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Thread: Eyes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    NE Gwinnett Co., GA
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    Default Eyes

    I did a search and did not find where this topic has been beaten to death recently. I frequently use eyes on nymph and some floating patterns. I use small bead chain, large bead chain, plastic, mono, dumbbell about anything that I have available that appeals to me at the moment. I sometimes have painted them black and add gold pupils with nail polish, sometime I paint them gold with nail polish and add black pupils. Occasionally I use red for one or the other.

    Do eyes make a difference? Do colors make a difference? What colors work for you? Do you change as light conditions change?
    Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Lakeland, FL USA
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    Default

    Uncle Jessee,

    When you say you add eyes in the form of beadchain or dumbbell eyes, I consider those a way to add weight to the fly more than simply adding eyes to a pattern. When I tie stream patterns for bass (not counting Clousers), I usually 3D eyes to them. I actually did an informal "study" more of a blind test really for a year where I fished the same patterns (color size etc.) some with eyes added and some with no eyes added. My observations were that when the fish were in a good feeding pattern, the streamers with eyes out produced the streamers without eyes by about 40%. However, when the bass were in a finicky mood where they would rush in behind the fly when it stopped between strips, pump their gills a couple of times to taste the water and swim off, the patterns without eyes out produced those with eyes added. My guess is that the eyes are an important trigger to striking, but when they fish are shy, they become more of a deterrent. Perhaps the bass feel like they have been seen and a quiet take will be unsuccessful.
    All that being said, I like the look of streamers with eyes, so I routinely add them to my streamers.

    Jim Smith

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Default

    Jim, you are correct about adding weight and that is the reason I added the bead chain, etc., but while I'm doing it I do try to make is look likes eyes. I have also added non-weighted eyes to streamer type flies as well. Do you add larger eyes (larger than beads) to wooly buggers or is that not really a streamer?
    Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Chicago, Il, USA
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    Default

    I would point out that the type of eyes you are adding will make the fly ride upside down. Even mono eyes will do that.

    (This is a topic that has been beaten to death here).

  5. #5
    AlanB Guest

    Default

    The reason I consider eyes important on larger, bait fish imitating, flies is that they tell the predator how to eat the prey! A fish or bird eating a fish always swallow them head first. They know which end is the head by the eyes. Though the predator doesn't reason it out this way, no eyes confuse them a little and it causes suspicion.

    Well the reasoning sounds good to me, so I do it.

    Cheers,
    A.

  6. #6

    Default

    Uncle Jesse,

    I'll tackle the color issue. I prefer red iris with black pupil on a two tone eye.

    Eyes on fish are delicate, even minor impact can cause capillary damage and thru bleeding in the eyes, thus they are one of the first places that will show internal injury. I beleive that bass (probably all game fish, but bass are the most popular of them) instinctually target injured prey. I think that the red eyes can be one of many 'triggers' that may help cause a bass to strike.

    If I'm painting eyes, I'll ofte ndo a three part, yellow, red then black pupil...but I always use red for bass flies.

    Seems to work so far.

    Buddy
    It Just Doesn't Matter....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
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    247

    Default

    I paint eyes on my streamers, on bead heads, cones and hour glass eyes.
    I use the drills that are 1.5mm, 2.0mm and 2.5mm (the back end).
    First I put put on f.ex white color by stamping it on the fly, let it dry for some time and stamp black color for pupil with smaller drill.
    then I let it dry over night and paint it with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails three times.

    I use this to fish for trout, I have always thought that this is more for me than the trout, I like them this way and enjoy painting the eyes.
    Because I like them better this way, I'm more confident fishing them and get more fish...I like to think.

    Reg,
    Thorarinn

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