Sometimes Sitting Down at the Vise and Pounding Out Big Streamers Can Be Daunting

In my eyes, streamer tying is just like streamer fishing – anything that helps get your mojo to peak levels deserves serious consideration.

For the 10 to 30 minutes you can spend tying these big streamers and the hours you can spend fishing them with no results – only to be smashed when you're about to give up hope – I've found inspirational levels of mojo to be the difference between tying a dozen streamers, and tying a dozen AWESOME streamers.

Beer and fly tying go together like peanut butter and jelly, but, when you pair the right beer with the streamer you're tying, the levels of mojo go through the roof – don't even get me started on music. (Note: This article was meant to set some sort of record for the use of the word "mojo" more than any other article known to man... mission accomplished).

So just like wine lovers pair food with wine, we' re going to pair beer types with streamers – because that's the most obvious thing to do in a situation like this.

1. Ale ~ Galloup's Sex Dungeon

The Sex Dungeon still holds a huge place in my heart for simply being one of the early articulated streamers that completely threw me for a loop. While ales are the core of all beer, The Sex Dungeon is what most modern articulated streamer fishermen consider to be the granddaddy of the current articulated streamer movement.

2. Wheat ~ Maddin's Circus Peanut

Wheat beers are mostly thought of as a “lighter” beer with loads of flavor… which couldn't describe Russ Maddin's Circus Peanut any better. The Circus Peanut is a relatively easy to tie articulated streamer, but when you fish it you realize that there is a lot more behind this pattern than just a super simple streamer. (Note: The fly was designed by Russ Maddin but the video references Kelly Galloup because he made the fly well-known.)

3. Stout ~ Schmidt's Double Deceiver

When I think of a good Stout, I think of a beer that is borderline chewable. A stout will rise up and punch you in the face and then laugh at you as you fall down. Enter the Double Deceiver. A Double Deceiver is nothing but super flared Bucktail and Schlappen. One does not simply tie a Double Deceiver; they’re built with some grunting, breaking thread as you flare the bucktail a little too far, cussing because of broken thread, and ultimately ending with a gnarly beast. Gnarly Beast = Stout.

4. American Lager ~ Woolly Bugger 

There is a time and place for all beer, and lagers are no exception (though barely). From frat parties to hipster mustache conventions, the good ol’ classic American Lager will always be the staple when it comes to beer. What else would we pair a mediocre beer with but the good ol’ classic Woolly Bugger.

Now, don't think I’m bashing neither the American Lager nor the Woolly Bugger (notice the correct use of neither/nor) because I would venture that the Woolly Bugger has caught 100 times more fish than all of the other flies listed in this post, just like the American Lager has gotten 100 times the amount of youth in the world caught doing questionable activities than all the other beers mentioned.

Now Go Tie Some Streamers!

What's your favorite beer ~ streamer pairing?  

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About Brian Wise:

Brian Wise is a fly fishing guide in extreme southern Missouri. His mainstays are the wild rainbow trout and large predatory brown trout of the North Fork of the White River, but he is also a self-proclaimed smallmouth junkie and loves the seasonal striper fishing as well. He's been the head guide at River of Life Farm for over a decade and has been featured in print such as Southern Living Magazine, Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Field and Stream, Rural Missouri Magazine, on television shows such as NBC’s Today Show, Outdoor Channel’s Ultimate Outdoors, several appearances on Outdoor Channel Outfitters, and is a Field Producer for Chasing Waters on the Pursuit Channel. He was a 2007 qualifier for the coveted Best of the West distance casting competition and won the Bennett Springs distance casting competition with a whopping cast of 106 feet. When Brian isn’t guiding, he is fishing with his two sons. His fly tying and fly fishing videos are quickly making their way to the top of the list, and the Fly Fishing the Ozarks Youtube Channel is the fastest growing channel in the fly fishing genre.