Most fly anglers these days, are aware of balanced leeches and their effectiveness, however many anglers have trouble balancing them and want another option. Tying a streamer as a straight jig has become much more popular over the last few years as it doesn’t require the fly tier to balance the fly. I have spent a fair amount of time fishing these jig streamers on medium to large rivers in late spring/early summer when the water is a bit murky or stained. I have always had the best success fishing these streamers under an indicator within a couple feet of the bank. The bright orange Antron stripe and orange bead seems to attract very large trout. I caught a 23-inch brown on this pattern just after runoff, about 8 inches off the bank on a river in south Calgary. I also tie this streamer pattern in chartreuse, pink, and yellow. I have been wondering how this pattern would perform in a pothole lake and how well it would balance. I will find this in out in May or June of this year.
Hook: Ahrex 540 size 8-12 60-degree jig hook
Thread: Uni-Thread 8/0 or 6/0 black
Bead: Orange slotted bead
Body: Black Hareline Dubbing or black chenille
Sides: Fire Orange Antron yarn
Hackle: Black or grizzly saddle hackle
Rib: Gold or copper fine wire
Tail: Black and Fire Orange marabou with Krystal Flash
