Works of art

[smallstreams.co.za]

I don't dispute the UV theory at all, in fact I think its highly plausible., but it still doesn't explain why they eat it. Do they think its food, or is it an aggression response?

I fish white beads a lot to yellows, and they eat that even more than the orange (imho). Again, if you read up on Reed F Curry's stuff you'll note how (some) whites are highly UV reflective and stand out like a Englishman at the rugby World Cup!!! I think the Orange does that too - they are just able to see it so much easier and the rest of the fly (size, shape, colour) gets them to eat it. I bet you that fishing an orange bead only on a hook won't get you all that much action.

[Andre]

I fish white beads a lot to yellows, and they eat that even more than the orange (imho). Again, if you read up on Reed F Curry's stuff you'll note how (some) whites are highly UV reflective and stand out like a Englishman at the rugby World Cup!!! I think the Orange does that too - they are just able to see it so much easier and the rest of the fly (size, shape, colour) gets them to eat it. I bet you that fishing an orange bead only on a hook won't get you all that much action.

Ya I agree, I have fished all colours and found that the yellowfish chow them all. You will catch yellows on a naked orange bead fly. In fact the " "naked bead fly" was banned at nationals. it works like a mamba on the Cape streams for nymphing, but then trout eggs are pink and orange. It is also a good yellowfish fly, but not a very nice one. Its one of those flies that we don't talk about. One of the flies in past years when the flows are strong, was multiple orange beads on a hook....:biggrin:

[dollar]

the wierd thing is, i catch more yellows on colourfull beads than flies without beads. for the last few years now, all my yellow flies have a bead, from 1,5mm to 2,4mm in colours orange, yellow, chartreuse, pink, glow in the dark, silver, gold and black. i did a test years back, only tied a bead to the fly , no other dressing and caught plenty fish. why yellows hit the fly i dont know why but early season flies with yellow and pink beads work very well, then that means they after eggs. during the rest of the season it must be a reaction bite. come to think of it further, yellows eat anything that moves, frogs, crabs, fish, fly fisherman flies....

[redhumpy]

Yes, Im sure they do... my question, or "sarcastic" statement rather, was in the Vaal context, where there are no trout, so why would the yellows eat an orange bead, when theres nothing in the Vaal that naturally produces orange or pink eggs, or anything that colour.

Apparently there are only smallmouth yellowfish in the Vaal. Apparently they are also the only fish that spawn. I wonder if there were other species in the vaal such as grass carp, tilapia, minnows, catfish, largemouth yellowfish, moggels, loodvis, muddies, bass etc. what colour and shape their eggs would have been.:wink:

[DJR]

Can the success of the beads partly be due to the possibility that they are heavier and sink better than most of the naturals that we tie without beads and only with lead wire? In my Yellowfish flybox at least, the beaded flies are almost always heavier, which may get them to the bottom better and keep them in the most productive feeding zone for longer than most of my other flies. Just thinking out loud.

[Andre]

Ok , so what else in the Vaal produces pink or orange eggs, and what else in the Vaal is pink or orange, so as to make the fish think its food?

Apparently there are only smallmouth yellowfish in the Vaal. Apparently they are also the only fish that spawn. I wonder if there were other species in the vaal such as grass carp, tilapia, minnows, catfish, largemouth yellowfish, moggels, loodvis, muddies, bass etc. what colour and shape their eggs would have been.:wink:

[smallstreams.co.za]

Could be, but I think its more likely to be an aggression response, than a feeding trigger.

Fished the Orange on Sunday for a few hours. Fish feeding just subsurface on emergers. Cruising with the tips of their dorsals sticking out and sipping in the emergers in their path. I had 1 Hoppicator in my box (when I showed some of the Juniors the pattern in Rhodes). Tied it on, took 3 fish in 5 casts. Slow, deliberate rises from the yellows - not aggressive at all. I fished a very similar hopper style pattern after those 3 fish. Same underbody, bit if CDC and a Deer Hair wing. No fish on it at all!!! Back to the Hoppicator - Jaden took 2 fish on it before loosing it.