Six Tips for Winter Streamer Fishing, with Brian Slusser

In this episode, my guest is Brian Slusser [32:13], an Orvis endorsed guide based in Truckee, California, who tells us about the nuances of winter streamer fishing. With over 29 years of guiding experience, Brian shares his insights on effective techniques for fishing during the colder months, emphasizing the importance of adapting to the unique conditions of winter. He discusses the significance of dressing appropriately for the cold, the best times to fish, and the types of setups and flies that work best in winter conditions. Brian also highlights the advantages of using streamers over traditional nymphs during this season, providing listeners with practical tips to enhance their winter fishing experience. In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions form listeners: What time of year should I go to the Florida Keys for tarpon? Do I need to get a warm-water fly line for tarpon? When fighting a tarpon, do I need to point my rod at them when they jump? What do you think of treble hooks for Atlantic salmon in Quebec? What are the crown jewels of your fly rod collection? Which two-handed outfit should I get for swinging flies for smallmouth bass? What is a good but relatively inexpensive reel for my 9-foot 5-weight trout rod? What should I do if I get stuck in deep muck when wading? I saw hundreds of trout in Alaska jumping into the air to catch tiny white flies and I could not catch them. What should I have done? I have a whole bunch of flies but I am relatively new and never know what size I am pulling out of my box. What can I do?

You can listen to Six Tips for Winter Streamer Fishing, with Brian Slusser online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Six Tips for Winter Streamer Fishing, with Brian Slusser is an episode from The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast by James Hathaway.

This episode is 01:08:39 long.

This episode was published on Jan 19, 2026.

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