip streamer line. The slower sink rate allows him the flexibility to cast into and fish a lot of different water depths looking for fish throughout the day.
Ben K’s Pick:
- Pearl Necklace - Silver
Ben Kinne, who has a background in fish biology likes this Galloup pattern in silver especially, because it is very anatomically correct in color to many of the baitfish we find in Colorado and across the west. He also commented on its ability to find fast and get into the zone on cruising fish.
Streamer Fishing Tactics
Take note of your retrieve speeds, duration, types of strips, and the action of the fly. Change up how you strip your streamers and experiment with different rhythms and speeds.
Anytime you’re fishing a new streamer, take the time to watch how it moves in the water. Before you begin casting, drag it around in the shallow water to see how it moves. Then you’ll have a better idea of how to fish it at a distance.
When it comes to covering water and finding fish, we’ve had success with fan casting on peninsulas. Look for prolonged points, islands, and dark spots in bays of the lake. Basically, any hideout that offers protection from incoming fronts and can be used as a spot to ambush prey.
The fan casting method is simple. Wade out to anywhere from waist to chest deep and then look at the water in front of you like the top half of a clock face. 9 o'clock is to your extreme left, while 3 o'clock is to the right. Work your way from 9 to 3 and back again, with 1-3 good casts thrown at any given "hour."
If you're fishing from a boat or float tube, you can treat your casting windows like a full clock face and work all the way around your watercraft.
Finally, don’t just stand in the same spot. While you may have come the week before and caught a bunch of fish in a specific spot, don’t expect the same thing on a different day. As conditions change, so do the fish. If you’re not getting action, keep looking.
Contact Us With Questions
If you have questions or if you need help getting started, please ask. If you’re on the Front Range, you can stop by and visit us at one of our fly shop locations in Littleton or Denver. Otherwise, you’re welcome to give us a call at 303-794-1104. Get out there and have fun fishing this spring!
