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Thread: Color of fly when dry v. when wet.

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  1. #1
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    Default Color of fly when dry v. when wet.

    I wonder how many take into account the factor of fly body color when wet v. when in the vise?

    Some materials are more prone to a color change when wet, but most do "darken up" when wet. To get the right color when on/in the water, one can assume the color will darken up a bit.

    Others take this into account?

    Thanks,
    Byron

  2. #2
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    No, just you, lol.
    Some of us even take into account the color of the hook and the color of the thread. Some of us even do something about it too!

    Allan
    Last edited by Allan; 07-14-2013 at 07:53 PM.

  3. #3
    AlanB Guest

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    Not only do I consider this but use it.
    When dry...


    When wet


    One of my most important boxes of dubbing is my "Pallet of olive" It starts with a pale primrose and goes through to almost black. If I have something to match I go for the same colour then one step lighter. They are all the same dubbing medium.

    Of course there have been debates over the importance of colour before. It is, I suspect, far more important in sub surface flies. One interesting way to think about it is to look at a photo of an out of focus object that is lit from behind. The object appears dark with a fuzzy halo of colour around it. This is how I tend to think of colour appearing in flies that are to be fished above trout.

    Cheers,
    A.

  4. #4

    Default

    You are correct...both of you. LOL Yes, materials do darken and change properties when wet.

  5. #5
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    AND, just for a moment let's say trout see colors. Let's go 1 step further and say they see colors just as we do. Now let's say you're fishing dry flies on a sunny day. What color do the trout see as they look at the fly floating in the glistening water with the sun shining above it?

    Oh, here's a 'color' tip that you may or may not have ever tried. Paint the hook shanks white.

    Allan

  6. #6
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    My posting was because I see a lot of folks dubbing or selecting the color of materials they intend for the trout to see. I thought it might be of help to some new tiers.

    Sorry for bringing it up.

  7. #7

    Default

    What I see quite a bit, is for somebody to look at a given pattern and try to imitate it's productivity with different materials of the same color when dry. ignoring the changes of the original productive flies materials when wet. Not all materials of the same dry color show the same when wet.

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