In Montana, we love to use streamers for fall fly fishing. It’s one of our favorite ways to target big fish! In this season, the fish are aggressive and looking to gain calories before the winter sets in. On cloudy days, trout will chase down streamers with reckless abandon and crush them. This is also a surefire way to get into some of the biggest fish of the year. All you need is a 6-7 wt fly rod, sink tip fly line or sinking leader, persistence, and the right streamers for fall fly fishing. Here are Missoula’s top 5 streamers for fall fly fishing in no particular order.

1. Silvey’s Sculpin Leech
2. Satkowski’s Shake & Bake
3. Lil Kim
4. Mini-Dungeon
5. Sparkle Minnow

1. Silvey’s Sculpin Leech

Hailing from the Deschutes River in central Oregon, the creator of this fall fly fishing streamer, Brian Silvey, knows a thing or two about fly fishing for trout. And this universal streamer fly pattern catches trout on rivers across the nation from the meandering tundra rivers of western Alaska to the high plains of Montana. With lead eyes and a bunny strip tail, this simple but durable streamer will catch fish all day but also hold up to abuse.

2. Satkowski’s Shake & Bake

The Shake & Bake is a killer articulated streamer with a new look. Tied on a jig hook to ride hook-up, the heavy dumbbell eyes on this streamer get it deep without snagging or sacrificing any movement. While this is a larger fly, it can be just what the big pre-spawn brown trout want on a cloudy, fall day. On the “swim-ability” scale, this one scores high…

3. Lil Kim

The Lil' Kim is a compact yet highly effective articulated streamer that excels in enticing aggressive trout during the fall. Its design incorporates a flashy body and a pulsating tail, mimicking the movement of baitfish, which is particularly appealing to predatory trout preparing for winter. Available in sizes #4–8 and colors like olive and black, it performs exceptionally well on overcast days when trout are more inclined to chase down streamers. Whether you're fishing the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, or Clark Fork rivers, the Lil' Kim is a proven choice for targeting big browns and rainbows during the fall.

4. Galloup’s Micro Dungeon

Kelly Galloup, owner of Slide Inn and streamer guru, came up with the Sex Dungeon years ago and it’s caught some giant trout over the years.  When he came out with the mini-Dungeon, we all got excited. Sometimes big flies aren’t the way to go when it comes to getting fish to eat and this fly proves it.  It has a great sculpin profile and moves great in the water.

5. Sparkle Minnow

The Sparkle Minnow is one of those streamers you look at and think, “no fish would ever eat that!”  It’s a super flashy bugger pattern that seems to always work on any river across western Montana. It’s a go-to streamer pattern for many anglers across the western United States.

Visit our Missoula fly shop for our in-store selection of streamers for fall fly fishing gear! Want to put these flies to use? Book a Missoula guided fly fishing trip and let the expert Missoula fly fishing guides hook you up on big fish.