Tying and fishing a purpose-built streamer designed specifically for delayed-harvest trout.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
UNI Products Fly Tiers Corner
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 2024
By Steve Hudson
“So what’s your favorite DH fly? What would use if you could only use one?”
I was speaking to a Trout Unlimited chapter about delayed harvest trout fishing, and someone had asked about my personal favorite go-to DH fly. I’d mentioned several, including egg imitations and even the now-ubiquitous Mop Fly. But what’s my all-time favorite, the one fly to rule them all for DH?
“That’s easy!” I replied, holding up a fly I’d tied just that morning. “It’s this!”
The Hudson Streamer. Photo by Steve Hudson.
“This” was a flank-wing beadhead minnow imitation that my friends had started calling the Hudson Streamer. It’s a flank-wing pattern with a flash tail and body, red ribbing, and wings made from a pair of guinea fowl feathers tied in near the hook eye and extending rearward. The fly is enhanced by a soft-fibered hackle collar in front of the flank wing tie-in as well as by a red dubbed collar between the front of the soft hackle and the rear of the bead head.
Why is this fly so effective for DH fish? Some years ago, in my book Tying Flies for Stocked Trout, I explored what makes DH trout tick and looked at how to tie flies specifically for DH fishing. Key elements include egginess, minnowiness (Are those words?), and in some cases bugginess.
In the case of the Hudson Streamer, minnow-like and eggy are the keys. The minnow-like things have a certain fish-like profile, plus flash and sparkle from constantly moving fins and tail. Eggy things are round and colorful – pink, orange, yellow, cream, and so on.
To add such elements to a DH fly, think impressionistically and don’t hesitate to go outside the box. Prominent spots on wings might suggest eggs. So might a prominent blob of pink, orange or red dubbing (that dubbed collar) or even a colored bead.
To define a minnow-like profile, use suitably shaped feathers to form the fly’s shape and outline. Think about what the graphics experts call “visual mass,” and add it where needed. For example, put it at the front of the fly where a minnow’s body will be thickest. This fly’s flank wings and relatively thick hackled collar take care of that nicely.
Then, to mimic minnow behavior, make it front-heavy with a bead so it will dive when you slow the retrieve – and since minnows are typically flashy, use something bright and flashy for the underbody and tail.
With all of that in mind, I borrowed and adapted and eventually shaped the pattern I had in mind. I didn’t really invent anything new; rather, I combined existing elements in an intentional way with the idea of targeting DH fish.
What eventually resulted was the Hudson Streamer, and the good news is that it works.
One nice thing about flank-wing patterns is that they are easily modified to suggest a variety of different baitfish. Simply change the wing-forming material – for example, by replacing the guinea fowl feathers with mottled hen or pheasant – to get whatever patterning or coloration your local stream requires.
Finally, what about the name “Hudson Streamer?” It was suggested by my buddy Marty as an alternative to “flank-winged, flash-bodied, soft-hackled beadhead DH trout fly.” It just kind of stuck.
You’ve got to be careful lest that sort of thing go to your head! But by any name, it’s a fly just works for DH trout. I’m betting it will work for you too.
Fishing tips: Work this fly actively to imitate a minnow. Cast across-and-down, do an immediate upstream mend to preclude uncontrolled drag, count it down to the desired depth, and then retrieve in 6- to 12-inch strips with the rod low and pointed directly down your fly line. The idea is to keep in contact with the fly via a tight line. Vary retrieve speed to see what the fish want on that particular day. Strikes are distinct and often hard.
For more on this and other purpose-designed Delayed Harvest trout flies, check out Steve’s book “Tying Flies for Stocked Trout.” Also check out the Tie It & Try It Hudson Streamer fly tying kit. Both are available in many fly shops or direct from the author at flybooks.net.
