Trout flies and color

[John Rhoades]

I periodically fish one particular river in SW Montana that has a large population of wild trout, and a variety of heavy insect hatches. One of my favorite sections of this river requires a hike of about a mile and a half, and as a result does not get fished as much as other parts of the river.

I often fish 2 or 3 specific pools and riffles there that I know from past experience have many trout in them, and it is not unusual for me to catch 30 or more in several hours of fishing, most of which are often caught on dry flies.

Because I know what flies should work, I mostly fish those patterns, sizes and colors that have worked best for me there in the past, matching the hatch as best as I can, and that normally works.
However, there are times when I have changed the fly colors, keeping everything else the same - same fish, same presentation, same time of day, etc. etc., and had MUCH more success with one colored fly versus another.

I'm not saying that color is the most important ingredient to successful trout fishing, but I am saying that I have often caught more trout on one specific colored fly versus another. Thats's all the proof I need.

[John Rhoades]

I just received and read this week's Blue Ribbon Fly Shop newsletter, by Craig Matthews in West Yellowstone. Here are some comments he makes about fly color:

Blew on Blue soft hackle

BRF wrote the book on fall soft hackle fishing for the huge run-up brown and rainbow trout in the Madison River above Hebgen, Earthquake and Ennis Lakes. World famous soft hackled patterns like our Shakey Bieley, September Song, Full Dressed Red and Lucky Bucky originated here and we are very proud of these fly patterns. One old customer recently accused us saying, "you guys come up with these new flies so you can sell them", to which we said, "OK well yes we do, we are kind of in business for this, but we also try and come up with new flies that fool fish along the way"!
Last fall a big discussion began at the fly tying desk here at BRF about the color purple and how deadly some flies were tied with it, flies like the Purple Haze, our Purple Bieley and others. At that time Bucky and Aaron were spending hours daily swinging fall soft hackles for the big up trout on the river and decided to "find a new purple". They began tying big fall soft hackle patterns in several different colors and after extensive testing they both came to the same conclusion; the color blue worked best on bright-sunny days in September and October for the big run up trout. How did the fly get its name? A group of youngsters came by the shop soliciting for a local high school program and we asked them what moniker the fly should go by and the 4 young ladies decided on Blew on Blue, so there you go! This one worked for us last fall not only on the Madison, but also on the Gardner and Yellowstone Rivers big fall brown trout! And boy does it look nice in a fly box!

[DaleW]

I've come to the conclusion on about two different fly fishing items: The first is if the fish are really "biting" they will just about hit anything. The second is that color is a mystery. I've tried a color in the same stream, about the same time of day and about the same weather, one time with yellow and I could do no wrong, then go back with the same fly/color and could not even get a pass. Tie on a green color and I'm back in business. Go back with the green another time, nothing doing, and then it's beige that gets the action. Probably the green and the beige have been the most productive and are the first one's tried. But when I'm tying up some flies I vary the color just for times like I've already posted.

[gqualls]

For me, color and size matter most of the time, specifically during a hatch. I have been in two epic hatches over the past 8 years ( true, I don't get out much). The first was in the month of May and the sulphurs filled the sky for almost 3 hours. Fish were feeding, some two feet away from me. I had never seen anything like it. I was fishing dries and also emergers that were the same color and had great success. I tied on a small brown PT for about 5 minutes and could not get a bite for nothing. I only lfeft it on for five minutes because with a dry or an emerger I was getting bit on every cast. Presentation did not seems to be very important that day.
The second epic hatch I was in was late October, cold, sprinkling rain, and very windy. BWO's started and hatched for the next 2.5 hours. Again, the fish ate up emergers and dries, same color, same size, but would not touch something else.
But it seems I can always catch fish outside the hatch on flies that are not of the "match the hatch" variety .... the rainbow warrior is a good example, or any fly with a lot of flash or bright color.
For me, size and color, presentation etc matters but not all the time.

[Ray Kunz]

I also don't agree that color does not matter. What I see most is comments about, " adjust the color of a fly to accommodate the colors in your area".

[Byron haugh]

Ray, why do you think they recommend that?

[pszy22]

Of course, there is another perspective regarding fly color. Fly colors that appeal to fisherman get fished, fly colors that don't appeal, don't get fished. No fly I know of has ever caught a fish while in a vest pocket.

I remember reading a quote a long time ago - "Always cast your fly with confidence" Theodore Gordon (1914) . If you think color may make a difference to your success, it may.

[Uncle Jesse]

Had you been a dedicated bass fisherman back in the '70, you would have read the articles in BassMaster magazine about color and what worked and why. The bass fishing suppliers spent millions of dollars doing scientific research, came out with the ColorLector to determine the best color to use depending of light, depth, water clarity, etc. The lure manufacturers came out with a bunch of really strange colors, which were supposed to catch fish. It never seem to grab the imagination of the bass fisherman like depth and temp instruments did. The results were decided color matters and changes based upon several variables.

BTW, blue and purple are two of the favorite colors for plastic worms among bass fishermen and have been for a long time. One famous fisherman, lure manufacturer, likes white plastic grubs on jigs and black when he runs out of white.