Streamer eye color

[Micropteris]

I always paint eyes on my streamers. Usually I tie with white thread so a white eye is usually out of the question. It is always a debate to use use red or yellow for eye color with a black pupil. My question is does anyone have better luck with one particular color over another. Would it be worthwhile to switch to a black thread and use white eyes? I know that it is usually a preference issue but was just wonderinf if one color usually works better than another?

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Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick

[lee s]

I'm interested in the replies you get.
We have used different colored holographic type eyes. Got some red, silver, yellow, and chartreuse. Seems we use mostly the yellow or chart. They are now the "stick on and tabbed" eyes that Bob Pop. used at a demo out here.
I'm danged sure it is only our preference (like you say) for "looks" though, and not any catch increase we have experienced. We do believe in eyes (even if the only reason is that it makes us feel the bug is finished) and we seem to always look at eyes of any fish we can, to see the difference in color (and there is some).
When you look at a tank of minnows, seems the eyes are prominent visually. Seems the stripers on the west coast are somewhat "headhunters". Smallmouths seem to have red eyes. Most other fish varying shades from silver to yellow. We like'em on all our bugs, but unless there are a LOT of smallmouth in the area, we just grab any color handy.
No answer to your question, just more fodder. Sorry.

[Philly]

I prefer to use the stick on eyes, either the flat or 3-D style. I use either silver, chartruese or the Mirage type which have a pinkish tinge to them. As Lee S said the eyes tend to stand out on bait fish and most of the ones I've encountered have the same range of color, though I've seen a few with gold in the iris. I used to use red eyes, at times, but I didn't seem to get as many hits on them, also it really didn't seem "natural" for minnows.
I tie very few traditional streamers, but if you consider bait fish tied with the artificial hair, the occasional Deceiver or Wooly Bugger, streamers, then I do quite a few.
For bait fish patterns, I prefer using the clear mono thread for the head as it lets the colors show through, with Wooly Buggers I usually use thread to match the Bugger's color. What I do with them all is after I've tied the head and applied the cement, in my case, I use thin Zap-a-Gap, I take a pair of unserrated pliers and squeeze the sides of the head flat. It makes it easier to put on the 3-D eyes, and flattens out the head profile a bit.
Not sure what type paint you're using but you might try one of those fabric paints that has glitter or sparkle in it to make the iris. Some dry translucent. I've seen them in pearl, metallic silver or gold, not to mention glow-in-the-dark. That would give you contrast on a white head.

[Micropteris]

Wet and Wild fingernail polish. Easy to get ahold of, cheap, and drys fast. I have it in all different colors, lots with sparkles. I use the clear coat as a head cement for everything that I tie because two coats leave a pretty good gloss. I have tried all different types of stick on eyes and am not too crazy about them. I just find it easier to paint on four dots so I don't have any profile issues.

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Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick

[Leo C]

Glad to see this because streamers have been about all I've tied for some time now. Just last week I tied several with white heads and was faced with the same dilema. I tried it all and nothing looked right.

I have been tying heads of black, grey (looks very good on white streamers), and olive. I have been painting them in either yellow with black pupils or white with black pupils. I did just experiment with some light ginger colored marabou with gold tinsel bodies and used orange thread. They looked great with yellow eyes and black pupils.

I do however use white thread as a base whenever the fly will have a floss body and then after the floss is tied in switch to a different color thread. I seem to get brighter colors with the floss on a white base.

I'll be watching to see what others have to say.

Leo C.

[Buddy Sanders]

Micropterus,

Here's something you may wish to consider. It's only a 'theory' of mine, but it is based on some facts....

Most baitfish have eye colors that tend to clearish or darkish iris with some kind of colored ring around them. The pupils tend to look black. For the outer 'ring' I've seen red, yellow, brown, black, and a purplish blue, depending on the baitfish (I include young gamefish in this 'category' as well). I'm sure there are myriads of these outer ring colors...

Now when any baitfish receives some kind of trama, like being 'hit' by a gamefish but not killed outright, some of the most fragile blood vessels are in the eyes (just like us, sort of). So, a baitfish so injured could show some RED in the iris.

We know, from many studies, that bass (especially), as well as other game fish, are genetically predisposed to striking (eating?) injured prey. Part of how nature works, killing off the injured so the strong survive, etc..

So, the theory is that a RED iris will add some hint of 'injured' to the look of your offerings. Probably a small thing, certainly, but maybe worth the effort since it 'could' work and it certainly won't 'hurt'. Could be just another 'key' that helps the bass decide to hit your fly rather than the abundant natural prey all around it...

Lately I've been going to the bother of putting three colors on streamer eyes, white, chartruese, or yellow for the outer ring, with red for the iris and then a black pupil.

Can't say for sure that it helps, but they sure look pretty. They do seem to catch fish, too.

I just 'paint' mine, using the back end of drill bits (I bought a cheap set at the dollar store) to get the proper sizing.

Good Luck!

Buddy



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[lee s]

Buddy,
We tend to agree on the "blood" theories you mention.
Also it seems that many injured
"minnows" have "red" noses for some reason. For this reason, we do almost all our baitfish stuff using flourecent red or pink for the head (nose?).

[bowhunter1st]

I like to incorporate red into all of my streamers. Red eyes are great for streamers--they imitate baitfish, and young smallmouth and rock bass.