GLEN'S DEADLY STREAMER

We can't Guarantee your ability to catch fish, but the Deadly Streamer has a time proven track record.

This was written for a young school Girl who requested information as to why the Deadly Streamer was banned in the first place. This was for her school paper. Written by: George Jueckstock

The story behind the controversial Deadly Streamer in 1955.

The "Fly Only" waters on the North Branch of the Au Sable River near Grayling Michigan is known to the fisherman as the "Holy Waters" It is "fly only" waters meaning no spoons, no Mepps Spinners (a trout treble hook spinner) no worms, nothing but Flies. Usually a fly is fished with a fly rod. A Fly Rod is a longer rod with fairly heavy line with a 4 or 6 lb leader attached to the end where a little dry fly (floating) or wet fly (one that goes under the water) is attached. These flies will resemble a flying bug in the air or a hatch of flies at night. Trout fishing in this manner was a night fishing tactical test of wit. Using a fly rod is an art. You need to put that little fly where you think the trout are laying waiting for food to swim or float by. To do this you need to use the current of the river to move your fly to the right spot, in doing this you work the line over your head and back and forth laying the line and fly attached on the water and hope the current does the job.

A Spinning rod is where you are constantly casting your fly/streamer to the area where you think that fish is laying. That might be under a bank where the water is moving rapidly with the current, in or behind a brush pile or in a logjam. This is where the skill comes in because you need to put that streamer exactly where you want it and do a quick retrieve. Watching behind the streamer might surprise you at what you see following.

There are reports of fly fisherman using this method to get large fish at night. They’ll use the Deadly Streamer in the daylight and if a fish follows the streamer without hitting, they will go back at night and try him with the fly rod.

Being that the "fly only" waters are what they are, my father (Glen) who was a fly fisherman wanted to be able to catch fish in the daytime also. So he came up with the "weighted" fly in the year of 1954, during that season he caught large trout in the daytime; a feat that was unheard of. It was reported to the DNR that a streamer was being used on the fly’s only part of the Au Sable. At that point, it was banned on the fly only water for the years of 1955 & 56. Through many letters and personal visits by my father to the DNR, It was deemed legal again in 1957

Just a little note of what has been going on since 1960

This has been a fly of continual controversy since 1957 on the Au Sable River system; the North, South, and Middle Branches thereof, for two simple basic reasons:

Glen’s Deadly Streamer properly and skillfully fished, will consistently produce in the daytime the size Trout usually associated with night fishing.

Segregation (the trout stream variety). The man with a spinning rod can now, with a weighted fly, fish the water that was originally the exclusive domain of the Fly Fisherman. This, of course, places the spinning enthusiast in the same category as the murder, the arsonist even though his spinning rod may only measure but four feet and weight under an ounce and a quarter.

Contrary to the muttered accusation that this bait will clean out the Au Sable (this from the Grayling, Mi fly purist), The Deadly Streamer is not a scattergun, hit or miss proposition that guarantees the spinning fisherman he can become a trout-hog in two easy lessons. Although it produces large trout, it must still be fished skillfully and intelligently. Because of the tremendous versatility of this streamer, it can be fished in areas of water denied to the fly man and even to the bait downers (worms) because of natural and man-made obstructions. This is the measure of success on bragging-size trout.

So you see this had no effect on the brown trout per say, but it did make it possible for all fishing persons to be able to fish on the Great Au Sable River here in Michigan.

To this day the local people who live along the river still harass me. Just last season I was fishing the Au Sable and when I got back to my truck and on the windshield was this note. "This is a flies only area. Either abide or leave. The next time your license number and picture goes to R.A.P. (report all poachers) I went back to the same spot the next day and I was not confronted again. The guy must have figured out what I was using.

Regards, George

The Legacy Continues

Glen passed away in 1977 when he was 67 years old. His son, George Jueckstock, continues to manufacture ‘Glen’s Deadly Streamers’ through the company that Glen started so many years ago, the Quali-tied Tackle Company. For 27 years now, George has been constructing the streamers, just as they were made by Glen years ago. They are still used by fishers to take trophy trout. The streamers are hand tied on long shank hooks with jungle cock feathers for eyes, and bodies of squirrel tail and bird feathers. The fibered bodies mostly cover the molded lead bodies that hug the hook shanks.

George says that the recommended way to fish these streamers is still with a short, light action spinning rod, that can be used to target the streamer right at the trout holding in the frothy, log-jam covered, swift water current of the rivers that the trout hide in. As stated in their web site, "fish this weighted fly on a 1 to 2 oz. spinning rod with line testing from 2 to 4 pounds….. The Deadly Streamer rides in the water hook-up. No added tip action is required, due to the configuration of the body on the hook."

George relates to me that he still gets complaints from fly fishers that he sees on the water. Recently a note was left on his window by a disgruntled angler that stated, "This is a flies only area. Either abide or leave. The next time your license number and picture goes to R.A.P." [Report All Poaching]

I cannot say that I have ever tried Glen’s Deadly Streamer. However, I can tell you that I will try to fish it on a fly rod. That is just a personal choice, but important to me. On inspecting Glen’s Streamer, I can see that it really is just about the same as many of the traditional streamers that fill my fly box. I can see the similarity of his streamer, with its lead covered hook shank, to the lead wire wrapped hook shank of many of the ‘wolley buggers’ in my box. In my eyes, it is no different then the lead eyed streamers that I might be using next week in my pursuit of salmon.

So many times, we outdoors people seem to find too many things with which we can be critical of each other. When I have my fly rod in hand and I am fishing on some of the restricted waters in our State, I will only get upset if I see another fisher actually breaking game or fish laws. If they are fishing the ‘flies only’ waters near Grayling [the Holy Waters] with a spinning rod in their hand, and they have a legal fly tied on the end of their monofilament fishing line, [dry fly, nymph, or streamer] I will actually be happy to see them there on the river. I will realize that there wades another fellow outdoors person, and I will welcome them to share the river with me. Who knows, maybe my attitude will inspire them to try fly-fishing.

I would like to thank George Jueckstock for sharing with us the story of his father, Glen Jueckstock, and the story of his father’s Deadly Streamer. If you have any questions about either his father or his streamer just call George at 517-622-1062. George is always ready to talk fishing.

        Previously published in the Michigan Outdoor News. October 29,2004

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