To UV/Fluoro or not to UV/Fluoro?

[Korrie]

In most of the fly tying circles, there are a big debate about UV and Fluoro materials.
Should you use the materials or is it just another fad, introduced by the fly tying material manufacturers to sell new materials?
Whether it is fresh water or salt water flies, the basic talk is the same.

Do you use UV/Fluoro materials?
Have you seen a difference? If not, do you think, it is a hype, or have you not got around to using them, but you believe in the materials?
Have you encountered interesting articles, list them here for us to read.
Or does it work sometimes?

[gkieser]

At WP lakies trials a few years ago I used uv straggle flies on a di7 to very good effect. The Fish just loved them and wouldn't eat the others.

My uneducated opinion is that the uv adds to visibility at depth where uv rays may reach when normal spectrum rays do not. If the fish can see it better there is more chance they will eat it.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

I'm not too fussed about UV I have nothing "UV worthy" incorporated into my flies and I'm referring to proper UV i.e the stuff you and I can't see with the human eye not the packet that reads UV I'm doing pretty ok ito catches so it would have to feature on Carte Blance before I take anything UV related seriously. Just kidding but seriously, show me data sheets that goes back further than "last weekend with my buddies", conclusive tests that UV flies work better than a well presented fly (without UV), etc to have me spend money on material based on your experiments. There is a bigger fuss about articulated streamer flies vs UV flies just saying.

Ps. I'm always open for improvement, evolvement,etc but don't come with unproven bs/hype/fad please it's old.

[smallstreams.co.za]

It adds to my confidence (if nothing else), so at least that is worth something to me.

[Korrie]

http://post.queensu.ca/~hawryshc/Pub...2001%20JEB.pdf

[Korrie]

What about fluorescent colors?
Fluorescence occurs where a surface has the property of absorbing ultraviolet radiation and converting its energy to be reflected as a lower wavelength within the visible range of the eye. This converted reflection is added to the reflection of normally visible light wavelengths, causing it to appear more intense than one would expect to be possible. Divers have noted that in tainted water fluorescent red, orange, and yellow are the most visible, and in clear water any fluorescent paint will do. At long distances or in deeper water, fluorescent yellow and green are more visible. Note that UV penetrates deeper than the visible blue wavelengths, so all fluorescent colors are visible to the UV limit, which is beyond the depth at which their natural color becomes invisible.

Effects of Low Light:
However, in tea stained water often found in trout streams, the opposite is true. The UV wavelengths are filtered out first, but the distance affecting the red wavelengths is not affected by the stained water. Therefore, fluorescence is useless in stained water a short distance below the surface. However, near the surface where it receives UV rays, the red and orange fluorescence will be visible at a greater distance than the shorter wavelength colors of blue and green.

An important feature of the trout's vision is that the rods and cones physically swap places at the start and end of daylight. In the evening the cones that need high light levels to operate and that provide the color response are withdrawn into the surface of the retina and the rods tend to rule. At dawn the reverse action occurs. This change is not instantaneous, but occurs over a period of time. Therefore, as night approaches, the color response in trout diminishes until at night a trout has no color response at all. Under these conditions, black and white is likely to be the most effective combination. Tinsel may have some value if the moonlight is significant.
From http://www.troutprostore.com/class/c...ion_trout_eyes

[dlampert]

Out of interest MC, are you now tying all of your nymphs with hotspots? In a dual nymph rig would you fish both nymphs with hotspots or an attractor and a more natural nymph without a hotspot?

[Andre]

Very interesting...I wonder how deep one can go with a fly before it loses any effect or colour in the water. Assuming clear water at a place like Lakensvlei for instance.

[MCC]

Daryll

I'm not sure whether the articles I copied also mentions that the same fading effect (at depth) also happens horizontally. Think about it..... if a fish sees a fly at a distance of say twenty feet it appears black and as it moves closer to investigate it starts lighting up. This could explain a lot of short takes....

Anyway, I really do like triggers in flies and a hotspot is just one example. Contrast in colour or ribbing also acts as a trigger or form of hotspot.

In discoloured water I will often fish two very different styles of fly and often both will have a hotspot of sorts but in clear water I will only use one attractor and combine it with something much smaller and more natural.

[dlampert]

Thanks, that is what I have been doing as well in clear water. As the season progresses I find the hotspots/triggers need to be more subtle, early season you can hit them with all the bells and whistles :-)