Edge Bright?

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Mataura mayfly
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Edge Bright?

Post by Mataura mayfly » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:41 pm

One material I have seen on other forums and heard mentioned here and there is "edge bright" and I had never really seen it used in soft hackle offerings. Usually it is used as a wrapped body material.
For those that do not know what it is, it is basically some kind of fibre optic flat plastic sheet, translucent to look at on the face, but the edge "glows" a brighter form of the sheet colour- hence "edge bright". I think it is also known as Lazer Wrap?
Anyhow..... I had never seen any for sale here and pestered someone in the States to send some over as he was always posting Salmon and Trout patterns using the stuff and I thought it might be nice to try for cloudy water bigger flies as an "in your face" bright body material. Much pestering later, he sent over two very small samples, one yellow and the other an orange/red.
Once in hand, I had a better idea of what it was and what to look for in places other than fly shops. This is a soft flat version of the shotgun sight light pipes I had asked about elsewhere on the forum and I was sure I had seen similar materials somewhere over here.
After a month or two of looking, I tracked some down. The donor piece (I should have photographed before I destroyed it :oops: ) was a small purse/bag designed to carry make-up or toiletries for pre-teens and came from one of those dead stock clearance stores...... and the price was right ;) .
The stuff I got was around twice the thickness of the stuff from the States and not good or at least tidy to cut to strips and wrap on smaller hooks, so I came up with another idea for incorporating into smaller soft hackles.

Image

This is kind of a "Birds Nest" pattern. The edge Bright disc was cut out of the sheet with a hole punch and a hole pierced in the middle with a bodkin, the point of the hook pushed through the hole as one would with a bead.

Image

Simple soft hackle with the same kind of disc directly behind the hackle wraps. Not only does this add a little flash to the fly, but will stop the hackle cloaking the fly body, holding it out in a more upright position.

Image

This front on shot shows the difference between the edge of the material above and looking face on into the translucent face of the material.

Smaller hole punches will suit smaller hooks (both #14 above). There could even be a place for multiple disc ties where two or more small discs could be placed in the thorax.
Will they work? Who knows! :lol: But I will give them a swim next season and let you know.
"Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout".... Irish proverb.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by Mickalo » Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:49 pm

Now that is a really unique use of Edge Bright, very cool :)

I pickup some of this about a year or so ago from an Ebay seller that had about a dozen sheets in different colors. I use it for allot of the panfish patterns I tie here. It does make for some very interesting body and underbody material.

Mike
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by William Anderson » Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:55 pm

Hmmm. Love the innovation, can't wait to hear how they perform/behave and produce. Very curious.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by hankaye » Sun Jun 23, 2013 7:25 pm

Mataura mayfly, Howdy;

The trout version of conspiracy theorists are going to be
talking among themselves about the alien invaders ..... :?

hank
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of consecutive days I've stayed alive." George Carlin
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by letumgo » Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:13 pm

Jeff - Very cool! I like it. I think the little disk will also add a nice seductive wobble when the fly is retrieved.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by fflutterffly » Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:32 pm

What is it supposed to do or represent. How does it attract the fish.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by Mataura mayfly » Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:05 am

Mike, I do not know if it is unique, but I have not seen it done before. ;) ....... there may be a reason for that? :shock: :oops: :roll:

Not so much innovation William as idle hands and not being able to go fishing.

Hank, that is just the kind of reaction I was looking for.... maybe it will scare them into the strike!

And some kind of bow-wave, watch this space- spinning blades in front may be next, like some of the Hardy lures of old. :lol:

Do or represent? Absolutely nothing you might see in a natural. Just another way of adding a bit of flash or "bling" to a pattern to hopefully catch the eye of an early season trout in possibly cloudy water.
"Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout".... Irish proverb.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by fflutterffly » Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:20 am

Interesting. It's the way innovations begin. You never know.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by zen leecher » Mon Jun 24, 2013 10:24 am

Spinning blades in front? Could be the Kiwi Pete, an NZ version of the Pistol Pete.
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Re: Edge Bright?

Post by Mataura mayfly » Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:29 pm

zen leecher wrote:Spinning blades in front? Could be the Kiwi Pete, an NZ version of the Pistol Pete.
No. :lol: The spinning blade was more a humorous suggestion than a serious one as I feel the edge bright "blades" would simply fold back rather than spin.
In saying that, there is no reason the disc could not be placed directly behind the eye (same position as a bead) and in front of the rest of the materials for a more vivid flash.
"Listen to the sound of the river and you will get a trout".... Irish proverb.
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