Red hot Spots

All about flies Fly Tying
1

Topic: Red hot spots
ducksterman
Member posted 09 July 2006 05:42 PM

Here’s a quote from another thread and I believe it’s felt to be true…
“Red is the first color that disappears underwater, blue is the last.”

Why then do we like to use a red “hot spot” on flies…or a red color to suggest gills???

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flymaker2
Member posted 09 July 2006 05:50 PM

I think Red turns Black or dark a few feet down. So as long as it presents a contrast to the rest of the fly it seems to work…
Just a guess.

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dixieangler
Member posted 09 July 2006 06:13 PM

Just guessing but I would assume the reason may be that most fish are caught on the fly rod in shallower water on floating lines . According to a color chart below, red goes dead at just around 4 feet, purple is last. I’ve heard before somewhere that flyrodders own the first 4 feet of the water column.
Color Chart (scroll down page): [url=http://www.flyfishingmagazines.com/ft_feature_041.shtml:5ef71]http://www.flyfishingmagazines.com/ft_feature_041.shtml[/url:5ef71]

Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

“Flip a fly”

[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 09 July 2006).]

2

This is the chart that was mentioned in the above BB comment.

3

Thanks, Steve.

Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL

“Flip a fly”

4

The chart appears to refer to ocean water which contain high levels of NaCl and that will effect light transmission as well as color.

I’m not arguing that red gows away the soonest but the actual depth may be greater.

No doubt, hot spots work.

5

This is based on what the human eye perceives colour to be, it has been mentioned (although can never be 100% proven) that fish see further into the infrared spectrum than humans can which may point to fish seeing red different from us.

Born to fish, forced to work.