Here we go again, with my practical analysis of the flexibility and wiggle inherent in various colors of Holographic Flashaboou.
The point of this post is to crush the notion that since this material is a synthetic – that we should expect every color to be similar in its flexibility and therefore wiggle in the water.
This has not been my experience as a tyer and fly angler. I will show a series of photos that demonstrate what I believe I have seen. If anyone has an explaination I would appreciate your comments and wisdom.
Now here is a different product, 1/69″ Opal Mirage Lateral Scale. This is limp and has amazing flash.
In summary, I’m trying to emphasize that the mere fact that you are tying with a synthetic material is no assurance that all colors will have exactly the same properties. While I like all the various holo flashabou colors, I prefer for purely superstitious reasons to tie my flies with colors that have the greatest flexibility and therefore wiggle. I do not understand why some colors seem less flexible and realize it is possible that all may become equally flexible after being fished for several hours, but still, I like my flashabou soft and wiggly right out of the package. Other tyers seem not to be plagued with my quirks, and all of the colors I note as being rather stiff are used in steelhead and salmon flies with perfect success. Give these a try and see what you think.
I hope you find this perspective intriguing and helpful at the bench and on the water. Am I completely crazy when I think that some flashabou is more flexible than others? I swim my flies in a tank and fish them in the river. Help me out with your observations and set me straight if you can, please.
Jay Nicholas April 2016
Jay, what if you held 4-6 holographic strands between your thumb and index finger? I ask because even with my intruders I try to limit the number of holographic flash strands. However, even as you held 30-40 strands in your pics the fire tiger is clearly way more flexible than the steelie blue and the purple holo. Thanks for sharing, I always enjoy your reviews, fly-tying, and articles.
Thanks,
Russ K.
Well you make a good point indeed. The experiment with only 4-6 strands of holo flash would be more flexible as you rightly gather. That said, there really is a difference in how even a few strands of flash move in the water, depending on the specific product. Holding a clump is a gross indicator of how the individual strands will behave. JN