Am I over thinking dry fly colour?

[JRT]

Most dry fly patterns seem to match the body of the imitation to the top colour of natural. Yet most natural duns I see have a distinct colour difference between the bottom of the body and top, with the 'belly' being distinctly lighter. Surely, the trout view will be of the lighter belly colour?
Are we missing a trick here or am I just over-thinking it as usual?

 

[PaulD]

My perspective is that profile, the size and manner in which the fly sits on the water is the key consideration, much more so than colour. My flies can generally be divided between large, medium or small, dark. medium or pale.

 

[BobP]

So, why is it that some people fish a single fly all season, eg Parachute Adams being a typical example.

 

[Scotty Mitchell]

My experience is that size, profile and more shade than colour, can be as near as you can get, if you get the presentation right you will stand a good chance.
Get a perfect imitation and fudge the presentation, forget it.

 

[boisker]

So, why is it that some people fish a single fly all season, eg Parachute Adams being a typical example.

they might also be wearing a pith helmet and singing Rule Britannia at the top of their voice.... doesn’t mean it’s the most successful way to fish

 

[iainmortimer]

If I have olive and black dries in my fly box then I feel well stocked for dries and use little else for full dries. For my own purposes these are generally just hackle fibres for the tail, dubbing and the hackle with maybe a little spiky stuff for the thorax. I don’t think in the vast majority of cases it needs to be much more complicated.

 

[arawa]

So, why is it that some people fish a single fly all season, eg Parachute Adams being a typical example.

Although I neither wear Boisker's suggested pith helmet nor sing Rule Britannia, I tend to fish an elk hair caddis most of the season (and a hopper the rest). He might well be right that it is not the most successful way to fish but I catch my share.
And an ancient ghillie who taught me to fish hill lochs 60 years ago told me that it was "the fly in the water that catches fish not the ones you look at in your fly box".

PS. I should add that the “ancient ghillie” did also teach me the most successful way to fish a hill loch; an otterboard!

 

[gmm243]

I think that especially in poor light, the colour of the dry fly makes very little difference.The fish are looking up against a dark sky and it is the outline they see,as long as this is in the ball you should be ok.
I fish late into the night at Mayfly and sedge time.I have tied both in a wide range of colours to try and stand out better in poor light and have not noticed any decrease in catch rates.This can mean a whole black or green spent gnat or other colours totally different to the natural.

 

[Scotty Mitchell]

End of September 2019, a mate and I were taking a fish each and swapping over, out of a shoal of Grayling that were taking something we couldn’t decipher. The pattern Martin got his first one on was a #16 cdc Emerger, just olive thread but on a specific hook, I changed to the same and as long as we bullied the caught fish away from the shoal, they were not spooked, the released fish seemed to go right back among them. I decided to try a pink Emerger, on the same hook, I caught, Martin tried yellow owl on same hook, caught. I tried the same olive as the original, on a #b160 #14 which was similar size but very different shape, nothing.
Martin moved back in with the original fly, fish straight away.
We fkkd around a bit with other sensible patterns, but they wanted that shape, and wanted it drag free.
Those were the 2 essential components, colour did not matter at all.

 

[JRT]

Thanks. I think matching size & profile holds true for most aspects of fishing so I'll stick to those.

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

Most dry fly patterns seem to match the body of the imitation to the top colour of natural. Yet most natural duns I see have a distinct colour difference between the bottom of the body and top, with the 'belly' being distinctly lighter. Surely, the trout view will be of the lighter belly colour?

In answer to your question... yes.

 

[BobP]

they might also be wearing a pith helmet and singing Rule Britannia at the top of their voice.... doesn’t mean it’s the most successful way to fish

It's not my favourite fly, but I know a few people who do fish it almost to the exclusion of all else and do very well with it. Someone else I know only fishes with Grey Wulffs from mayfly size down to 16's & catches well.

It all boils down to one word - confidence.

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

In answer to your question... yes.

I should probably add: providing that the fly is not lying on the surface upside-down...

 

[Deleted member 90002]

they might also be wearing a pith helmet and singing Rule Britannia at the top of their voice.... doesn’t mean it’s the most successful way to fish

Didn't think anyone had seen me fishing..

 

[boisker]

Didn't think anyone had seen me fishing..

I quite fancy giving it a go myself

 

[Deleted member 90002]

they might also be wearing a pith helmet and singing Rule Britannia at the top of their voice.... doesn’t mean it’s the most successful way to fish

Saying that rule beittania nit a great song choice. Maybe some wolf tones..

 

[MrP]

they might also be wearing a pith helmet and singing Rule Britannia at the top of their voice.... doesn’t mean it’s the most successful way to fish

Depends on how you measure success, old boy!