24 replies to this topic

[Rob G.]

Humor me here, it's crummy outside.

[bob g]

Purple and white clouser. Light brown to brown w/ a little gold flash and dark orange or rust can't hurt either.

[Mike G]

I refuse to humor. You should have said,"Next to chartreuse, what is your favorite color for a smallmouth fly?" BTW, I said "other." But my color is silver.

[Rob G.]

Mike, what was I thinking? I wonder if Lefty will kick me out of his fan club, "It ain't no use if it's not chartreuse"

The situation has been corrected.

[John Gillio]

White belly Clouser. Favorite back: white, charteuse, yellow, orange, blue, or purple. Haven't tried much else .

Rob,did you get your trip in Sat., and was it worth the drive?

[ronk]

It depends on the fly.Clouser -green/white.Leeches,sculpins,crawfish-shades of brown black gray.Murdichs-a combination of white with most any other color.Topwater-while Lefty said any color's ok as long as it's black I would leave out the part about the black (except for night fishing.)

[Tom L]

White Clouser and White Marabou Muddler are two of my favorites. With these two flies, I had caught smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, pike, carp, carp sucker, channel cat, crappie, buffalo, drum, blue gill, pumpkin seed.

[Rob G.]

Tom,
I think the better question is, What have you not caught on those white flies?

Oh and btw, I'm in the "White is Right" group as well. Sorry Lefty, don't withdraw my membership.

[asherman]

Before I started fly fishing, I caught more smallies on olive tubes and plastic baits than anything else that I used. Now that I'm fly fishing, olive colored crayfish or sculpin flies seem to work best for me. White flies are my second choice.

I think that action and profile of a fly is more important than the specific color, especially for river fishing. If I fished a brown crayfish fly as often as I fished an olive colored fly, I would probably catch just as many fish.

[Rob G.]

If I fished a brown crayfish fly as often as I fished an olive colored fly, I would probably catch just as many fish.

Unless you're fishing the MiddleFork. My friend and I have a standing competition, you come and fish any fly you want as long as it's brown and I get to fish anything else and loser buys dinner. Brown always pays and I don't know why. Brown buggers always lose out to olive if it's clear, and black if it's stained. White or pearl can win anytime. He came from fishing the Fox for over 20 years and couldn't believe the difference.

[rich mc]

at the fly show i was selling the shannon streamers and worms in two sizes and 3-4 colors the olive worms sold the most andthe white shannons for the minnow imitation second. and in selling the chenille the green sold most and the black blue second . rich

[Mike G]

It depends on the fly.Clouser -green/white.Leeches,sculpins,crawfish-shades of brown black gray.Murdichs-a combination of white with most any other color.Topwater-while Lefty said any color's ok as long as it's black I would leave out the part about the black (except for night fishing.)

Ron,

Respectfully, where did Lefty say that? I have got a few of his books and cannot recall anywhere he gave a blanket endorsement for black much less any other color. Hef said,"At night white's right." But he was not talking about flies.

Respectfully,

[Mike G]

Mike, what was I thinking? I wonder if Lefty will kick me out of his fan club, "It ain't no use if it's not chartreuse"

The situation has been corrected.

Rob,

Now I have to ask you where the idea that Lefty favored charteuse came from. Fair is fair. But Lefty is not in the survey as far as I know.

Others,

Rules of the survey say that you have to pick one color. You can't have two. Give it your best shot.

[BrianJ]

White, white, and more white. A hint of chartreuse or olive is good, but white as a basis. Caught a mega-amount of smallies last year on a white & chartreuse Murdich Minnow. A white conehead krystal bugger works well for going deeeep!

BJ

[Rob G.]

Rob,

Now I have to ask you where the idea that Lefty favored charteuse came from. Fair is fair. But Lefty is not in the survey as far as I know.

Others,

Rules of the survey say that you have to pick one color. You can't have two. Give it your best shot.

Mike,
page 146 of Lefty's book, "Lefty's Ultimate Guide to Flyfishing"

http://books.google.com/books?id=V2XEOxTsT-0C&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=Lefty+Kreh+it+ain't'+no+use+if+it+ain't+chartreuse&source=bl&ots=mjJ_lSi44D&sig=waVKFwycodoSAnl1N9i0anV5UDU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QrAoT_LpGqfc2QXqiJDXAg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Also, I once saw a video of Lefty and Bob Clouser sitting around tying flies and they both advocated that old saying with a big chuckle

[Mike G]

Mike,
page 146 of Lefty's book, "Lefty's Ultimate Guide to Flyfishing"

http://books.google.com/books?id=V2XEOxTsT-0C&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=Lefty+Kreh+it+ain't'+no+use+if+it+ain't+chartreuse&source=bl&ots=mjJ_lSi44D&sig=waVKFwycodoSAnl1N9i0anV5UDU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QrAoT_LpGqfc2QXqiJDXAg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Also, I once saw a video of Lefty and Bob Clouser sitting around tying flies and they both advocated that old saying with a big chuckle

Rob,

Good research, though p. 146 is in a chapter on saltwater flies. It is a bit of a push to apply that to Smallmouths though they might be in the "1/3 of the species" he has caught. Then again, on p. 146, Lefty sez,"Indeed, [b]some professional guides say,/b]'If it aint chartreuse, it aint no use.'" (emphasis mine) It tells us which way Lefty is leaning without closing the loop. My main concern is not putting words in anyone's mouth whether it be Kreh's, Holschlag's, Brad Miller's, or anyone else's. Besides, it deflects us from picking our own one color which was the original question.

[Rob G.]

Mike, ole Lefty has written so many articles over the decades, who knows. I've also read that his favorite smallmouth fly was the classic red and white hackle fly (which is mostly white). Also an acquaintance that fished with Lefty said he used an all White popper and told me it was simply a pre-formed white popper body with a few white hackles hastily tied on and that was it.

As for me, I'm definitely a believer in white as 3 of the 5 flies I will never leave home without are mostly or all white.

[ronk]

Ron,

Respectfully, where did Lefty say that? I have got a few of his books and cannot recall anywhere he gave a blanket endorsement for black much less any other color. Hef said,"At night white's right." But he was not talking about flies.

Respectfully,

Mike
I don't recall where I read it.It applied to topwater flies.I also recall his saying that the bassbug is best fished with constant movement for smb as opposed to leaving it sit motionless between strips,the usual technique for stillwater lmb.That's the first I've ever heard white advocated for night fishing.It's always been black even though a bright color would be easier for the fisherman to see.The only time I ever night fished I nailed some big lmb with a baitcasting size all black Jitterbug.It was a blast to hear them explode on it as it gurgled along in the inky blackness.

[Rob G.]

Ron, I agree when it comes to surface fishing at dusk and night for LMB, black's the ticket. Last summer and early fall, I fished numerous times on local ponds and lakes well after dark in pitch blackness. I couldn't even see my cast or where my popper landed but just had to listen more or less for the strike and to feel the line tension before setting the hook. My black blockhead and poppers perfomed best and it must be the silhouette they can see against the black sky or maybe it is just the surface disturbance???

[Gavin]

It depends....Clear water-Chartruese on Top, Brown and down, White in mid-water column...Stained water..Black or Chartruese.