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water temperature & fly color choice

5K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  txraddoc 
#1 ·
There are many factors which influence us to choose a certain fly for a certain reason. Some of us go with what works best most of the time, while others are more systematic.

Water temperature & fly color choice:

I have searched for articles and asked some experienced guides and flyfishermen about their opinions. Of course answers vary.
Some European fishermen believe orange is less effective when water temp. is warmer than 8 celcius, but that contradicts using a shrimp pattern in early fall when water is still relatively warm.
I know that there are many different factors: (water clarity, light density, moon phases, barometric pressure, fresh & stale fish, etc...) that sometimes determine success and that every fish is different.

I'd like to here some opinons. Thanks.

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There is no wrong answer. I am only starting a discussion because I need a distraction. I REALLY NEED TO GO FISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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#2 ·
I have never noticed any correlation between water temperatures and fly color. My fly color choice is usually predicated upon the water color/clarity and the amount of sunlight while I'm fishing. Water temps have more to do with fly size. Perhaps others have noticed something I haven't, but even guides have never suggested a relationship to me between water temps and fly color. I'll be interested to see what others say.
 
#6 ·
I agree with the crowd, although I've never really thought about the question of fly colour and water temps in isolation from other factors.

The amount of flow in the pool being fished and, to a lesser extent, water temperature influence the size of the fly I choose. Water colour, clarity and the amount of ambient light influence my choice of colours and, to a lesser extent, the size of the fly.

There is sort of an indirect correlation though, in that larger flies are often fished in high water. High water often is both murky and cold, so many really large flies are also bright. Think of the spring flies used for black salmon on the Miramichi and some of the huge 'irons' that the Brits used to employ for their late winter fishing. Low (& usually warm) water often promotes choosing flies that are both small and dark or drab. That being said, I think the choices are not being made primarily to match a particular colour with a particular water temperature. Fly colour ends up being a byproduct of the principal reason for picking the 'right' fly for the conditions.

Then there's Earle's suggestion (paraphrased) ... tie on a good fly, fish it with confidence, change it when it is worn out. This probably works at least as well as any other fly-choice theory (maybe better), but it does take some of the fun out of trying to determine what the 'perfect' fly is for the next pass.

Here's one other interesting colour theory that I read (I can't remember the author - maybe Gary Anderson??). Match what you see around you. Are the banks lined with green leafy deciduous trees? Go green. Low-light conditions? Go dark. A brilliant sunny day? Go silver. Fall colours? Go orange.

Of course, most anglers will consider the water colour when picking their fly colour. Peat stained water often calls for orange, yellow or red choices. There is a bookful of green patterns that are designed for the green-flowing Gaspe rivers.

Congrats to hitcher for waking up a very sleepy Forum with an interesting topic!

Jim Corrigan
 
#7 ·
Thanks Bugman. I agree with all you wrote. I use most of the methods you suggest, especially Earle's.
I have never thought of the question either until a friend from Poland, who fishes the Kola peninsula regularly, brought it up in an email.
He and most of the hardcores he fishes with believe there is a correlation.
He writes that below 8-10 celcius, orange is very effective. Above that, orange stopped moving fish. Changing to red or black, (in his words)"fish move again".
His home river is the Chavanga where water temp. can drastically change from 5Cs to 16 Cs in a few days. These are rivers that ( if timing & conditions are right)
produce multiple fish days. So in other words, they have had many fish & conditions to experiment on.

I believe, for the most part, salmon from both sides of the pond behave relatively similarly.( of course not all salmon are genetically the same from river to river)

This theory may be totally wrong, but it does give us something to think about when nothing seems to be working. This is the beauty and mystery of atlantic salmon fishing.

I would love to hear from people who fish these Russian rivers about their take.
I know that I will be experimenting this year.
 
