light reflection

[Fishnkilts]

I have learned a long time ago that light penetrating through the water column reacts differently with certain flies.
For example if it's a cloudy day, darker, bland colored nymphs on the bottom of your rig works best because the light hitting the bottom of the river isn't as bright as it is in the higher water column. On bright days, you would want to brighten up the flies to get some kind reflection happening.

So in the morning, it's good to have a dull fly on the bottom with maybe a brighter fly above it. As the day goes on and the sun becomes brighter, you may want to put brighter flies on your rig to get reflection on multiple layers of the water column.

Since I'm fairly new to flymphs, I was thinking if I were to use a darker colored nymph on the bottom of my rig, with a flymph above it, what kind of patterns are out there that I could tie that have some kind of sparkle for brighter days to reflect the light better as it floats higher in the water column?

[letumgo]

Have you looked thru the flies in Pete Hidy’s fly wallet? I think there are several brighter patterns to play around with.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6813&start=20#p100442

[Fishnkilts]

Have you looked thru the flies in Pete Hidy’s fly wallet? I think there are several brighter patterns to play around with.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6813&start=20#p100442

No I haven't. Thank you for the link.

[Mike62]

This thread reminds me that it would be a good time to go back and read 'Sunshine and the Dry Fly' again.

[BrkTrt]

Fran Betters along with Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman had some pretty convincing thoughts on light reflection in their books.

[Variant]

Another good source of information IMHO are Ozzie Ozefovich’s 3 videos,THE UNDERWATER WORLD OF TROUT.

Lou

[Old Hat]

I agree with your thoughts on light and flies. I have a few patterns which I purposely use to make use of this idea. My Fade patterns utilize a pearl tinsel rib which adds just enough spots to make use of the bright sun. Also, the Wilted Spinach pattern is great for this as well. It uses a couple small loops of Krystal flash as a tail.

With that said, I strongly believe that tethering a flymph as a dropper with a nymph greatly decreases the effectiveness and versatility the flymph design offers. It would be like tying your hands together and jumping into the lake. It may not be life threatening, but certainly decrease your options and make swimming less effective.

[DUBBN]

I totally disagree. Tethering a flymph with a dry or another nymph shows that patterns versatility. By disregarding this technique, you have essentially removed arrows from your soft hackle quiver. Options are an amazing things, and I like amazing things.

Emergers are found from the river bottom all the way up to the surface. Not taking advantage of this is in my opinion, fool hardy. I believe there are always emergers, cripples, and drowned adults all through the water column. In my opinion, soft hackles do a darn good job imitating every stage.

Many times while nymphing with an indicator, euro nymphing, or sight fishing, with weight, to actively feeding fish, I will have a soft hackle on some where in the line of flies. Letting the rig rise to the surface on a tight line at the end of the drift is a great way to find out that the fish have started chasing emergers or diving caddis to the surface. When I am catching more fish on the rise, it is time to take the weight off and start working the upper water column.

For me, the soft hackle/flymph/spider are much too valuable to not exploit "drowned" or semi-dry. This is what makes fly fishing fun. The individual spin each of us puts on it.

As far as light reflection goes, I think it plays a minor role. I do however go with flashy "bling" type patterns more when the sun is bright rather than on cloudy days, but not always. Usually a glass or plastic bead is tied on the fly, or slipped up the tippet above the fly.

[Johnno]

The old adage..... bright day = bright fly, dark day = dark fly.

Still works.

[upstatetrout]

All comes down to we are just waiting for the trout to make a mistake!

Tom