Flashy Flies

Flashy Flies (click image for detail)

Flashy flies catch fish. Regardless of whether one is fishing fresh or salt water, the consensus by fly rodders is that added sparkle improves catch rates. With that in mind, fly tiers are ‘improving’ traditional trout patterns by inserting flashy materials under wings, or incorporating the flash into dubbing materials to give more pizazz to what used to be rather bland imitations of bugs and minnows. Trout flies developed within the past half dozen years use flash as the integral part of the fly’s design, whether nymph, dry or streamer.

Saltwater flies incorporated materials like Flashabou and Crystal Flash quite a while back to catch light in murky water situations like that found in mangrove swamps or in heavy surf where the waves make the water ‘chalky’ in the areas where striped bass, false albacore or speckled trout chase prey. Flash also aided translucence to flies such as the Lefty’s Deceiver. Without the flash, a Deceiver just doesn’t catch fish. I know because I have tried them both ways. It is amazing what a few strands of silver or gold Flashabou can do added to the sides of a fly.

Flashy fly tying materials can be purchased at most fly shops. Materials that really zip up a fly pattern are holographic tinsel, colored wires for body segmentation, the above mentioned Flashabou and Crystal Flash, as well as Lite Brite, Angel Hair, pearlescent mylar, French tinsel and a few more materials just arrived from Europe. Glass or metal beads also add flash, as well as weight, to nymph patterns and should be used on nymph patterns from Halfbacks to Gold-ribbed Hare’s ears. Even Z-lon, better known as Antron yarn, can be used to better imitate a trailing shuck on mayfly patterns such as the sparkle dun, or as spinner wings on spent mayfly patterns and are much better overall than drab hackle fibers from a rooster neck.

Since early season hatches consist of midges and blue winged olives in our neck of the Rockies, fly fishermen and fly tiers need to recognize the value of flash in these tiny fly patterns. Literally tens of thousands of larvae, pupae and emerging adults are scattered throughout the water column. By adding a few strands of pearl or rainbow Crystal Flash to a midge pupae captures the light shining into the water and probably most imitates the minute gas bubble that emerging insects use to buoy themselves to the surface in the emergent stage. Trout recognize this and will immediately investigate the flies tied with flash materials.

If you are a fly tier, try this at the bench. Take a standard nymph hook, sizes 16-24, and construct the body of fly tying thread. Best colors are red, black, olive, and brown. Rib with fine red, gold or silver wire, color of wire to suit thread color. Just behind the thorax, tie in 4-5 strands of pearl Crystal Flash short (1/3 length of body) as a wing, then dub a small thorax from Squirrel Brite (again, dubbing material to compliment body color) and finish with a small head, same color as the tying thread. These patterns are deadly and will catch trout consistently wherever midges are fed upon by trout. Look at the photo of a red FRM that is provided with the article.

Baetis, better known as tiny blue-winged olives, nymphs and emergers can be dressed up by using pheasant tail, or dubbing, as a body, then over wrapping the body with rainbow Crystal Flash, before finishing the fly in the traditional way. The added sparkle causes your fly to stand out amongst the naturals and will usually result in a bent rod fairly soon after the fly is presented to a sipping trout.

If you are not a fly tier, don’t despair. Get to know one and rip off his fly box whenever he isn’t looking, or stop by any reputable fly shop and buy some. The money spent will be worth it as you rip lips throughout the season. Attached for your viewing benefit are several photos of ‘flashy flies’ that are proven trout catchers.

Tim Wade
http://www.northforkanglers.com