Kevin
As I mentioned, stick to dark colours for dirty water, and light colours for clear water. The trick is to not have a box filled with 1000's of patterns to imitate each little barb, mini-yellow, mini-muddy, mini-moggel, etc etc.
As I said, most barbs found in the Vaal/Orange system are silvery or grey in colour. Also, the juvenile smallmouth, mudfish and moggel all are the same silvery/grey colours when very small (5cm -10cm). So if you can get a pattern that succesfully imitates a range of baitfish such as the ones mentioned, you are well away. Something like the Enrico Purglisi range of flies are brilliant, if you just vary the colour combo's slightly.
See below: (His Finger Mullet is a fantastic imitation of "mini-yellows" and the various barb species found on the Vaal, especialy the Trimaculatus.)
Enrico Purglisi Finger Mullet fly: (bottom one's colours are perfect. In clear water this fly will be like candy to a baby to the largies)
Then some other good ones from the EP stable as well:
Use dumbell eyes, instead of stick-on eyes...that is sufficient weight as well.
regards
Mike
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