Bucktail Streamers

Largemouth bass caught on a bucktail streamer

The bucktail streamer has special memories for me, it was the first fly that I tied - silver tinsel wrapped around the hook shaft and white bucktail topped with brown bucktail to form the wing. This streamer pattern was a solid producer for largemouth bass – fishing the weed edges on Long Lake. That was 40 years ago – and today, I’m still tying bucktail streamers and catching largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappies, brown trout and rainbow trout.

The bucktail streamer is designed and fished to look like a minnow moving through the water. A minnow offers a large fish – a large meal (source of protein) to continue to survive.

The key to fishing a bucktail streamer is the retrieve. The streamer must imitate the actions of a minnow. Therefore, working the rod tip and line is necessary to have the streamer act like a minnow. Short jerky retrieve will make the streamer look like a minnow darting erratically around structure. Long strips will make the streamer appear as a swimming minnow. A streamer allowed to sink to the bottom and slowly moved will look like a feeding minnow. A fast retrieve where the streamer is worked near the surface imitate a fleeing minnow. Do not get into a rut of using just one retrieve. You’ll need to try different retrieves until you find which one will trigger the fish to strike.

As for size selection, I’ll fish large streamer (size 4) for stained water conditions, and small streamer (size 10) for very clear water conditions. The smaller streamer will create less disturbance and audible splat when hitting the water – reducing the chance of spooking the fish. For normal water conditions, I’ll fish a size 6 streamer.

I prefer to use a fluorocarbon leader and tippet. The advantage of fluorocarbon is lower visibility (due to its refractive index being almost the same as water), smaller diameter and less stretch than monofilament. Fluorocarbon will sink rather that float like monofilament – allowing me to work the streamer a little deeper.

When tying the bucktail streamer, I believe it critical to comb and stack the bucktail fibers to remove any dust and short pieces before tying-in the wing. The streamer will be more durable and offer a taper profile.

Bucktail Streamer, Chartreuse