#8 ·
Interpret what you can from this interesting article. Unfortunately badly translated from Polish.
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Nachłystowych wide collection of flies in your box construction may cause hesitation in choosing the starting bait. stop on the volume or the other of its size - no problem, all you need is a total Interested quickly determine what the water level, temperature and strength of her power. and here is the color ... or should it be black? Red? Blue? Green? Gold or silver? or a combination thereof? uzupełnijcie to this whole set of modern and shiny holographic materials, as widely ispolzujemych now to take the fly on wires, and your indecisiveness only increase.
Some łososiatniki define together a sort of trial bow tie, from which always start, but as the indicator and it can not work, it's just a good way to overcome the off fever.
Once zamyślaliście over why such a variety of Salmon flies on its range of colors? I think what it was, and not just you. several year of writing back in Salmon, trout and sea trout "I fell into the eyes of an article by Professor Miurrieja Charpiera, spróbującego scientifically explain the importance of color and contrast, flies for salmon fishing. I n't long more narrowly - and as a result of his biological training, and therefore passion nachłystom - interested in the salmon colored eyes, collecting odd facts on books and articles. I think what brought together, they will be curious and Russian nachłystowikam.
If you can orient the color? and in general, whether the distinction between salmon color? "mean"? district, and you will be righteous. but the truth is in the twilight? poor light? when the bead is against the light or jaskrawemu interpre? and how it affects the transparency and okraszennost 'water depth at its administration bait color gamut? not worth the shed grudges dependence from bow color temperature.
How do I now understand, not everyone is as simple as it seems at first glance. when it becomes darker, and your face begins with great difficulty to distinguish colors, salmon n't they cease to be taken.
And try to look at the dyed wool or feathers against jaskrawemu light! Tsvet become vague, dull, they look like shades of gray. on a dark background image will be the opposite. This is why, presumably, at half a cord at the bottom of a sinking or seriously wpołwody more color, and at half the surface at dusk or in the dense cloud cover - the contrast of your flies. The exception, of course, instances where catches up with the surface and there is a salmon - here the color in the first place.
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Colored eyes.
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Construction of the eyes in all salmon are very close to human. many millions of years back our ancestors (if they do not believe in God) were the fish and the proof of this - gill slits on the calculated human embryo stage of development.
Eye - as accomplished and effective body, which needed to be Interested small changes in the process of evolution, to convert it to work in air Sroda. not going deep into the physiology of selected, which as well as in man, the bottom of the eye salmon maintains two types of light-frame-pałoczki and kołboczki. cage-bacillus responsible for the perception of the light pipe and is actively working in low light conditions, for example, on depth, at dusk or at night. Kletki-kołboczki "associate" only with adequate lighting and be responsible for color perception of an object.
All Salmon, and man, have all three types, which remain one of the three color fotopigmientow, sensitive to red, green and blue colors, and activate the light waves of different lengths. one important difference between salmon and human color vision goes special attention. Kletki-kołboczki our eyes focused on the main field fundus. Image focused on the circuit, has the highest visual license. Salmon and has no such area, and kletki-kołboczki evenly distributed throughout the eye, which reduces visual acuity, Zato allows łososiowi better distinguish the smallest movement of the object. in addition, it increases the viewing angle compared to the human eye.
Derivation salmon distinguish colors, but not so thin, like a man. what color naibołeewidoczny for this fish?
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Transmission of color.
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If you ever read wzdumajetie physics department of the transfer of color in the aquatic environment, please use the advice of Professor Miurrieja Charpiera - accept aspirin kładźcie to bed and wait until it passes the request with you. if the air Sroda-less, all the more simply, in a clear water - the more-less understandable in ufarbowanej water, for example, peat, all absolutely incomprehensible.
We recall some basic physics położenij for the initial classes.
1. the visible spectrum of light is split into simple colors corresponding to the length of the wave - the red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Combination of them gives a white color, which can again be rozłupanym the spectrum through the lens prizmaticzeskoj (rainbow effect after the rain).
2. Only around 50% of light enters the water, the remainder is reflected from the surface.
3. water filters, depending on color depth. at depths of 3 meters more red (with the longest wave carrying) disappears entirely, and there passes only blue. founded on the effect of "blue blood", which she won in depth instead of the normal red. go see what all the colors, whatever the length of the bearer of a wave, a certain proportion lose their intensity after much zoom depth.
4. transmission of color depends on the degree okraszennosti water, more simply said - from the density of organic or inorganic suspended in it.





Contemporary universal "Rath" on the tube - an example of a successful combination of materials and color gamut. It looks equally good on the bright (a) and dark (b) the background and the light (in). podkryłkie used in polar bear fur, dyed in orange, you can see the flower, even when kontrowom light. Wiesiennie-letniaja bow tie.

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Tsvet flies.
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Naturally, we are interested in how these factors affect the perception of color fly fish. British scientist, Dr. potarli Szełton, dealing with questions cwietowosprijatija ruczjewoj trout, did more of the following zawarć the volume, the colors are easier to see the water at different conditions.
1. crystal-clear water, blue bow ties reflect a great deal of color and not too much contrast on every background. Red and purple colors are strong filter and a short distance they look gray-blue. best seen flowers, arranged in a spectrum of light blue - indigo and yellow.
2. jednoklatkowe summer weeds begin to "tint" the water in the yellow-green color. naibołeewidoczne at this time the color - green-blue and red-orange. Yellow gets less pronounced because the blends with the surrounding background.
3. in a highly ufarbowanej (for example, peat) water is best shown in red and green colors. we should also remember that more than dyed water, the less the distance from which each of the colors will we distinguish.
4. in really muddy water conditions, we distinguish the color slightly - behind the suspension. The only hope is that your bow tie whatever dogodzi before him in the mouth of colors łososiowi or find one that will contrast well with the surrounding turbid water.



