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[VAGAbond]

I like tying big flies so I whipped up some big ugly intruders and now I am in a quandary as to when to use them.   I am thinking particularly of the Squamish but other rivers as well.   At this time of year the preferred option seems to be flesh flies and single eggs.   In the spring fry imitations are the choice.   In the summer the Squamish runs full of silt.   So when do folks use the intruders, the dead of winter or as an option at all times?  Just wondering.

[mcallagan]

Steelie Time

[nickredway]

Never fish them, highly overrated expensive and time consuming to tie. If you are fishing for feeding fish there is always a better choice to mimic the feed which will be more effective even if the visibility is poor. Any simple popsicle or leech pattern will catch steelies just as well if you want a big profile fly IMHO. Not saying they don't work just not worth the extra effort for me. Fish them if you've got them though!! They'll work in the winter and spring, but also have caught aggressive summer and fall fish swinging intruder type flies on a floating line just under the surface when the waters got a bit of colour. If you tying them for the winter to get down tie them sparse.

[HOOK]

I don't tie any Intruders over 4" in length and I also don't heavily weight them (anymore). Why make the flies super heavy to get them down, isn't that what a sink tip is for ?

I normally carry smaller marabou, bunny leeches all the way up to large profile Intruders. I fish whatever whenever during the entire steelhead season. Normally darker/larger on overcast days or when the water is coloured

marabou tube

Intruder (head looks a little small because it's wet from me keeping the fox hair in check)

[SPEYMAN]

Intruders can be as large or as small as you want them. Intruder is just a style of fly. As is a tube fly.

[clarkii]

Hook what did you put over the stinger so you dont poke yourself?

[Every Day]

Biggest intruders I tie are 4 inches long, and that's HUGE for me, and I rarely get the chance to use them. 2-3 inch ones have definitely been the best for me, even in freezing cold December temperatures. If you're fishing larger rivers like the stamp or maybe the vedder, than maybe a larger one would work, I just don't find the need. My logic is if a steelhead is so aggressive for a spoon - they'll be relatively aggressive for a fly the same size.

I'll also say keep your intruders simple. Less wraps are better. Mine pretty much consist of a rabbit tail, with some wraps of schlappen and 1-2 wraps of marabou (schlappen underneath helps marabou stay flared and dance). Simple chenille body, and you're good to go.

Personally, I disagree with HOOK on the no weight aspect. I tie mine super heavy, and elect to go with a heavy fly rather than a sink tip. I find it more enjoyable to cast a floating line with just a heavy fly, and I find the fly rides better in the water, and that I have more control over it. Everyone likes a different method though, and I would say there really isn't a right or wrong as long as you're getting it down and catching fish.

[clarkii]

First question that im surprised no one has asked is how are you fishing it?

Are you using a SH, switch, or spey rod?

Further if your using a spey are you casting a Skagit,  Scandi, or Mid-Long belly line?

*I realize he is asking what people use, but maybe its best to narrow down what the intended use is*

[zap brannigan]

8 wt switch with a skagit head and sink tip.

[islanddude]

I am not a fly fishing guy. Gear fisherman here.
  Started using the worm(pink) on the Vedder. I have been at it for 36yrs. I started making my own worm a couple of yrs. later.
 I use worms anywhere from an 1'' to 6''. I used only the 6'' one for yrs. One  day on the Oyster River I hooked 14 fish on the big worm. The water was medium flow with a nice green tinge to it where you couldn't see the bottom in most runs. The steelhead hammer that 6'' worm.
 I have caught lots of fish on the 6'' worm in gin clear water where you see every rock on the bottom.
 Build big intruders. Think about how you can make them swim even,
 on a dead drift.
 

[HOOK]

Hook what did you put over the stinger so you dont poke yourself?

It's a small bit of sheething from a 16/18 gauge wire. I use this stuff for Ed Ward rigging my Intruders but it works great for a hook guard as well.


ED, I used to tie mine really heavy but didn't like the way they "plopped" loudly when they hit the water or how much of a pain they can be to cast at times. I weight mine in what I would call the medium to lighter range depending on materials used.

[clarkii]

I am not a fly fishing guy. Gear fisherman here.
  Started using the worm(pink) on the Vedder. I have been at it for 36yrs. I started making my own worm a couple of yrs. later.
 I use worms anywhere from an 1'' to 6''. I used only the 6'' one for yrs. One  day on the Oyster River I hooked 14 fish on the big worm. The water was medium flow with a nice green tinge to it where you couldn't see the bottom in most runs. The steelhead hammer that 6'' worm.
 I have caught lots of fish on the 6'' worm in gin clear water where you see every rock on the bottom.
 Build big intruders. Think about how you can make them swim even,
 on a dead drift.

Unlike hydrophobic rubber worms, the use of natural materials in streamers makes larger flies less practical.  While they move well in the water, the big issue is the saturation of materials into the fly making casting difficult.  This is why casting style is so important.

A Mid Belly/scandi line (spey) often lack the ability to turn over these larger flies and tips required to throw them.  That why a lot of traditional spey flies are unweighted (along with legal issues from the older days).  If you wish to throw an intruder, a Skagit line is often required with heavy sink tips.  you need grains to throw grains.  One issue I made is I used medium tungsten eyes to weight my larger intruders.  Combine that with the weight of the water, I still had difficulty casting, until I modified my stroke slightly.

In terms of Sh, large flies are a pita.  They often are very clunky, and require an arched movement in the rod tip to keep the large flies away from the rod. If the fly hits the rod, it can often result in damage which can break then or during a fight with a fish.

The above results in sparse flies of around 4" max length to make casting easier so the angler can go all day.

And sweet thanks for the info hook.  I went from tying 7" articulated streamers for bulls and not poking myself to several pokes in a session when tying intruders 

[RalphH]

It's a small bit of sheething from a 16/18 gauge wire.

A small chunk of foam works as well. You can also put the hook on after the fly is finished. That's one of the ideas with the intruder style - the loop should be just long enough to put the hook on so if the hook gets dulled from encountering rocks on the stream bed it can be replaced. With conventional hooks you'd have to toss the fly once it can no longer be sharpened

[HOOK]

A small chunk of foam works as well. You can also put the hook on after the fly is finished. That's one of the ideas with the intruder style - the loop should be just long enough to put the hook on so if the hook gets dulled from encountering rocks on the stream bed it can be replaced. With conventional hooks you'd have to toss the fly once it can no longer be sharpened

I know I could have removed the hook but when using thin mono running line changing hooks can be a pain so I just leave them on while tying and rather save the changing hook issue for when its needed. Tried foam before and it worked good but I have plenty of this wire sheething and it stays put better than foam. Last thing I want is to bury anymore Owner cutting points into the edge of my hand