Old Eyes & Fluorescent Wings

Okay - I'm going to admit it... my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I have prescription polarized sunglasses, plus flip downs on the bill of my hat, and I have a box of C&F threaders for size 16 and smaller. But here's my real challenge - seeing the flies on the water.

Last year I started tying some of my dry flies with fluorescent orange or fluorescent yellow wings - parachute flies mainly, but tonight I tied up a batch of size 14 black ants with fluorescent orange turkey T flat wings. I find that white wings just don't cut it if I cast over about 35 feet.

Now, knowing a fisherman's pride, I'm not going to ask if anyone else has this problem, but, uh... maybe some of you KNOW another flyfisherman who has, uh... faced the same problem. So, have any of your "friends" found a better solution? How many of you, er... how many of your "friends" have gone to using fluorescent wings, and do you find that it makes any difference to the trout?

Personally, I can't tell if my blaze orange wings has caused any decrease in rises, because previously, by and large, I couldn't tell if they were rising to my fly or a natural.

Thanks in advance for your candor!

Mmmm.... I was thinking last night, thata if I can cast a nymph further than I can see the indicator, then what is the point?

Fluouro is great. Fish do not care. You cannot catch less than you will if you can't see the take!

I'm 43 and got my first bifocals last spring. No reason to be in denial.

I use highly visible materials whenever I think I can get away with it. It's extremely frustrating not knowing where my fly is! I've been fishing a lot of dropper rigs with visible parachutes and a BH nymph....KILLER!

I am a big fan of pink posts on parachutes. I find pink is most visible in a wide variety of lighting situations. I am a little paranoid about trout being put off my the bright posts, but I caught a lot of trout last year so I can't complain.

I think choice of materials matters. Aside from boyancy, many of the crinkly synthetics tend to have stray fibers. I'm sure my amaturish tying is at least partly to blame. Turkey flats seem like a good choice.

Let us know how it goes!

Tight lines, Mike

I like these http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flyt...ips/part40.php

If you folks are going to carry on this discussion you should differentiate between near and far vision.

Tying at the vise is not the same as seeing the fly at 20/40 feet.

Guys,

With my prescription glasses on I have decent to excellent eyesight. I always wear the glases when fishing.

That being said, I sometimes have difficulty seeing a small dry fly (anything smaller than a 12) on the water at anything over thirty feet, regardless of the light.

Add in any kind of other distractions, dappling, shadows, riffles, and it's hopeless without high visibility materials.

I know some guys with what I call 'fly sight'. They don't have above average eyesight, but if you put a fly on the water they can see it....

That's not me. I thought it might have something to do with experience or practice, but I've come to the conclusion that I'll not live long enough to develope this skill/ability/talent.

What I've done is go to bright posts or wings on all of my dry flies. White, bright yellow, and orange seem to work for me. Mostly poly yarns. None of them seem to work in 'all' light conditions, but I can usually pick one that will work for a while, and change as required.

I have the same problem with indicators. I've gone to larger ones, and make them now in alternating bands of black and bright yellow (I use foam ones), which I can see well under most conditions. For the few times I can't, I have a few in all chartruese, which works for me when the black/yellow doesn't.

Still getting plenty of fish. Maybe more with the larger indicators..can't explain exactly why, but my catch to strike ratio went up when I started using the bigger floats....

Buddy