DOUBLE DUTY
Up your odds of figuring out the fish by tying on a two-fly rig
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Large streamers like the Conehead Muddler (top left), Sculpzilla (middle left) or Autumn Splendour (lower left) make a good front fly in a tandem rig; the Wooly Bugger (right) makes a great second flyTANDEM STREAMERS
Big trout tend to target big meals, but when the nights get cool and the leaves turn colour, they really go on a meat hunt. Fall is an excellent time to fish with streamers, and an even better time to throw two of them. My favourite rig for this features a beefy, garish and often weighted streamer as the front fly, followed by a smaller streamer. I typically put a big Sculpzilla, Conehead Muddler or Autumn Splendour fly on first, then slap on a Woolly Bugger behind it.
There are some dubious theories about the way this big-fly/small-fly arrangement affects trout psychology, but my reason for using it is purely practical. Simply, it casts better than a leader with two big flies or a small fly followed by a big one, which cast like wet socks and are prone to godawful tangles. I can’t verify the Newtonian physics behind this, but I’ve cut off enough wind-knotted leaders to know it happens.
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The other key to chucking two streamers is to go with a stiffer 10-, 12- or even 15-pound leader. It’s more castable, and since the rig prompts reaction strikes, the fish won’t be leader shy. You can drift or swing a two-streamer rig, but it’s especially fun for banging the banks. I plonk it tight to the bank, give it a few big strips, then try the next spot—if I don’t get bit first.