Flash only catches fishermen?

[Piker20 0]

I recent topic on a UK sea fishing forum discussed flies. One reply suggests flash in saltwater flies is a complete waste of time. Mobile sparse materials being the only factor of the success of the fly itself. Depth and speed etc coming into presentation, not fly pattern. This chap rightly says a sparse fly that can flip and slide in the water looks more alive and real. But his comments on flash had me thinking. My salt water fly fishing for species other than sea trout could be better. I doubt flash in dark water puts off fish. In brighter water I have always found sand eels and bait fish flash as they turn and surely some flash in the fly is perfect.

Interested to hear others views.

[eide 0]

agree on the bait fish and sand eels and flash: if you look at bait fish going past in the water there is a lot of flash in them, and pulling in a lone bait fish fly quickly high in clear water that has some flash in it will surely attract a fish. For darker waters and night fishing a good clear silhouette is more important I think, but this is not something I have researched a lot on....

[ihang10 0]

Well, I don't do a lot of salt fishing with flies, but recently I was on a charter with heavy tackle and the reflectors at the end of the lines would light up like a Christmas tree (figuratively) and we caught a bunch of cohos.

 

While we used real bait fish on one rig, I'd say he reflector didn't hurt, and notably we didn't catch a single fish on the artificial squid lure. All the fish where on the real bait fish.

 

Given the option to use or not use flash, I'd probably tie it on.

 

When I dive, I see silhouettes and sparkles, that's what gets my attention and I think being where the fish are and a "hey, look at me" factor into the equation.

[mikechell 0]

I cannot count the number of times I've seen a fish, only because a quick flash as it moved.

Most fish will be attracted, curious, of a quick glint of light. One of my favorite night time bass lures had a reflective strip down the side that supposedly reflected even moonlight. I don't know if that was what made it work or not, but it got a lot of hits.

If there are a lot of bait in the water, and flash is all that sets "yours" apart, then it might be VERY necessary.

[agn54 0]

I don't know what things are like in the UK but I'd be willing to bet that guy never fished for spanish mackerel. Flash absolutely can make a difference, or else spoons (and most spoon flies) would be useless and people would have quit using them at the beginning of the last century, or whenever they were first invented (they sure as hell don't look like a fish's silhouette or movement!). If you ever dive on a grass flat on a sunny day and watch the pinfish eat on the grass tops, you will see exactly why flash can be important. Every time they angle their sides upwards the sun reflects off them like a mirror, and I'm sure most other baitfish look similar. In clear water some fish see that flash from a long way off and come charging

[Piker20 0]

I agree agn, I was thinking the same thing about spoons as I read his post. I wasn't about to leave flash out of my flies and now I'm definitely not.

[kimjensen 0]

I'm kind of tired listening to people who think they have it all figured out. :-)

Experiment and find out what works for you. Count the flash if you like :-)

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I use flash on almost every pattern I tie...the only time I figure it's not contributing is on a pattern that doesn't get moved much (bonefish flies...). Is it possible to use too much flash -absolutely... I used to tell my students (all those years ago -we're talking early eighties...) that the only thing that counts is whether the fish attack your offering... if it gets ignored then carefully remove it and hang it on a wall somewhere.

 

One situation where flash really works for us is in winter's very clear waters (in the 'Glades the water gets murky as we move into summer then clears up dramatically as water temps drop in colder weather). I'm very fond of an all black pattern that has a good amount of pearl flashabou. In clear shallow, stained waters (we're talking the color of strong tea or weak coffee -but very clear) that pattern stands out like a neon sign. Each strip causes it to flash and the fish (trout, jacks, reds, snook and everything else...) and any fish in the vicinity attacks. All of this is very visible in less than two feet of water...

 

By the way, the more spooky fish are -the less flash we use....

[Peterjay 0]

There are a lot of factors at play here: species, conditions, etc. IME, generalizations about saltwater fishing are worthless. For tuna and similar species that only get a brief look at your fly, I have no doubt at all that flash can make a huge difference between a strike and no strike. Anything you can do to draw their attention is a plus. Ditto under dim light. It’s possibly less of a factor on fish that will track your fly for a long ways, since they're already keying in on your offering. I agree with Bob that spooky fish in clear water (in my case, striped bass) can be turned off by excessive amounts of flash, but those situations are few and far between. I guess the short answer is yes, IME, flash is a big plus under most conditions.

 

Piker, your friend's assertion that baitfish imitations need to be sparse is another generalization that's sheer nonsense. I realize that sparsely constructed flies are all the rage right now, (and can be effective at times) but some of my favorite and most productive patterns over many years have been bulky and opaque. A baitfishes' only defenses are sheer numbers and invisibility. When there are thousands of baitfish in the water, the last thing you want your fly to do is blend in. A sparse fly might be a more accurate representation, but it's also employing one of a baitfishes' defense mechanisms. Some of my all-time favorite patterns are Tabory's snake flies, Lefty's deceivers, woolly buggers, various kinds of bunny flies, and wool baitfish patterns. All are opaque, have great action, and are on the bulky side. The notion that flies need to be sparse to be effective is something I'd expect from a greenhorn who spends more time on the internet than on the water.

[Piker20 0]

Certainly the snake and bunny flies have lots of movement in them. I dare say that even a bunny fly can be too thickly constructed? To be fair to the poster on the forum he was looking at someone's sandeel imitations which I always try to make sparse, but for bait fish the opaque flies definitely score as they give that profile. Again though too much material even in these flies pushes them over the edge into wet socks on a tippet.

[Peterjay 0]

Hey Piker - that's what 12wts and 14wts are for. (LOL) After all, my favorite bluefish fly is a 10-inch L.L. Bean ragg wool sock. Red, of course - the bloodier the better for blues.

 

Seriously, my own bunny flies are usually tied with a fluffy hackle body, rather than palmered fur, for the reason you mentioned. Trying to cast all that wet leather can be a nightmare.

[shoebop 0]

Interesting topic. However, I think the guy that says flash is "a waste of time" is ridiculous. What a silly thing to say! Now if you want to discuss how much flash is enough or too much, then we might have a serious debate.

[mikechell 0]

I'm kind of tired listening to people who think they have it all figured out. :-)

Experiment and find out what works for you. Count the flash if you like :-)

People who think they have it all figured out are very annoying to those of you who do, huh?

[ditz2 0]

Different fish, different places, different strokes.

[kimjensen 0]

mikechell: I'm referring to the type of guy that think he knows everything there is to know about anything fish related. The dude that has all the answers and he couldn't be prouder of himself.

I'm trying to make this sound understandable, but unless you understand Danish, I can't make it more clear. :-)