Reservoir fishing: the classic orange-head streamer

The white streamer is a classic. © Enjoy Fishing / Jean-Baptiste Vidal

If there's one streamer you've got to have in your tackle box for reservoir trout fishing, it's this one! Here's a variation, somewhere between an imitation forage fish and the classic white color. This streamer has it all.

Jean-Baptiste Vidal Published on January 7, 2026

This streamer is a variation on the classic rig. A cross between a zonker and a sparkler, it works very well at the start of the reservoir season, as it is both inciting and imitative. But it also catches fish throughout the season, whether on fish freshly introduced to the lake and reacting to shiny flies, or on trout that are already "acclimatized" and hunting in schools of white fish for food (which happens frequently).

Une variante du streamer blanc casque orange qui me rapporte souvent de belles truites! — A variant of the white streamer with an orange helmet, which often brings me beautiful trout!

Assembly sheet

Attach a Varivas 2500V streamer hook in size 4 or 6 in your vice. Place a fluorescent-orange brass bead in size 2.8 or 3.3 or larger, depending on the desired swimming action. The heavier the bead (a tungsten bead can be used), the more jerky the swimming action.

Using a white UTC 70 or equivalent mounting silk, come up to the bend to attach a few polar chenille fibers to make a tail, then attach the white rabbit strip, leaving 2/3 centimeters overhanging. Keep the rabbit on standby and attach the silver chenille fleece, wrapping it around the entire shaft, stopping 2 mm from the bead.

Fold back the chenille fleece before positioning the bunny strip and securing it firmly. Wrap a small amount of Dubbing Hends spectra flash color N°91 to cover the area where you've attached the bunny strip and add some shine.

Finally, tie the final knot.

Ce streamer fonctionne que ce soit sur des truites fraichement introduites que sur des poissons dÃ©jÃ acclimatÃ©s — This streamer works both on freshly introduced and aggressive trout, and on fish already acclimatized, like this trout which had just been hunting on rotengles and regurgitated one when I unhooked my fly.

Tips and tricks

This streamer mimics the small fry and small fish that live in most bodies of water, lakes, ponds and reservoirs. The chenille fleece makes it very shiny and the orange bead makes it a real eye-catcher! It comes in different sizes to imitate different sizes of forage fish, but also to adapt to the fish's desires. It can be used as a floating line, but also as an inter or diving line. As a diving line, I use it unweighted, or even in a booby rig.

It can be fitted in several sizes to suit the forage fish and the season. Larger models can be very effective, especially in cold waters where trout feed on roach and rotengles.

When it comes to animations, you have to vary to find what works on the big day. Slow, jerky animation, especially in cold water, but especially stop-and-go and rolly-poly, which I prefer, especially when fresh fish is involved.

It's a formidable weapon. Give it a try!