Could "Tan" be the new in thing!?
I’ve seen many reports where guys praise the productivity of the Tan coloured may nymphs.....but do they know why they are so productive?
Look.....I’m one of those guys that firmly believe in the “match the hatch” theory. In the past I was a big fan of natural colours and when I got to the river it was natural or nothing! After reading the article about what fish see, colour, contrast and all that in the latest TCFF (issue-200).....my whole idea about “match the hatch” changed a bit. The part that fascinated me the most was “contrast”. I’ve turned over many rocks on the Vaal and took many photo’s of what I saw.....took them home and tried to copy what I’ve seen onto a hook. The times I’ve seen a nymph in “tan”, or a colour close enough to be called “nearly tan” can be counted on one hand. So why is Tan such a productive colour – the answer (...and help me if I’m missing the plot here).... is because Tan has good contrast (contrast - how well your fly stands out against the river/underwater back ground).
The normal “natural” colours tend to, just like the natural; be a bit camouflaged.....fish don’t always see your well tied offering because it blends in with the background. Take JM’s Hot bead black may nymph as an example – the fly is a killer! Why....because it stands out in murky water, and most of the time during the rainy season water on the Vaal and Orange are murky to point.
This whole contrast thing sort of changed my tying habits. IMHO.....on the Vaal you’ll nearly always need a fly with a bit of contrast because of visibility.
Size and shape still plays a huge part as triggers....but play with colours a bit.
This is what I have picked up from that article;
Murky water – black or dark colours with a bit of floro orange, floro pink or chartreuse here and there.
Semi Clear to Clear water with a dark background – Light colours
Semi Clear to Clear water with a light background – Natural colours
There might be acceptations to the rule though.