Westfly Refugee
Steelhead
I want to tie some ants with high-viz posts to use in a Panhandle river where I'm told the water is pretty much transparent. What color(s) would be most visible in, let's say, generally sunny conditions?
What color High-Vis Post for clear, sunny water?
- Thread starter Westfly Refugee
- Start date
50/50 chartreuse and orange...covers all conditions.
For clear, sunny water, fluorescent lime green (yellow-green) provides the absolute best high-visibility contrast. Because the human eye is most sensitive to the yellow-green light spectrum, it stands out sharply against the deep blues of clear water and bright sunlight. [1, 2, 3]
For clear, sunny water, fluorescent lime green (yellow-green) provides the absolute best high-visibility contrast. Because the human eye is most sensitive to the yellow-green light spectrum, it stands out sharply against the deep blues of clear water and bright sunlight. [1, 2, 3]
I like white posts in that kind of a setting. I feel like it just looks more like it belongs in the environment. Chartreuse and orange? What are we, 1987 Yamaha jet skiers?
White lookes just like a foam bubble to my old eyes.
The post is on top, fish only see it if they jump up and come down on top of the fly.
Then it's too late for them at that point.
Another vote for white. Just a personal preference but much easier for my eyes to see.
SF
SF
Wattie Buchannon's mohawk....
I think we may give fish too little credit for what they can see in their watery world. The water surface does weird refractive things to bend light and I think they can see a lot above the water when it’s clear. But they also bite insane-seeming, outlandish flies sometimes so 
I think we give fish too much credit for smarts
They may see things, but processing them is another thing entirely.
They swim up and chomp down on ping pong ball sized indicators that are yellow or orange.
Repeatedly
I always think fish are dumb, and then get outsmarted by them...then I laugh.
They may see things, but processing them is another thing entirely.
They swim up and chomp down on ping pong ball sized indicators that are yellow or orange.
Repeatedly
I always think fish are dumb, and then get outsmarted by them...then I laugh.
But if I was fishing an ant with a chartreuse and orange post on a N Idaho River and one of those big crimson bellied cutts I was searching for all day after catching 28 10- to 13-inchers came up and slow motion refused the fly, I’d be switching it out to something more natural. I like a cdc caddis for change up fly a lot of times in that kind of situation.
Generally I like a fly that floats about halfway underwater in those situations.
Use to tie a caddis pattern that had a colored body of very light and tightly spun/wrapoed dubbing, and an elk hock wing tied tight to the body.
Dressed the wing only, and everything but the wing was underwater...and the wing layed flat on the water, no angle to it...good for picky fish and small caddis flys.
Use to tie a caddis pattern that had a colored body of very light and tightly spun/wrapoed dubbing, and an elk hock wing tied tight to the body.
Dressed the wing only, and everything but the wing was underwater...and the wing layed flat on the water, no angle to it...good for picky fish and small caddis flys.
We have arrived at a similar approach. I have simplified down to a thread bodied fly with a wing that’s a loop of cdc and 2 strands of krystal flash. The body sits below the surface, the wing just on top.
I think fish process the fly differently. From a deep pool, they inspect it. In a tail water less time. In faster water or from an undercut bank, even less.
I have watched fish swim up to a fly slowly and reject it. One size smaller makes a big difference many times. So does body color. They are smarter than we think, especially dry flies..
I use white posts in the evening. Being old school, I use calf tail a lot.
If/when I use high-vis I want it for my eyes. I have used many different colors but I want something that stands out from nature so I use Orange.
I have watched fish swim up to a fly slowly and reject it. One size smaller makes a big difference many times. So does body color. They are smarter than we think, especially dry flies..
I use white posts in the evening. Being old school, I use calf tail a lot.
If/when I use high-vis I want it for my eyes. I have used many different colors but I want something that stands out from nature so I use Orange.
I feel anything the sits low or under the water, especially later in the season is best.
Any of the cripple type patterns or emergers are my first choice in any situation really, as fish are generally dumb, and if they're smart, those tend to fool 'em.
Any of the cripple type patterns or emergers are my first choice in any situation really, as fish are generally dumb, and if they're smart, those tend to fool 'em.
Same, not a fan of hi-viz flies. I almost always end up clipping off as much as I can after the first rejection. Based on the cast and speed of the water I watch (and listen) for rises in the vicinity of the fly and set.
Agreed, IMO the traditional or cdc comparaduns are the GOAT’s of the dry fly world! Undressed they work great as emergers too.
Westfly Refugee
Steelhead
Slim, waxed thread body comparaduns, with TriggerPoint fibers splayed and a bubble of CDC for the thorax are my choice for selective trout. The reason for the ant is to have a more durable fly. I struggle to see the color black on the water so appreciate the input on color for the post.