When tying a parachute style fly, does the color of the post matter? Is it correct that the fish do not see this portion of the fly and it is only for the fisherperson to be able to follow the drift of the fly? Thanks in advance for your replies.
GRP, I tye most of my parachute flies with orange or chartruse posts. This is easier to see the fly on the water, and I do not think the trout really see the post.
I’d say it doesn’t matter from my experience.I tend to use white calf body hair or antron for most of my parachutes with a few fluorescent yellow or orange wing posts for a change.
Agreed the post is for the fisherman to see the fly. I use calfhair myself for my posts
I usually use white poly yarn or antron for my posts. I’ve got the problem of “old guy” vision 
and white seems to work well for me under most conditions. I’ve tried other, brighter colors but I seem to find the white post better under most conditions. Just my 2% of a dollar. I’m sure others will disagree. 8T 
Vince Marinaro showed clearly that a trout can see the wings of a fly, so no, the statement that “the fish do not see this portion of the fly” is definitely wrong.
What color a fish sees is more open to question. For example if the fly is backlit, then the entire fly including the wings, will look basically black to the trout.
And it may also be that the trout have other triggering characteristics besides wing, or even body, color.
Generally, experts tend to put color on the least important characteristic of a fly below size and shape.
I have tried asking the fish I have caught if they can see the post but I never seem to get a answer. So I am going to go under the assumption that they can just to be safe. You never know what is going to make a fish bite, look at a Chernoble Ant. What are those fish thinking?
Kill? :))
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I second the old man eyes,I use “Poly& Antron” in the Britest colors I can find…Now if I could find a “lettle” strobe and power pack I’d use it.
Bill
i cover all the bases, i tie some with white, some with yellow, some with black, and some with gray/dunnish
I still trust in AK and use turket flats for my paerachute posts–i am a “traditionalist” and can still see white on the water
If you can find it (FeatherCraft has it), switch to Turkey T-base feathers. Easier to work with and makes a much nicer post. This is the feather recommended by John Gierach in Good Flies, and I think it’s what AK is working with now.
The unfortunate thing about T-base is that it seems to come only in white.
Believe it or not I was the first to tie with different color’s for a Parachute post. And yes I can prove it. I worked for a large fly fishing company as there manager of flies and materials. They still have some on my flies in there cataloge with the colored posts on them that I tied. I would get in new materils and use them tying different fly pattern’s to see how they worked. That is how I came up with using the different colors on the posts. Now I was not the first to come up with the Parachute post or the color white for a post.
Here is how I use the different colors and why. First I use a black post in flat light such as over cast days or after the sun has set. Try it, it will amaze you.
If you are in foamy water use orange or hot pink. You will pick it up better than white. I think you can understand that one LOL
The rest of the colors are just what you would like to use. But I carry at least three different colors on my flies. Ron.