# UP Streamers



## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

Looking to get peoples opinion on streamer fishing in the UP.. I myself have come to the conclusion that the giant articulated patterns that work well in the LP do not work so well in the UP.. Ive tried them all and found that the good old wooly bugger works about as well as anything.. the zoo cougar is also deadly at times as well as nutcrackers (smaller ones).. smaller articulated streamers have worked too, circus peanuts and such tied on small hooks.. not to mention some of the unmentionable streams that hold very large browns in the UP are not suited well to drift boats and have tons of logjams. so a little more conservative approach has netted me better results.. 6 wt, either a floating line and a poly leader or a 15 ft sink tip. Just my experience.. curious to see what other people use


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## Escanaba_Predator (Jan 14, 2012)

I have good luck with pike and bass on bigger streamers #2 and #4 hooks. In my experience articulators and stinger hooks are just over kill and more of a hindrance. My advice is keep the trout streamers small#8 & #6 hooks and even 10's sometimes. Small helps to keep away the pike attacks a little. You'd be surprised were you'll find pike around here. I'm talking even in 2-3 foot deep trout streams. I do a lot of steamer fishing but a good portion of my trout are caught on nymphs. Especially in highwater in the spring. Pheasant tails, copper johns, cattis larve and princes.


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## jaytothekizzay (Apr 1, 2002)

I fish big nasty streamers below Boney Falls. Caught many 20+ fish

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## jaytothekizzay (Apr 1, 2002)

Always with a sink tip

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## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

jaytothekizzay said:


> I fish big nasty streamers below Boney Falls. Caught many 20+ fish
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using Ohub Campfire mobile app


hmm.. I have tried alot of big nasty streamers below boney falls.. also using a sink tip... never had as much luck..as soon as i switch to a #4 zoo cougar or something in the 3-4" range i get bit.. kinda sucks because i love tying those big streamers but i cant find a place around here they work for me.


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## jaytothekizzay (Apr 1, 2002)

Try a big rusty crayfish pattern... and hold on...lol
Also throw that same pattern into the deep slow side sloughs for Hog smallies

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## Escanaba_Predator (Jan 14, 2012)

Ive caught pike on big articulating meat but fort oad smallies and trout its always 2-3" streamers.


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## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

Yeah i guess my experience has been there are two separate types of trout fishing for brown trout in the UP, Boney falls and the "other rivers" that hold big browns that we shall not name. My theory about 4-6" streamers is as follows.. the reason they work so well in the LP is that those streams (manistee and ausable) have more big browns and just trout in general per mile, so competition is a huge factor.. thats why a 6" "intruder" gets attacked.. On a river in the UP that say has alot of log jams and doesnt have the high numbers of trout.. and coupled with an abundance of food, Those fish dont need to go out of there way to attack.. Idk i could definatly be wrong but thats my experience.. 
Boney falls has alot of Trout per mile so i think thats why they tend to be more aggressive. I have caught trout on articulated streamers below boney, but they were 4-4.5" length and hard for any trout to resist tied in a mottled olive brown color..

my experience though has led me to conlcude 3" streamers present more of a normal standard "meal" to the fish in the UP which gets eaten as "food" as opposed to "invader"


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## TroutRanger (Feb 5, 2015)

here is a couple pics of the size streamer that works for me 










these are two circus peanuts tied on daiichi 2461 hooks in smaller sizes (4-2) that makes a streamer in the 4" range that isnt too bulky and has lots of action, not to mention great colors! 










here is a great smaller articulated sculpin pattern that works for me in the UP










here is a comparison of a small cheech leech vs a larger circus peanut.. The peanut takes smallmouth gallore and is a killer color (just plain olive) but it has fished poorly in the UP, whereas the smaller one fishes good


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## Escanaba_Predator (Jan 14, 2012)

To be honest if I'm going for trout I usually put on a nymph on and the earlier in the year the better and dries in the fall. This year seemed like if I threw anything big it was "piked" actually for a bit early in the spring I thought I got some bad 4x tippet which I use for streamers mostly cause every time I'd get a hit I was breaking off instantly. Turns out it was the pike. Since they drained the resivour last year to work on the dam it seems to me a lot of the pike moved down in the river. They also had fish kills do to sediment which I believe hurt the trout the most.


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