whats your favourite?

after rethinking about indicator colours, and the possibility of bright colours putting fish off, im now starting to rethink my post colours. i understand a bright post gives you increased visibility, but surely the fish can see this? also there is the possibility that a bright post acts as an attractor, perhaps working well in a big hatch to make the pattern stand out.

i was thinking that a natural colour would match the hatch and improve catch rate, no?

its not like we dye our wing slips bright pink for traditional flies is it?

Think about it. The post is on top, the trout is looking at the fly from underneath. Don't matter a toot what colour the post is

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Game fish are too valuable to be caught only once - Lee Wulff

Spot on the trout looking from underneath will just see the fly in silhouette it would only start to see colours if the fly got waterlogged and sank.

A bright colour might even induce the trout to take, a black pennel has a bright golden pheasant tippet for a tail and that is one of the most effective flies I use. Tie your parachute flies with the best colour for visibility, it won't matter.

Just a thought...but a black post can often be more visible to the angler in bright conditions.

Hi', Jonnie. You have already had enough response to keep you going, but I have to add that while the fish may not see the wingpost when directly underneath it, as it will be masked by the parachute hackle at its base, if it floats down to a fly on station in a river, in line with the fish, the fish will see the wingpost when it comes into view at the rim of its window. What it sees is the very tip at first, then as the dry fly reaches the rim, it will see the whole of the post. Whether that will put it off or not is something that you will discover for yourself in fishing.
A white or fluoro yellow is a good colour for fishing at dusk; and as has been suggested, black is a good indicator in glare --- either the bright reflected light when it is sunny or the more subtle sheen that is caused by heavy cloud cover, which gives the surface a white or greyish appearance. Most of my weed channel, dry fly fishing in days gone by, when we had luxurious ranunculus beds, was done with Iron Blue Duns or Black Gnat or Knotted Midge. I used them irrespective of what might be on the water, because it was important for me to see the fly. They stood out like a sore thumb in 'shiny' water.
To get back to the trout's window again, when they are feeding right at the surface, their window is tiny; no problem with a post showing in advance of the dry fly arriving on the fish's nose!! Good luck. TerryC

yep, but just because it is above the surface doesnt mean the trout doesnt see it? I see your point but I think its that the wing is more obscured. surely the colour will show through? a fly doesnt have to been drowned to see its colour.
I think that the colour must act as some sort of a trigger, perhaps increasing the success of the fly?



havnt thought of that one, will tie a few up and see how they go

that makes aa lot of sense, how i was imagining the trout to see it. but didnt think about the decreasing window

has anyone seen there catch rate change with using a different post?

I tried some klinks with chartreuse posts the other day, they looked the business and stood out just enough against bubbles/foam. very tasty will try post some pics.

I catch fish using a white or off white post. I dont with other colours albeit i fish them as indicators when fishing the duo/trio.
If i spot a tricky fish, the last thing i am going to do is toss something fluorescent pink or orange at it.
Plenty people do catch using them but for me its a confidence thing.
I am also convinced you can see the post from below, stick your fly in a pint glass and have a look. If you cant see the post for the hackle IMO you have too much hackle.
I will crawl back under my stone.......

i fished the clyde at the back end of the season one day last year,i was fishing a size 12 klinkhammer with a mixture of pink & orange aero wing as the wing post with a size 16 ptn below it,i landed 11 nice trout that day 9 on the klink & 2 on the nymph,as mark says it's just a confidence thing.

thats what I did... the pint glass test... and you can see the post quite clearly, but then again I have no idea what a troots eyes are like.... probably a damn site better than mine. too much hackle looks unatural... since when did an emerging bug have millions of legs?

confidence seems to be everything, and your quite right. only what youve got on the end of the line can catch fish at the end of the day. sounds like you had a cracking day, hope we all get a few like that this season