A monthly themed "contest"

Question for the minnow maniacs out there:
Is there any logic regarding when to add a bit of red flare where the gills of the minnow pattern are? Or is it just personal preference?
 
G_Smolt said:
Along with eye size/color/placement, I think red for gills is the number one way to catch fishermen.
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I would tend to disagree on two counts. One, red heads and red feather throats on streamer patterns have been around a long time. Bates, Brooks, Edson, and others from the 1950s on have referenced patterns with predominant red aspects at the front of the fly. Two, at least for saltwater patterns targeting typically schooling predatory fish (preying on schooling baitfish), the addition of red aspects to the front of a baitfish pattern has some science behind it. One of the best discussions of this science as it relates to baitfish patterns is found in Fly-Fisher’s Guide to Saltwater Naturals and Their Imitations, George V. Roberts Jr. (1994). Experiments had shown that schooling baitfish have a defensive advantage when confronted with predatory fish lowering the probability that any given baitfish will be consumed. The predator has the advantage when it detects an injured baitfish. This might be irregular movement or unusual contrast like that of a hemorrhaging baitfish. Roberts gives a good discussion of the role of both color and contrast as it affects predatory fish behavior.

There are many aspects of baitfish design more important than the depiction of gills or hemorrhaging. Shape, size, material behavior, and overall coloration are all important. But, as I said above, the efficacy of adding red gills or hemorrhaging aspects to baitfish patterns has a long history. There must be something to it.
 
Mike Cline said:
...There are many aspects of baitfish design more important than the depiction of gills or hemorrhaging. Shape, size, material behavior, and overall coloration are all important. But, as I said above, the efficacy of adding red gills or hemorrhaging aspects to baitfish patterns has a long history. There must be something to it.
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There is little doubt that contrasting "color spots" can play a role in the "eat/ don't eat" matrix. (Insert color of choice here)-butted flies and lures have been a thing since folks have been tying flies, and the same is true for folks putting red for "gills". While there is some merit to the practice (in the form of contrasting colors), I would say the other factors in your assessment (most notably profile and size, IMO) are WAAAAY more important to successful fly design than the "bin appeal" of gills and eyes. Try a few different colors of gills besides red (chartreuse is one of my faves) and see what happens - you might be pleasantly suprised.
 
My own personal observations of things that are important in streamer design....top 3. 1. Action. 2. Action. 3. Action.....4-10 is everything else. Not that other things aren't important....
 
This thread is great. It's so far out of my wheelhouse, I'm getting a lot out of following along. Some really neat flies offered up, I can't see how you're going to pick a winner.
 
Long_Rod_Silvers said:
Wait, whaaaaatt??? Chartreuse gills? 🤯
I'll have to give it a try! If you had to pick, what's your top 3 colors to try?
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I like chartreuse first and foremost as a "color pop" -- it works on nearly every base color. Pink and cerise are good on a wide range of colors as well, and do well for me on darker colors. For dark (black, navy, purple, and dark olive), I've had good results with white.

I usually fish "gill-less" flies, but when something seems off or I see fish looking or half-ass chasing and not committing, I'll reach for the color-pop flies and that usually does the trick.

Here's another "guide fly" (a couple materials, takes, like...47 seconds to tie, works like a charm 🤣) from the summer box - the chartreuse color pop is small, but some days it's what the fish want.
20221111_154339.jpg
 
G_Smolt said:
I like chartreuse first and foremost as a "color pop" -- it works on nearly every base color. Pink and cerise are good on a wide range of colors as well, and do well for me on darker colors. For dark (black, navy, purple, and dark olive), I've had good results with white.

I usually fish "gill-less" flies, but when something seems off or I see fish looking or half-ass chasing and not committing, I'll reach for the color-pop flies and that usually does the trick.

Here's another "guide fly" (a couple materials, takes, like...47 seconds to tie, works like a charm 🤣) from the summer box - the chartreuse color pop is small, but some days it's what the fish want.
View attachment 40724
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What a great informative post
Thank you
 
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