Have you ever seen a baitfish without eyes? Well, neither have I.
How many streamers have you seen, or even tied for that matter and just not bothered with
putting eyes on them because it was too much trouble or you couldn't get a neat looking eye
on the fly given your meager artistic abilities?
Well we are over the next several weeks going to conquer eyes of all types. We will show you
how to get great looking eyes on streamers, lead dumbbell eyes, mylar appliqués, bead chain
and all of the others.
Why so much emphasis on eyes? Well there are a couple of reasons.
Baitfishes have eyes, trout and other predators expect to see eyes on their next meal. So, if we are
going to accurately represent the local forage we must put eyes on our flies. This alone is sufficient
reason to justify the effort, but there is another even more critical reason to put eyes on our streamers.
Fish key on the eye of baitfish in order to orient their prey. With few exceptions, bluefish being one,
most fish swallow their prey headfirst, therefor they must have a reference as to head and tail. And
guess what that reference is!
Jack Dennis did some underwater work where he shot films of trout actually smacking their prey with
their tails in order to disorient the unfortunate creature so that the trout could in a more methodical
manner position itself to swallow the morsel headfirst. (Ever wonder about those "tail hooked" fish
you get every once in awhile?)
Redfish have spots on their tails, which are specifically designed to confuse most predators. Would
you attack a meal that apparently had two heads? Most carnivores wouldn't either.
We will over the next several weeks show you how to set up, and paint realistic eyes to match your
local baitfish. Some of the techniques will be easier than the others, but none will be difficult.
You will need a bare minimum of materials, some of which you may elect to buy, others we will make
up from common household items, but all will be serviceable and yield excellent results.
Can you imagine this classic Mickey Finn without an eye? Neither can the fish, so get ready for
an eye opener over the next several weeks.
Your flies are going to look better and you will find yourself catching more fish as a result!
See you next week.
If you have any tips or techniques, send them along, most of this
material has been stolen from somebody, might as well steal your ideas
too! ~ George E. Emanuel
(Chat Room Host Muddler)
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