BONUS: The Science of Streamers (Pt I): Kirk Klingensmith on Jigging and Wrecking Flies

Episode Overview

On this episode of The Butcher Shop fly fishing podcast, host Marvin Cash sits down with Kirk Klingensmith, a retired Corning engineer and lifelong angler, for a physics-driven breakdown of why streamers move the way they do. Klingensmith, who wrote the "physics of fly motion" chapter for Blane Chocklett's Game Changer book, brings a scientist's eye to the vise, translating drag, momentum and weight placement into practical tying and fishing decisions. In Part One of this two-part conversation, he and Cash work through jig flies and wrecking or kicking flies, saving swim flies for a follow-up episode.

The jig fly discussion centers on the Clouser Minnow, where lead-eye placement and hook angle (90-degree versus 60-degree versus 15-degree jig hooks) determine whether a fly dips gently or nose-dives on the pause, and on how bucktail's stiffness contrasts with the collapsing action of flash-bodied flies like the Kreelex. From there the two turn to wrecking and kicking flies such as Blane Chocklett's T-Bone, unpacking how momentum in the tail and drag in the head combine to create the sideways "kick" that triggers strikes from muskies, smallmouth and brown trout alike. Throughout, Klingensmith returns to a central theme: the fly is only one part of a system that includes leader construction, tippet stiffness, fly line selection and retrieve style, all of which anglers can manipulate to fine-tune a streamer's behavior on the retrieve and on the pause.

Key Takeaways

• How lead-eye placement on a Clouser Minnow determines whether the fly dips gently or nose-dives on the pause
• Why bucktail and flash materials like Kreinik Flash create fundamentally different drop behaviors when a jig fly stalls
• When to switch to a full-length tippet leader, as used in Alaska salmon fishing and Euro-nymphing, to amplify a jig fly's drop and sink rate
• How momentum in a fly's tail combines with drag in the head to produce the sideways kick that triggers musky, smallmouth and brown trout strikes
• Why reverse-tied bucktail heads, as used on the T-Bone, stall and flare on the pause to exaggerate a wrecking fly's action
• How retrieve style, fly line choice and tippet stiffness work together as a system to control a streamer's action, not just the fly itself

Techniques & Gear Covered

Klingensmith walks through how lead-eye placement on a Clouser Minnow governs its jigging action and contrasts bucktail's stiffer, slower-collapsing profile with the accelerated drop of flash-bodied flies like the Kreelex, tied with Kreinik Flash. He details how 90-degree, 60-degree and 15-degree jig hooks change the abruptness of the transition between retrieve and pause, and how a full-tippet leader system, borrowed from Alaska salmon fishing and Euro-nymphing with jig streamers, sinks a fly faster and amplifies its drop. On wrecking and kicking flies, he breaks down the reverse-tied bucktail construction behind Blane Chocklett's T-Bone, explaining how a dense, high-drag head stalls on the pause while a lower-drag tail continues forward and kicks sideways, and how material choices such as deer hair, wool, synthetics and foam heads change how a fly suspends or sinks at rest. He also touches on line selection, using sink-tip or full-sinking lines to present a kicking fly low in the water column, and loop knots as the standard connection for preserving that action.

Locations & Species

Klingensmith fishes primarily for smallmouth bass on the Chemung River, a Susquehanna tributary in the Finger Lakes region of New York, running a drift boat and carrying both floating and sinking lines to cover different parts of the water column. The bite triggers discussed apply broadly across predatory species, with specific mentions of musky, brown trout and smallmouth reacting to kicking and wrecking fly action, and striped bass responding to jigging presentations on pressured saltwater flats.

FAQ / Key Questions AnsweredWhat determines whether a jig fly dips or nose-dives on the pause?

Weight placement and hook geometry are the primary factors. Moving the lead eyes farther from the hook eye on a Clouser Minnow produces a flatter drop, while placing weight closer to the eye causes a more pronounced nose-dive; steeper jig hook angles (90 degrees versus 60 or 15 degrees) create a more abrupt transition between the retrieve and the pause.

Why do bucktail and flash-bodied jig flies behave differently when they stall?

Bucktail is a stiffer material that resists collapsing, so a fly like the Clouser Minnow dips rather than dives when it stops. Flash materials, like limp Kreinik Flash, offer far less resistance, and flies like the Kreelex fall more like a flimsy parachute, making them sink faster but with less controlled action.

How does reverse-tied bucktail create the kicking action in flies like the T-Bone?

Reverse-tying builds a dense, drag-heavy head that stalls abruptly on the pause while the tail, carrying more momentum and less drag, continues moving forward and swings sideways, similar to a tractor trailer truck jackknifing when the cab brakes. Tuning the length and diameter of the front section, along with the materials used, controls how sharply that kick occurs.

When should anglers switch to a full-tippet leader for jig flies?

A leader made entirely of tippet material, as used in Alaska for salmon and increasingly in Euro-nymphing with jig streamers, reduces resistance in the system so the fly sinks faster and produces a stronger, more pronounced jigging pull on the pause. This is especially useful when maximum depth and drop are the goal.

Why do predatory fish sometimes strike a fly that doesn't resemble food at all?

Klingensmith points out that fish lack hands, so investigating an unfamiliar object or eliminating a struggling intruder from their territory can trigger a strike independent of whether the fly looks edible. Klingensmith sums up the goal as tying a fly that wins an award for looking helpless, hurt and vulnerable rather than one that looks like a healthy baitfish.

Sponsors

Thanks to TroutRoutes for sponsoring this episode. Use ARTFLY20 to get 20% off of your TroutRoutes Pro membership.

Related Content

S1, Ep 2: The T-Bone: A Deep Dive with Blane Chocklett - The Butcher Shop

S2, Ep 2: A Deep Dive into the Swingin' D: Techniques and Tips with Mike Schultz - The Butcher Shop

S6, Ep 124: Fly Tying with Chase Smith

BONUS: Mastering the Beast: A Deep Dive into Bob Popovics' Legendary Fly with Captain Ben Whalley

BONUS: Castability Unleashed: Mark Sedotti's Journey with the Sedotti Slammer

Connect with Our Guest

Follow Kirk on Facebook and Instagram.

Follow the Show

Follow The Articulate Fly on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and YouTube.

Follow our Substack newsletter for episode updates, tips and resources.

Support the Show

Shop through our Amazon link to support the podcast.

Join our Patreon community to support the show.

If you are in the industry and need help getting unstuck, learn more about our consulting options.

Subscribe & Advertise