What colors for salt?

[Crash13]

Tying up some clousers and decievers. I know what color combos work on the local fresh water lakes and streams but don't really know what to throw in the salt. Also, people say a lot of flash but approx how much? I.E. 15 strands of crystal flash and 10 strands of flashabou? Also, what colors for the flash, gold, silver, pearl? Any help would be great.

Thanks,

Gary

[Host Ray]

Gary, the best advise I can give to you when tying clousers is to remember they swim hook up(upside down) and the rule of thumb is dark on top white on the bottom. So always put your darkest color on top. I use 3 or 4 strands of flash.

[dunfly]

In Florida, the best color for decievers and clousers are chartuese and white. For crab and shimp imitations, light and dark brown and copper. Then again, sometimes black and red is best. My most used flies are chartruese schminnows, white schminnows, white clousers, cockroach decievers, a copper and gold Prince of Tides, and dark brown and light brown kwans. I try to work some red into all my flies, particularly to imitate gill slits. I use 4 to 6 strands of krystal flash on each side of the fly. Mostly pearl color and gold colors.

[tailingloop]

If only one color, I want all white, which can be touched up with Pantone pens if necessary. My boxes are filled with blue over white, green over white, chartreuse over white, and pink over white baitfish patterns.

I incorporate flash in all patterns. It is hard to add flash on the water but easy remove it if I do not need it. All of my baitfish patterns are tied flashtail style like popularized by Dan Blanton and usually also have shoulder flash incorporated. You can look at the fly of the week archives for the Sar Mul Mac to see how flash materials may be incorporated in this manner. It works for clouser minnows and deceivers as well as other patterns. The amount of flash used fmay range from 8-10 strands in the tail to 40-50 or more and I usually mix colors, typically mixing translucent colors like pearl with a more opaque color like silver, gold, or copper.

Some flies, such as Dave Skok's Mushmouth and or Andy Burke's Hot Flash Minnow are almost entirely flash material and may contain hundreds of strands of fine flash material.

[Crash13]

Thank you for all the info I asked about. It is nice to have this website and the people, what a great resource.

Thanks,

Gary

[bonefishwhisperer]

dont be afraid to try all colors...I am a very big fan of yellow as well as pink...I use only maybe 6-8 strands of flash because I dont want to draw too much attention but again I am 100% sightcaster...orange is probably my all around go to color ranging from safety to pastel..another killer is to put a small tuft of flame orange calftail as you tye off the hook IMHO...works for me

[tlerm]

In Florida, the best color for decievers and clousers are chartuese and white. For crab and shimp imitations, light and dark brown and copper. Then again, sometimes black and red is best. My most used flies are chartruese schminnows, white schminnows, white clousers, cockroach decievers, a copper and gold Prince of Tides, and dark brown and light brown kwans. I try to work some red into all my flies, particularly to imitate gill slits. I use 4 to 6 strands of krystal flash on each side of the fly. Mostly pearl color and gold colors.

Interesting. Do you mean you put the red crystal flash on your schminnow and patterns too?

I think that's what you mean.

Good tip. Thanks.

[Micropteris]

If you really want to find out what colors work experiment and use droppers. Tie the same fly in as many different colors you can get your hands on and fish with teams of flies. When the fish have a choice between multiple flies at once they will pick the one they want.

I most usually fish in the New England salt with a 3-5 fly rig and play with all different colors. Some nights I have found it has not mattered what pattern or color is used while I catch fish on all of them while other nights that one color is the catcher no matter where I put it on the team.

Colors in their various shades that have worked for me: Orange, red, black, white, chartreuse, brown, whine, maroon, purple, yellow, cream, blue, amber, green, olive, gold, silver, copper, etc.. the list goes on. Crustaceans and worms are on the menu in my neck of the woods besides the typical baitfish.

As far as flash is concerned play with that as well. I am not really crazy about it. I may add a single strand or two at the most. I personally have witnessed more refusals with flashy flies than flies without it.

Most importantly have fun and play with some new ideas.

[dunfly]

Interesting. Do you mean you put the red crystal flash on your schminnow and patterns too?

I think that's what you mean.

Good tip. Thanks.

I don't know if you can see the red well enough. On the black one the red krystal flash in on the outside of the fly with gold mylar strips on the inside. On the white one, I tied the red krystal flash on the inside of the tail. When the fly is wet, it shows through the white tail. I also used red dumbell eyes on the white, as opposed to gold eyes on the black.

[tlerm]

Those are cool looking flies. I like 'em.