Trout and Color

[Tigereye]

Red would disappear in deeper, darker water, be black basically. Your point about water depth seems important.

I saw this video yesterday. I believe it may be his most recent posting.

He has become one of, if not my favorite tyer. Very precise and informative. His accent and calm style are very relaxing. Rivaled only by Davie McPhail.

The Red and amber combinations on that fly make it POP.

With depth, as the red turns black, it should show great contrast with the amber.

If nothing else, one would fish it with confidence. I would.

I tied a few up before hitting the river today. It was responsible for this fine fellow

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

I saw this video yesterday. I believe it may be his most recent posting.

He has become one of, if not my favorite tyer. Very precise and informative. His accent and calm style are very relaxing. Rivaled only by Davie McPhail.

The Red and amber combinations on that fly make it POP.

With depth, as the red turns black, it should show great contrast with the amber.

If nothing else, one would fish it with confidence. I would.

I tied a few up before hitting the river today. It was responsible for this fine fellow

I think color loss with water depth is more of a factor in lake fish.
Most stream trout are caught at depths where there isn't much loss of color.
Water clarity (turbidity) is probably a much greater factor.
Along with dissolved oxygen and air "bubbles."

 

[Bamboozle]

...Secondly during spawning I think the female chooses the most vibrantly colored male?

In college when attending parties or at local watering holes, I made sure was a pretty vibrant dresser... 😉

 

[Tabasco-Joe]

In college when attending parties or at local watering holes, I made sure was a pretty vibrant dresser... 😉

Yes. In those days predator had a different meaning.

 

[5footfenwick]

In college when attending parties or at local watering holes, I made sure was a pretty vibrant dresser... 😉

I think they call it Peacocking 😉

 

[5footfenwick]

This might seem weird and probably wrong.

But I always figured fish could see the color that they are, really well and feed on it.

Rainbows like pink and silver. Browns like tan and largemouth like green and black, smallmouth like gold and brown. Brook trout like orange and red and white.
Two reasons I think this is.

Firstly they grow up with food that color, other smaller fish of their same species.

Secondly during spawning I think the female chooses the most vibrantly colored male?
Well how does she know? Unless she can see those colors quite well.

~5footfenwick

Bump. ???????

 

[Bamboozle]

I think they call it Peacocking 😉

Well, the second syllable is somewhat appropriate...

 

[dryflyguy]

I don't recall saying that. But I do advocate the color green for green inchworm patterns when you see green inchworms around.

It would be interesting to tie the inchworm pattern in a shade of gray that has about the same degree of darkness/lightness and see if the trout hit is as readily as they do the green inchworm.

If anyone tries that, please let us know the results.

People tell me that mop flies work very well, in many different colors.
And I'm kinda guessing that they're being taken as an inch worm pattern
Soooo.....

 

[moorestowngreg]

Interesting stuff. I question if a trout's brain processes the information from their eyes the same way we do?

I think this is the real question, and I doubt it. A green caddis pupa has been one of my most productive fly patterns for at least 30 years. If I accept the youtube creator's views that they cannot see it well, why do they take it? I don't know, but I do know the green one has often worked for me when others often don't.

Are the flyfishers today better than those before us? Maybe, but I doubt it. Many(not all) of the best flyfishers now and in the past use mostly just a couple of flies most of the time, and they aren't necessarily the color (blue) noted in that youtube video.

As noted by others, I believe that presentation is much more important than a particular color in most cases. And this is from a person that loves to tie flies in different colors and shapes and sizes and carries a ridiculous number of flies that mostly sit in a box.

 

[troutbert]

Regarding tying flies accurate colors representing natural insects.

It's like chicken soup; it can't hurt.

 

[Wild_Trouter]

Just saw this one on Facebook from Randolph County, WV. I've never seen a stocked Brown quite like this one. Not a bad product: