Whenever I fish Montana’s Madison River in the spring, I use a tiny red nymph as a dropper. It may be a Copper John or a Dave’s Emerger (a pattern developed by Montana fly fisher Dave McKee). But the body always has red wire. I insist on it because I have had great success with tiny red nymphs. But does color really matter?
Does red work any better than black or copper? Or is it simply, uh, a pigment of my imagination?
The truth is, the color may attract me — the fly fisher — more than it does the trout. Here are a few insights about color:
1. Trout see colors, yet water changes their perception.
Gary Borger observes that “water absorbs and scatters light.” In fresh water, red is absorbed completely by six feet down. Trout see it as a shade of gray. Perhaps the red wire on my nymphs makes a subtle difference since I’m typically fishing it one to two feet below the surface on my favorite runs in the Madison.
According to Borger, orange, yellow, and green get to ten feet before turning to gray. Blue only makes it to four feet.
2. Fluorescent materials retain their colors as long as there is light.
Borger makes this point and adds that “black is always black, and flash is always flash.” Surprisingly, black may be the most “visible” color due to its contrast. Perhaps that explains why a black Copper John or a Zebra Midge can work so well.
3. Trout are more perceptive to the violet side of the color spectrum.
Kirk Deeter made this point in a recent issue of TROUT magazine. Now I know why I’m seeing a rise (no pun intended) in purple Beadhead Prince Nymphs and in the Purple Haze patterns (essentially a Parachute Adams with a purple body) in the bins in fly shops.
4. Use something bright or translucent in your attractor patterns on the surface.
It’s always good to match the hatch. As Kirk Deeter says, go “as natural as possible.” But when you are using an attractor pattern on the river’s surface, red or orange will appear bright. It’s why I like a Red Humpy or the trusted Royal Wulff (with its band of red).
5. The amount of variables determining the way trout see color can make a fly fisher crazy.
The way trout see color depends on several variables – the clarity of the water, the light conditions (cloudy vs. sunny, evening light vs. mid-day light), and the depth of the fly.
So, the best advice may be to keep it simple: The size of your fly and the pattern may matter more than color.