You have heard as many theories on what color fly to use in each color of water known to anglers. This evening I tried a few of my favorites and found black to work quite well. The visibility into the water was about two feet and the river level is high, too high to wade on the North Fork of the Shenandoah North of Edinburg.
Will other colors work? Sure, I had success with both Olive and Chartreuse patterns (Roadkill and Marauder). I did not try any others though. Vince Marinaro used to say he preferred black because of it’s contrast (darker) with the muddy water. Since I give Vince a lot of credit as a knowledgeable angler, I tend to start off with this theory.
Another favorite theory employed around the shop is match the color of the water i.e. Olive Colored water = Olive Colored flies, clear water = white flies and so-on. Chartreuse? I don’t want to see water even close to Chartreuse but it works, sometimes seemingly better than any others, and so, out go the two above theories.
This afternoon turned out to be beautiful, a pleasant change from our recent stint of rain. As we floated the river, we watched a few youngsters from Edinburg bank fishing with their parents and were quite pleased to see they were having success in the catching department.
As you read this, I hope you have just returned from a fantastic trip to your favorite stream or river. As for the fishing, it was great! We caught quite a few bass and sunfish on Sink Tip III and V fly lines, yes there is a lot of water…. All looked great with no signs of illness on any of them.
