Silver Bodied Flies

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Hans Weilenmann
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Hans Weilenmann » Mon Apr 20, 2009 4:23 am

Aaron,
I'm thinking the Priest or something similar (like Hans' recent Starling and Ice with a silver body/rib) might work well.
Eh... while the Starling & Ice may have a silvery appearance, the body and rib are in fact a very pale blue dental floss ;)

Cheers,
Hans W
wayneb
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by wayneb » Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:08 am

Hi All;

Very interesting discussion, I never thought about how many lures or flies I've used in the past that had silver on them until now. I've only been flyfishing seriously for the past five years but in my lure casting days, I have many different lures that incorporate silver in them. Now that I reflect on thier effectiveness, I find they weren't as effective as other colors. the only lure I ever used that incorporated silver in it and was effective was a spinner bait with silver blades, the most effective blade color for me. I've always thought that spinner baits and in line spinners rely on a reaction strike versus imitating any particular thing in nature. Any lure I have with a silver body was either totally ineffective or much less effective than it's gold counter part. In fly fishing, I can't think of any fly I've used with silver in it that was more effective than a different color. For me the metallic flashy stuff always works better in copper or gold colors.

I think silver was chosen as the reflective color quite often seen in baitfish, crystal flash materials with a pearlescent effect seem to do a much better job of imitating baitfish reflective qualities than does a solid silver color, at least for me.

I do use silver beadchain eyes for clouser type patterns but really only because it's the most available color and it's primary use is to get the fly to ride hook point up and add a little weight. I much prefer using gold beadchain and it has proven more effective at catching fish even Crappie which supposedly like silver colors in patterns for them.

Wayneb
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skunkaroo
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by skunkaroo » Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:03 pm

Hans Weilenmann wrote:Aaron,

Eh... while the Starling & Ice may have a silvery appearance, the body and rib are in fact a very pale blue dental floss ;)

Cheers,
Hans W
I was suggesting substituting silver mylar tinsel and oval tinsel in place of the dental floss.

Aaron
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Hans Weilenmann
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Hans Weilenmann » Tue Apr 21, 2009 2:26 am

Aaron,

10-4

Hans W
Ted Andersen

Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Ted Andersen » Fri May 08, 2009 11:55 am

And what about using the silver-effect as an underbody?
I too have avoided silver tinsel or mylar all-by-themselves for a body (out of fear of creating too Disco-Ball of an effect!). . . but lately I have been experimenting with silver as an under-layer, beneath either fur, hair or tinted-lace-tubing (D-Rib, etc...) . . . and one of my favorite patterns is the Lulu, which has silver tinsel beneath a see-thru chartreuse ribbon, so the green becomes a bit more glinty. (I've been enjoying "adding up" hues/lights/tones lately, rather than adhering to one solo effect . . . kind of like the classic "sparsely dubbed fur over the silk, so the silk glints thru when wet").

Anyway, any thoughts on silver as an under-component, rather than as a "primary"?

--Ted
Ted Andersen

Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Ted Andersen » Fri May 08, 2009 3:31 pm

Mike,

I fondly remember your discussion of White under-bodies for some flies for some sunlight conditions, from the other board in years past. It indeed inspired a lot of my experimentations in this subject.

In your opinion, what conditions make it work not so well . . . and why do you think the white is often better than the silver? Do you think both silver and white work better in low light, but in bright sunlight they cast too much of a glare (spooking) quality?

I am also intrigued by some of Ralph Cutter's recent writings (in "Fish Food") where he seems to be evolving toward a belief that it all comes down to "value contrast" . . . in other words, if the fly is down deep, it should be light (against the dark background), and if the fly is near the surface and the fish are looking up at it, then the fly should be dark, in other words a silhouette. (This might explain the success of such odd patterns as Andy Carlson's Purple Haze dryfly, and the Starling and Purple . . . both which may cause interest in the noble trout due to their attention-grabbing, high-contrast silhouette against the white-glare of the sky, for a fish looking at them from below).

I imagine this is part of my curiosity for the silver under-bodies, as I utilize them in down-deep flies, in hopes that they will cause a slight sparkle against the dark and murky backgrounds.

Lots of intriguing thoughts--Ted
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swellcat
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Re: Silver-Bodied Flies/Soft Hackles as Baitfish

Post by swellcat » Sat Jan 23, 2016 9:50 am

Do you guys use silver bodied flies?

Any new or evolved perspectives on this?

Similarly, how well can soft-hackled flies suggest minnows? Those who fish primarily for piscivorous species, yet who perversely want to do so with soft hackles have an interest in the question.
---
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Roadkill
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Roadkill » Sat Jan 23, 2016 10:47 am

I often use a Lightning Bug soft hackle...
Image
I tie it now with opal mirage but started with silver tinsel and then silver holographic tinsel.

For over 50 years I have used soft hackle minnow imitations. Two of my favorites are the Mallard Spider and Gartside minnows. Many of the smaller soft hackles can easily represent fish fry.
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by zen leecher » Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:29 am

we use a fly out here called a "chromie" It's a silver mylar bodied chironomid imitation. Reason for the silver is the pupa starts getting gasses under the skin when it's headed up in the water column to hatch. The gasses give the body a shiny look to it.

http://flycraftangling.com/index.asp?p= ... ticleID=24

As per the above post I have also used a lightning bug in what little moving water we have here. The chromie is used in our local lakes.
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Roadkill
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Re: Silver Bodied Flies

Post by Roadkill » Sat Jan 23, 2016 12:21 pm

Like Zen I also used midges with a silver underbody. Since 2001 I have had a number of colors of Diamond Midges in my boxes...

Image

These are simple #18s with a silver Mylar underbody wrapped with one strand out of DMC 6 Stand Embroidery Floss. It is from the book Midge Magic. Inexpensive to tie and you can choose from a multitude of colors.

Sometimes these have been the game changer in difficult match the hatch conditions.
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