FLYMPH FORUM

There has been said a lot about how colours on body material show up in the water. Tonight I've been tying some more point flies for Mike Brave. I have used several different colours of copper wire (have a good supply) overwound with same colour (pinkish beige) synthetic yarn. My opinion is that Frank Sawyer must have been mistaken when he claimed that the colour of wire used for Killer Bug was un-important. But who am I to question the conclusions of this master angler? All I can say is that the difference when wet is considerable. Are we supposed to believe this is of no importance?

Have your say!

dd

Here is a book by Reed Curry, "The New Scientific Angling" which explores the significance of UV and color. He has done extensive study on both AUV and RUV. At different depths in the water column both wet and dry. There is according to him a significant difference between wet and dry.

Didnt Sawyer use red dark copperwire for the killerbug?

Klaas

I'm not sure about the Killer Bug Klaas but I'm quite sure that's the wire he used in the Pheasant tail nymph.
Regards, Jerry

Hi dd,
I think color is very important, the difference of catching some fish and a lot of fish. I also thing Reed Curry's findings and book is very important as well.
Jim

I got some Oliver Edwards dvd's ,there Oliver tells that Sawyer used the dark red copperwire for the killerbug.
I tried all kind of copperwire for the killerbug but the darker it gets the more fish i catch on them.
Maybe its just in where you believe in,i believe in the dark red copperwire ,same as in real chadwicks or immitation.
Dont have the original chadwicks but the immitation works great for me.

Klaas

Howdy All;
The theme is colo(u)r.
The arena is the water.
Interesting article I just Googled-up;


http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/under ... ndamentals

Happy reading...

hank

Klaas wrote:Didnt Sawyer use red dark copperwire for the killerbug?

Klaas

As mentioned herehttp://www.flymphforum.com/phpBB3/viewt ... 9&start=30, Sawyer thought the colour of copper wire used for the Killer Bug of lesser importance although he mentions that "we normally now use red" (from the copy 1970). Regarding the Pheasant Tail Nymph he was of a totallly different opinion. "First grip the selected hook firmly in the vice and then give the hook an even covering from the bend to the eye with a fine red-coloured copper wire..." For the Grey Goose Nymph he used a golden coloured wire. "As with the first artificial, the colour of the wire is one of the features. The gold shows through the dressing and is very marked, at the head end. Both of these dressings change their general colouring when wet".

dd

Okay, I was not going to post anything, but I decided just to chime in here on a few points. First, the term "red" does not mean what we normally think of as RED. To me in fly tying, most of the time "red" means a tawny brown color, very much like what copper takes on with age. It is a darkening from the bright almost orange color, to rich tawny brown--not unlike a red cock hackle. Sawyer himself says the wire should "suit the tone of the general dressing." If you check-out the pheasant fibers used to tie the nymph, you will see the same tawny brown coloration.

Despite the general tawny brown coloration (red) Sawyer notes with regards to the Pheasant Tail pattern that the fly is taken for insects which are OLIVE in coloration.

So-does Sawyer mean red in the same way he speaks of red in dressing the PT Nymph when he gives the dressing for the Killer Bug, or does he mean RED as we think of the color? I think it's probably the first.

Just my interpretation,
Mark

Mark,

I agree with you. The copper wire used is covered with enamel/lacquer which can be of different colour but most often was/is reddish brown and quite dark. But there is also other colours of lacquer used that has a more golden tone and even quite red. The lacquer is there as an electric insulation and can be hard to remove if one should wish to (when soldering, for example).

And why should you not chime in?

dd