Fly Colors question?

[ITOFlies]

So if you were going to buy a fly combo of 12 flies what colors of flies would you want in that combo? I am not looking for names of flies but more like white/baby blue, Yellow over Green, ect. something like that. I want to put a combo toghter and call it the GLF color combo to sell on ebay! So what colors would you guys look for? Ryan

[KJ pluggin]

I like the idea Ryan, here are a few fly colors I would like to see in a combo pack.

1. aqua

2. green crinkle

3. double glow

4. glow over agua

5. LBB

6. glow over green crinkle

7. mirage

8. yellow over green

9. yellow over blue

10. glow over LBB

Not quite 12 but it's a start.

[ITOFlies]

Thanks for the Info! Anyone else? You can PM me if you would like, I know some of you do not like to SHARE!

[Grant Sadler]

Look's like Kyle covered my choice pretty well, I like anything the mariage, I spelled that wrong, can remember how to spell,

Geen,

Purple,

blue,

Mountain Dew,

[jimcr]

yellow over pearl white, moutain dew, lbb, aqua over white, green foil and aqua.

[eastcoasttransplant]

From everything I've been researching and from gathering information in the past when I was selling salt water flies, believe it or not, sometimes what catches best is not the best seller.

Here's what I'm talking about.....you know that pearl/whites, aqua's/blues and greens are the top three colors/shades for chinooks. Hell half the time the charter boats in the harbors have a relatively simple pearl fly or aqua fly and hammer the fish all year on them.

Now move forward to the average fisherman....he sees a plain white fly and says, "That's too plain" and then goes and buys some wacky combination that won't catch as much as the plain white fly. So now the creator of the fly is left to decide.....does he make flies that simply catch fish or those that also catch fishermen. It sounds crappy but I've been down this road with lure makers and fly designers back on the saltwater scene. You can take something SO plain and hammer fish day in and day out but the fishermen won't buy them. Put something gaudy and they sell like hot cakes.

Now in the end I truly believe you can make a quality product that catches fish and fishermen alike but tying for your self versus tying for production is way different.

[jimcr]

Just as if there are 2 boats both the same just different colors, one plain jane and one with super metalflake pearl . both will peform the same but one catches fish wile the other catches fishermen.

different flies catch different fish at different times of the year.

I have caught them on many colors , most have aqua and white in them.

while others are completely different. what ever works that day.

[ITOFlies]

I hear the both of you! Everything that I come up with goes on my boat and it always seems that the simple ones do good. Then one day they will not work and some crazy color kills them. I gave my brother mistake flay and he slammed the coho on them and he has now told me for this year he wants me to make him 6 of them. He thought it was an Aqua fly but it had a little purple mirage in it and it made all of the difference! Thanks for the input guys I now kind of know what some of you are looking for. Ryan

[Line Dancin]

Lil boy blue (one of my hands down best colors)

light green and white

green and whitedark blue and white

white glow

green glow

blue glow

light green and dark green crinkle

i cant think of any others right now. Doesn't have to be glow as i add a small glow squid to my flies for better glow.

[eastcoasttransplant]

I know this thread was about color but another thing I have been paying attention to is Hook weight and how it affects your fly. I have opted to us a dual 2/0 tarpon hooks for my rigs. I began with 4/0's and they would alter the rotation of the fly behind the flasher. Switching to strong yet light 2/0's give the fly more motion as it's not "anchored" by heavier hooks. Strong hooks are a neccessity for salmon fishing but if you can keep them light you'll get more action out of your flies.

[jimcr]

I know this thread was about color but another thing I have been paying attention to is Hook weight and how it affects your fly. I have opted to us a dual 2/0 tarpon hooks for my rigs. I began with 4/0's and they would alter the rotation of the fly behind the flasher. Switching to strong yet light 2/0's give the fly more motion as it's not "anchored" by heavier hooks. Strong hooks are a neccessity for salmon fishing but if you can keep them light you'll get more action out of your flies.

Phil can you show a picture of the hooks.

[eastcoasttransplant]

I'll see if I can get something up this weekend.

Basically, all I do is take 2 2/0 short shank tarpon hooks, I take a piece of clear tubing over one eye of one hook, then I put the other hook point through the eye of the hook with the tubing in opposite directions. The tubing prevents the "trailer" hook from coming off and keeps it straight as opposed to hanging down or wobbling. It's an old bass spinnerbait trailer hook design that works pretty well. No need for me to have to adjust leader between the two hooks and being tarpon hooks they are strong.

To finish the rig, I attach a rattle, which I paint myself, to the first hook, put my bead spacers in and tie the hooks to my leaders after putting on the tube fly. Some like to use a snelled leader but I simply tie with a clinch knot.