Fly Green Highlander "on a light background and the light. Налицо almost total loss of the light variety. is used basically sinking ropes. Wiesiennie-letniaja fly.

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Contrast.
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The contrast is not less important than color. slightly pointed, as in most ułowistych salmon flies is seldom used any one color, almost always a combination of several, with contrasting colors. of course, najznamienniejsza couple "black - white." Dark fly type "Stoat's tail 'or' March brown 'will strongly contrast with the bright sky background, if look at them from top to bottom, and, for example," Tweed Whitewing "clearly visible against the dark sky in late twilight.
Tsvet should also contrast the relative friend to friend, but what he sees fisheye can strongly distinguished from our perception, and attractive color combination on the air, if look at it from different angles of view and yet ufarbowanej water, may lose their entire superiority. it in its entirety relates to the classic muszkom with folding pierjewym wing, do not tell about the fur flies wing. except that we do not forget what she and her bead elements are in constant motion.
More narrowly as I wrote in my article on the waddingtonach flies, lures one of the advantages of this type consists in the fact that they look equally at different angles of view. if you see the bow tie Willie Gunn "on the strong current, you will never udastsia examine all three colors, zestawiających it concealed that evenly distributed around the body. instead, you'll see a certain color cloud, blurring the outline of the body. and this is one of the secrets like flies - they create the illusion of movement and not a specific image.
For other types of flies, in which the colors are not asked to contrast and blur himself, refers to "Ally's Shrimp. ponadkontrast not become a positive condition. given near the surface against jaskrawemu color black bow tie may be too visible, and frighten the salmon.
One of the oldest principles nachłysta reads: "Bright multicolored bead should be used in a bright sunny day." against the bright sky, it will look something like a faint outline of the opposite can attract salmon, see some movement and force him to approach nearer and "inspect" your bow tie.
More narrowly as we said, the eye of the salmon adapted to distinguish the smallest movement. however, we should take into account what the really bright sunny weather, when the sun is high costs, salmon, looking up, can ever quite completely unable to see from behind the blinding błyszczyku. we should remember that the iris of the eye salmon capable of regulating swietopostuplenija Interested minimally in comparison with men. porobisz what salmon can not blink ...



Bow-tie "Squirrel Shrimp" - a secret weapon for the Norwegian fishing in crystal clear, not by humus ufarbowanej water. But my friend Siezarie Łuczczi from Malmi to successfully apply it over the river and eat Mierrum with koriczniewatoj water. Fly looks equally clear and bright as in the opposite direction (a) until the dark (b) background. Summer fly.

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Ultraviolet light.
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Kletki-kołboczki eyes one-ruczjewoj trout and ultraviolet-sensitive, do not tell the fish ages of two years. do not know whether the salmon is similar frames, whether they behave in an adult fish, go out in the sea and, most importantly for us, in return the river to spawn. Interested noted that salmon is indifferent to the luminescent material.
Usually szczeczki most ułowistych salmon flies are sometimes made of natural feathers dżunglowego cock. when seen on the scalp dżunglowego ultraviolet light into a rooster, you can see that he has a natural fłuoriescencyju. UV penetrates into the deep clear water of the final measures up to 2.5 meters. explain how it would be enticing lure dżunglowego rooster feathers, even partially, their natural fłuoriescencyjej ...
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Tsvet salmon flies.
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What colors should be used in salmon gunpoint? I think that to give a clear answer can not be, and here's why. Rivers of Karelia - is not that far but he, as the river Kola Peninsula, where, in its order, the river banks Tierskogo grossly characterized by the river basin of the Barents Sea. and how to talk about the season or, more accurately, the month of catch? this season, which operate with Western letters, do not have anything in common with the seasons of Kola, where we all squeezed into the border and the spring may begin in May, June or July, and summer tends to be so and not having started to go smoothly in the late autumn . I would prefer to orient themselves in water temperature, rather than the seasons in the ordinary meaning.
I welcome an interesting table, depending on the color temperature of the water flies for salmon and sea kumży I showed my Swedish friends. in general it is faithful to the lines of rivers, both western and eastern coast of Sweden, similar to his character and color of the water on the river banks Tierskogo Karelia and Kola Peninsula. need only consider that in this table include data on fish caught by the winter and early spring, after spawning, and are far more narrowly świeżowstąpić not the fish you expect to catch Kolska late spring and summer.


