From the Archives: The Countermeasure streamer

Jul10

We just watched “The Hunt For Red October” for the umpteenth time — my guess is that I’ve seen it at least 2 dozen times — so the Countermeasure streamer is currently top of mind. (If you haven’t seen the movie, you really should. It’s damn good.) If you’ve seen it, you may not completely understand why I named this pattern the Countermeasure. But if you have seen it, and you’ve fished the Countermeasure, then you get it with crystal clarity.

Countermeasures are released from a submarine to confuse homing torpedoes. The Countermeasure streamer is designed to fool predator fish that are looking for a target to kill. It’s an exceptionally versatile streamer. You can swing it. You can strip it. You can dangle it. But my favorite way to fish it is to cast it near where I think a fish may be holding, ready to ambush. Land it on the water with a loud splat, and then do nothing. If there’s a hungry fish within 15 feet that’s looking up, it will attack the Countermeasure with urgent, reckless fury. Bang! Torpedo in acquisition!

**They don’t look like this perfect after they’ve done battle with a few angry fish.**

The Countermeasure works on bass and trout, like this truttasuarus. (While it doesn’t look like a mouse, try it on your next night fishing adventure. You can thank me later.) It’s been featured in On The Water magazine. I know, you really want to tie some up, so here’s the tying video.

Just hold on to that rod good and tight.

The Countermeasure Fly Tying Video

Oct30

You’re now at Countermeasure Central on currentseams! Here you can watch the tying video (below); see the original post/recipe; and read the Guide Flies feature piece from On The Water magazine. In case you’re new to this pattern, the Countermeasure is a riff on several proven streamer designs (like the Zoo Cougar and Zonker). It’s loaded with bite triggers, and it’s one of my favorite smallmouth bass bugs. Oh! Big trout love it, too.

Steve Culton’s Countermeasure featured in On The Water’s “Guide Flies”

Apr13

The Countermeasure, my favorite smallmouth bass bug, is the featured pattern in Tony Lolli’s “Guide Flies” column. It’s in the current (April 2020) issue of On The Water. Here’s a link to my original post on the Countermeasure. For bonus material, you’ve got a photo of the column and a pdf. Please support fishing magazines and writers by reading and subscribing. Without readers like you, we are nothing.

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Big Tailwater Brown on the Countermeasure

Sep2

The Countermeasure strikes again, this time on a fat tailwater truttasaurus. Look at the fins on that beast of a buck! Many thanks to currentseams follower Ken for sharing his success. You can read more about the Countermeasure pattern here.

CountermeasureBrown

Attention, Smallmouth: these are going to drive you absolutely out of your mind

Jun27

Six Countermeasures, ready to swim. You can find out more about the Countermeasures bass bug here.

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The Countermeasure: a smallmouth bass and trout bug

Jul29

The Countermeasure is a riff on a bunch of proven patterns. It’s basically a Deep Threat in crayfish colors with a deer hair collar and head tied Zoo Cougar style. Bite triggers abound: a seductive Zonker-like tail; hints of flash; flowing soft hackles; dangly legs; bulky head. It’s a surface and film fly that you can land with a loud splat!, then swing, wake, strip, and/or dangle. (I’ve had smallies try to pick it out of the air.) There’s really no wrong way to fish it. It shines on a floating line, but it also ventures into neutrally buoyant territory if you use it with a full sink line.

I’ve been field testing the Countermeasure for three years now, and rarely disappoints. There are times when the smallmouth can’t keep away from it, and will bull rush it the moment it hits the water. And did I mention it’s a killer pattern for those big malevolent Farmington river browns?

The Countermeasure smallmouth bass and trout bug

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Hook: Daiichi 2220 size 4

Thread: UTC Rusty Brown 140

Tail: 8 strands green Krystal flash on both sides of the shank; next, a crawfish orange rabbit strip, fur side down, leather section 2″ long

Body: Rusty brown Ice Dub palmered with fiery brown schlappen

Legs: Golden yellow/pearl flake Barred Crazy Legs, 3 on each side

Collar: Rusty brown deer hair, top of shank only, extending to hook point

Head: Rusty brown deer hair, moderately packed, trimmed flat

Fly length is 4″

A closer look at the head, viewed from above. It’s not a super-tight pack; two pencil-sized clumps of hair spun on the shank usually do it. I start shaping it with a razor blade by trimming the bottom flat, then the top at gentle upwards angle. Scissors do the rest.

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It took me a long time to come up with a name that I liked. Then, few weeks ago, I was watching The Hunt For Red October for the millionth time, and I saw the Dallas release these brilliantly devised gadgets that churned and boiled and made the torpedo think they were the intended target. Then I thought about how the smallies would rather kill than critique this bug. And there it was. So, Red October fans, repeat after me: “Release Countermeasures, on my mark!”

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