[Pioneer]

If you are worried about action tighten the leader. We use a 3/0 or 4/0 octopus ahead of a #2 treble for our tourniment tie on a 25" leader @ 2.0 mph. I guess it's all what the fish want and how your boat presents it. Colors have been the same for years, LBB, aqua,mirage and crinkle green with green or yellow beads behind a white or green flasher. We netted a floater last year with a Blue flasher/LBB last year and it took 15 fish that weekend so we will look outside the box now and again. Once you find a groove ride it. I try to keep colors in the same "family" when I run my 12-14 line spread. It is easy to dial in when the fish on the bank want a certain color, then you just pile it on. I saw alot of charters get 20+ fish a trip but for me just getting our 15 average was hard, only a couple of 20's. I caught more fish this year then ever before, I think it's just learning your spread. Alot of charter boats around me run all spoons but my bags of fish seem to be bigger at the end of a trip. Lots to learn yet I guess... Chris

[jimcr]

If you are worried about action tighten the leader. We use a 3/0 or 4/0 octopus ahead of a #2 treble for our tourniment tie on a 25" leader @ 2.0 mph. I guess it's all what the fish want and how your boat presents it. Colors have been the same for years, LBB, aqua,mirage and crinkle green with green or yellow beads behind a white or green flasher. We netted a floater last year with a Blue flasher/LBB last year and it took 15 fish that weekend so we will look outside the box now and again. Once you find a groove ride it. I try to keep colors in the same "family" when I run my 12-14 line spread. It is easy to dial in when the fish on the bank want a certain color, then you just pile it on. I saw alot of charters get 20+ fish a trip but for me just getting our 15 average was hard, only a couple of 20's. I caught more fish this year then ever before, I think it's just learning your spread. Alot of charter boats around me run all spoons but my bags of fish seem to be bigger at the end of a trip. Lots to learn yet I guess... Chris

Chris can you also show a setup like that helps us understand better.

thanks

[Pioneer]

Jim, You bet. I will pull out some tackle and take a photo of some of my rigs. I just gave myself a new digital camera for Christmas so I will get back to you soon. Chris

[Pioneer]

Here are my fly's, run them 99% of the time. The center fly is the LBB, crinkle mirage and dark green silicon with red fleck that has been a killer for 3 years on the bank. Its on all the time.

Tourniment tie's in dark green/light green; yellow; and a big favorite the yellow/dark green mix.

Simple flashers here, a couple have glitter over the glow tape and top coated with U.V. Hands down the best producer is the pro-chip with the sprikle/U.V. topping.

[Pioneer]

A nice P.M. run to the north end. Chris

[eastcoasttransplant]

Basically this is the hook rig I use. I add a bead or two in front of the two hooks and the fly in front of that. I'm not saying it makes a huge difference but I run larger bulkier flies and the lighter hooks really give the fly better rotation than the 4/0's I started with. I'm also a guy who perfers single hooks as opposed to trebles...so I'm biased there.

[ITOFlies]

So i tied up a new fly today and since KJ seems to like the yellow in the fly it is going to be called the KJ Special Angel Hair!

I like to name flies after people so I might use some more of your names so be on the lookout!

[KJ pluggin]

Lol, very nice Ryan!

[Pioneer]

Kyle, swear I saw your boat down at Tom's place. Do you store in Kewuanee?

[KJ pluggin]

We have had it at Tom's a few times so you may have seen it there.

[jimcr]

Do you ever have a problem with the hook getting caught in the tube on the fly

Here are my fly's, run them 99% of the time. The center fly is the LBB, crinkle mirage and dark green silicon with red fleck that has been a killer for 3 years on the bank. Its on all the time.

Tourniment tie's in dark green/light green; yellow; and a big favorite the yellow/dark green mix.

Simple flashers here, a couple have glitter over the glow tape and top coated with U.V. Hands down the best producer is the pro-chip with the sprikle/U.V. topping.

[Pioneer]

Jim, I make my own fly's with THINWALL 3/16" rigid aquarium tubing so I can just barely fit a 50lb overhand knot through so I can change fly's out. To be honest the thinner they get the better they work. I never have more then 4" total of fly material and maybe 40% only have 3 1/2" of mylar. Since I started making my own I have found that it is very rewarding when you find a hot color, plus the mylar is cheap and they are fun to make on a cold day! The hooks never go up in the tube.

[jimcr]

Making flies was one of the things I was thinking of doing while I am off but I had no Idea how and there not that expensive to buy. I have 6 weeks to go at least ,but The boat is here and I have heat so I may skip the flies.