As a hook company we spend a lot of time on fly tying. And, let’s be honest, we use a lot of energy showing our own – and the many flies we get from you guys – in photos here on this blog, on Instagram and Facebook. And that’s is great. Flies are just plain good looking (most of them at least) – and the best of them is art wrapped around a hook (preferably one of our hooks ;o).
But mostly… flies are tied for a purpose: which is catching fish. And for that task… it really doesn’t matter much how good your fly looks in the vice or in the fly box.
So how well do your flies perform under water?
What does the streamer fly look like, when wet and being bounced around by the current.
How about the materials?
Will that soft marabou collapse totally in a fast flowing stream?
How do rabbit strips look when they are totally soaked?
How much flash is enough – and how does it look from a distance?
Will a chartreuse fly be visible in an algae green lake?
Can you really bounce the fly through rocks, reeds and timber, when using a Texas Predator hook.
Do you need a bead head to get a jigging action on your streamer fly.
What about rubber legs? Do they wiggle? How do they effect the balance of the fly?
How much does hook design and wire dimension effect the performance?
Well… let’s find out!
Today, with a new fishing season in progress, I invite you under the surface. Down where fish live and hunt. I have thrown a bunch of underwater footage into a little sample video. This underwater footage is filmed over a period of several years in different environments from fast flowing clearwater spring creeks, over slow flowing rivers to lakes of different clarity.
It features 11 very different streamer flies.
You get a picture of the fly high and dry – and a short clip of the same fly doing it’s thing under water. I know… this is not the final test on a fly’s ability to catch fish. The fish has the final word on that.
Anyway, check it out. You might find the answers to a lot of the questions above. And the video might even leave you with more questions, and ideas for further experimenting in the new season. You find the video right here…
Have a nice weekend :0)
Michael