Six Tips for Winter Streamer Fishing, with Brian Slusser

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

James Hathaway

Sports, Wilderness, Education, How To

4.8 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi and welcome to the Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast.
0:15.6	This is your host Tom Rosenbauer, and my guest this week is Orvis and Dorse Guide, Brian Slusser.
0:22.8	Brian guides in the Truckee area on the border of California, and Nevada, and he's going to be talking about fishing streamers during the winter.
0:32.2	Now, even though Brian talks mainly about fishing the truckie and surrounding waters um the
0:39.2	the tips that he's going to give us are valuable no matter where you fish streamers during
0:44.9	the winter trout streams and winter aren't that much different from one place to the next so
0:50.2	brian's got six tips on fishing streamers during the winter.
0:55.5	And I think you're going to, I think you're going to get something out of it if you do want to rave the cold temperatures out there this winter.
1:04.6	And before we get into the flybox, just a few announcements.
1:09.9	There's going to be something new and exciting coming this week from
1:13.0	Orvis. Watch your emails. Watch the Orvis website. Don't delete your emails this week. It's not
1:20.3	going to be just another sale e-bail. There's going to be a new product coming out that's of interest
1:26.9	to fly fishers.
1:28.4	So I can't tell you what it is right now.
1:31.0	They won't let me.
1:31.9	But it'll be out this week and check it out.
1:35.8	Also something new coming up on the podcast.
1:39.2	And I'm not going to tell you about that either.
1:41.3	But sometime in the next month or so, there's going to be exciting or interesting
1:48.2	and possibly exciting addition to the podcast. So keep your eyes open for that announcement.
1:56.9	Also, if you're listening to this on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday, I'll be at the New Jersey
2:04.0	fly fishing show in Edison this weekend and love to talk to podcast listeners.
	...

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