Ok - streamer fishing using a mono rig ?

Bugmeister

Bugmeister

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To date I have managed to mostly resist the euro nymph rig-lobbing madness. I tell myself “hey sure I catch fewer fish on some waters, but at least I don’t have to buy a bunch of contact nymphing specialty equipment. Also my grandparents and uncles won’t look down upon me for sinking even further into the ungentlemanly, dirty morass that is nymph fishing. Huzzah!”

So then I ran into someone extolling the virtues of streamer jigging with a mono rig. Streamers, you say? More of a casting vibe (ish) than lobbing? Tell me more.

I’m presently lounging on the couch post-gym watching the Bills/Broncos game. My wife just informed me she is gifting me a new Scott rod of my choice for my bday. Woohooo! Does anyone on forum know how to do this tight-line streamer jigging thing using a mono rig, and if so could I use a 10’ 4 weight Scott Centric to do it reasonably well? My rationale is I could use the rod for something else if I don’t enjoy or can’t get hang of mono rig streamer jigging game, so it isn’t a euro nymph specialist per se. (?)

Simultaneously Ashamed, Ignorant, and Intrigued,

B
 
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I have been doing it quite a bit over the last year. I prefer 20# Chameleon. I fished 10, and did15# for several months, and don't care for the handling of lighter mono. I fish 3x tippet. Fish the jiggy craw I did an SBS on. Often I'll fish a muddler (could be a bugger) on the point 20" behind a weighed nymph on a 5" dropper above it.
 
that's a good video...

personally, I rarely fish streamers off my euro setup because I do like to actually cast (which I can with my standard euro setup)....If I were though, I'd roll with something similar to what @Tom Butler uses....heavier than my standard euro setup which is 6lb maxima primary leader down to 2x sighter/4x/5x and sometimes 5.5x.
 
Using a mono rig is my favorite way to fish streamers. You have so much control. You can do things that you cannot achieve any other way. Two really notable examples…

1. Fishing the opposite side of some very fast water, with no line on the water at 30ft.

2. Literally stalling the streamer. Galloup always talks about slowing down streamers, while still imparting action. Doesn’t get any slower than this.

The weight of a 5mm tungsten bead also means you can cast further, out to around 40ft or so. You can’t do that with typical euro nymphs, because they don’t load your rod enough.

I use 13-15lb for all my mono rigs. 20lb sags too much. 12lb breaks too fast, after getting run through the guides a thousand times.

Your 10ft 4wt is probably fine for experimenting with a mono rig, particularly with heavier streamers. However, long term, you will probably want something with a softer tip and different guide placement.
 
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I keep a foam puck with straight 2x to a sculpin (typically) in my pack. I like Swentoskys bullet bunny with a tung bead. Sometimes, add split 18” above. will pop off my nymphs at tippet ring, and streamer on in like 2 minutes. Bounce that sucker like a cat toy.
 
oh also, OP, if you think it's "lobbing"....you're doing it wrong.
 
clarkman said:
oh also, OP, if you think it's "lobbing"....you're doing it wrong.
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I think that's why I like 20#, I have more control of the different tightline casts.
 
clarkman said:
oh also, OP, if you think it's "lobbing"....you're doing it wrong.
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I said that partly in jest but I’m sure you’re right - I haven’t done it enough to have a clue what I’m doing. I also opted to play with a euro nymph leader/tippet setup using a traditional 9’5 wt. Guessing it was square peg/round hole
 
Using a gift of a new Scott rod for this specific purpose is like being taken to dinner at Noma and ordering a well done steak with ketchup. Hell, and a Hennessy and Sprite to go with. At least in my humble closed minded know nothing opinion.
 
Bugmeister said:
I said that partly in jest but I’m sure you’re right - I haven’t done it enough to have a clue what I’m doing. I also opted to play with a euro nymph leader/tippet setup using a traditional 9’5 wt. Guessing it was square peg/round hole
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Ah, gotcha. Makes more sense. It really isn't all that easy on a 9' 5wt when rigged appropriately for a modern euro rod. Shoot casting a mono rig on any rod takes a little practice to do it well.
 
Matt B said:
Using a gift of a new Scott rod for this specific purpose is like being taken to dinner at Noma and ordering a well done steak with ketchup. Hell, and a Hennessy and Sprite to go with. At least in my humble closed minded know nothing opinion.
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My wife and I wanted to go to Noma before they closed...we were heading to Denmark next year...
 
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I tightlined nymphed a 7" intruder through some logs with a 13'8 spey rod yesterday. It was awful and I lost the fly. Euro nymphing doesn't work!
 
G_Smolt said:
Jig fishing is super-fun, but a 7' ultralight spinning rod would be a better tool for the job.
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I tried it. I was trying to find an easy way for my daughter to catch fish, so I was invested in it working. A euro set up is much better IMO.

You need a very long spinning rod, because you hold it at the reel foot and lose at least 12” just from the hand position. 7’ is way too short to keep any line off the water. Crappie rods are the closest I could find to being long and soft enough, but they’re very soft through the mid section and that really diminishes casting accuracy. You need the whole rod to be very stiff, except for the tip.

Spinning reels themselves are also a burden. Being able to control the line by hand and quickly cast repeatedly is important. A fly reel is much more practical and less frustrating.

You could put a fly reel on a stiff crappie rod and it might work OK. Or you could just use a euro setup that also gives you the option of fishing dries, soft hackles, streamers on a Skagit head, light suspension nymphing rigs, etc.
 
Yeah, my favorite micro-jig rod is (was) a Loomis IM6 9 1/2 footer for 4-6lb test. 7' is a good all-around size, and if a fella is familiar with mono line treatments, you don't have to worry about line on the water as much.
Having grown up a facultative fly angler, my line-control skills with a spinning reel (or levelwind, or centerpin, or sidecast, or...) are plenty good. With a bit of practice, most anglers can develop a modicum of control.
If the process does not center on the use of a flyrod to create and deliver a dynamic loop of flyline, a flyrod/flyreel probably isn't the best tool for the job.
 
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