In addition, the article "in a Scandinavian style" more narrowly, I wrote about a recent study, cwietowosprijatija salmon in salt water and hormonal changes that take place in his body during the lift to spawn. These changes are affecting the structure of the eye and cwietowosprijatii salmon. in my view, the time of year and water temperature may have a specific correlation with honors from the calculated color is salmon, thanks to the hormonal changes.
If you asked me from which I begin to catch flies on Kola, opisałbym resulting sequence.
When water temperature 4-8 ° My first choice will bead on an aluminum tube or waddingtonie type "Tempeldog" length of 5-10 cm, or flies such as "General Practitioner", "Ally's Shrimp," and so on sobowtórze or tees № 4-6 the orange-red tonnes with elements of black and silver (gold) colors. at a temperature of 8-12 ° S - a multicolored bow tie type "Tunder and Lightning", "Black Doctor" or "Green Highlander" on sobowtórze № 6-8. at a temperature of 12-16 ° S - bow tie kind "March Brown", "Magpie" or "Stoat's Tail" in black and dark brown with elements of tons of silver, yellow, and red (orange) colors in sobowtórze № 8-10.
At any temperature to 16 ° is necessary to try to catch flies with a narrow and long wing-type "Sarah shadow," "Nobody," or "Tosh". they are as good as the sun, so in cloudy weather.

"Whitewing Tweed" for fishing in the dark. Summer bow tie.
Twilight and poor lighting - no one in the Appendix. Water absorbs light, because the salmon will lose its ability to distinguish colors in at least one hour earlier than you. If you can not distinguish color without highlighting 9 hours in the evening, the fish in 8 is more narrowly daltonistą. so at nightfall should focus their attention on the contrast, flies, and not their color. yet the sky still really bright, bow tie will be visible in the background. When dusk actually thickens and, perhaps, in half an hour to complete darkness, has a clear meaning to catch flies in the white-blue spectrum on a silver body. They better contrast against the dark sky and surrounding landscape. understood clearly in the summer on the Kola hour 24 at night and dusk followed by a conditional 1.5-2 hours. However, it is often the time is often a gold for nachłystowika.





Bow-tie "Stoat's Tail" - a typical example of contrast flies for fishing near the surface:
and - a light background b - partly on a dark background, in - the light. Summer bow tie.

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Other factors.
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It is not worth taking all the above, in the sense that only the color and contrast bow ties important to the success. must take into account other factors no less important, especially when the sinking rope grabs, - depth and style of administration, mobility and size of flies, the speed of its conduct, etc.
Last fall the Mierrumie watched as one oldish Swede wyważywał very large, kg / 15-18, salmon. after that as the fish went happily to each other (the case was in the autumn, and the principles of each salmon, caught on 1 September, should be puszczonym), a joke about the fact that he is going to beat the world record, so leash it was the hardware resources 0.45 mm but the final temperature of water - right 17 ° S. łapał bead with a very long and narrow wing, linked to the heavy brass-inch tube.
His response to quote verbatim because he will not like you can spot the "Łososiowi and I spit on the diameter of a lead, but we both do not matter in what situation grabs bead. So, for these seasons more leash walks 0,28-0, 30, but it is a heavy bead of sag belly Interested spłoszy fish and large-diameter hard leash just keeps it in such a situation, in which I need, and of course the fish. " mentoring his answer does not offend me - after I asked her if it was not imprudent question, then, I fear, never poznałby this little mystery experienced łososiatnika ...

"Coca-Cola shrimp" - my version of the popular "shrimp" theme.
Priekrasno working on a sinking rope. Spring bow tie.
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spring, after spawning, and are far more narrowly świeżowstąpić not the fish you expect to catch Kolska late spring and summer.


In addition, the article "in a Scandinavian style" more narrowly, I wrote about a recent study, cwietowosprijatija salmon in salt water and hormonal changes that take place in his body during the lift to spawn. These changes are affecting the structure of the eye and cwietowosprijatii salmon. in my view, the time of year and water temperature may have a specific correlation with honors from the calculated color is salmon, thanks to the hormonal changes.

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#9 ·
I've fished the kola for a few years, and also iceland and labrador ( going to Norway in June!).

There was an interesting book written by "Righyni" that gets into some of these concepts. The fish are VERY sensitive to temps, and it effects evey aspect of their behavior. We all know that when the water temp is like 2 C, you need to get the fly right on top of the fish ( sink tips) and generally have a big fly with orange/yellow ( think a snelda). The color I think is just to have them see it well in these conditions. Righyni comments on this effect with temps. The fish will not be as aggressive and will not move much to the fly. Often early in the season with high water you need this set up.

When the water temps warm up the fish are much more active, color then is more dictated by a variety of other factors.

Tight Lines,

Jim Y
 
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