Bunny Bottom Zonker

The Bunny Bottom is the first experimental distillate made from an American bunny, some Danish flash and a lot of web research about how fish see and respond to colour. With perch or (sea)trout in mind, I forged a fly of 7 cm with flash on top and - as a novelty - a rabbit strip on the bottom instead of on top. Hence the name of Bunny Bottom. I like to share this forged fly with you in the hope that with some feedback, we can make better and happier flies!

Snorkelling through big data

This winter reading ceremony I halfway stopped the yearly read in the "Fly fishers Chronicle" (#wtf?) and started studying nymph/streamer visibility. Not by snorkelling (toooo cold) but by comparing underwater photographs from friends like Blikonderwater. But also the underwater video's bring the colour quest to a next level. For video's are Underwater-Ireland or Jack Perks one of my favourites. These photo's and video's gave me new insights (see conclusions) because some articles on the web conflict with each other or just are a summery of something else. 

Under water smoke screen

A new underwater perspective could perhaps improve some of my fly patterns. One of my learnings - and also a big disappointment- came from photographing underwater stuff with my Olympus TG860: The underwater horizontal visibility is a fraction of the visibility seen from above looking down (vertical)! Especially when a lot of particles or algae colour the water and cause a sort of smoke screen that limit visibility. So most of the fish can't even see the flies we throw at them. In one of my other posts you'll find an excellent article about this from Troutnut. In short: a fish takes food right in front of him only nearby, but takes food farther away if it is higher above the fish (closer to the surface, in the light, and is better visible).

Let's DE-camouflage our flies?

I learned that fly detection is a game of colour contrast (yes also UV, fluorescence etc), movement and flash (scent is not considered as an option for flies). Stand out in the crowd! Good casting skills stay paramount here besides all fly intelligence! Flash (reflection from sunshine) can be detected at a further distance than colour contrast can. So flash is on this menu. What most fisherman perhaps underestimate is that the obvious "fly detection" is an important first step before the well known GISS mantra (General Impression, Size & Shape). The fish must see/notice our fly before it can attack it. Obviously we must not scare our quarry in de-camouflaging our flies from there background to much! And sometimes a close copy of the real thing is still the best. 

"Fly fishing with the best fly colour is like teenage sex: everyone talks about it, nobody really knows how to do it, everyone thinks everyone else is doing it, so everyone claims they are doing it…"

Discovered by detected in the mirror 

Long ago, the sensory organs of the fish we are after, are developed in times when there were not as much polluted nutrients, silt etc in our waters. These organs were once brought to perfection in (mostly) crystal clear waters. Under those circumstances the reflective mirror like underside of our water surface plays a great roll in prey detection. I presume you are familiar with all the reflection theories and Snell's window, otherwise have a look at this video.   

 From below a prey can be seen twice: in the water AND on the reflective water surface. That's a bonus for the predators because looking at the water surface gives a much better and easier picture of what is happening than when looking through plants and woody debris. I discovered this in beautiful underwater photos and videos made in crystal clear waters with shoals of Rudd's. Their reflection also notable in the mirror of the water surface. A nice "mirror quiz" can be played in this link from Underwater-Ireland to understand what I mean (2nd photo).

My biggest paradigm shift about underwater camouflage came from these photo's and video's! The fish not only have a dark upside to camouflage them for detection from above (birds etc) BUT also (and perhaps mainly) to hide them for mirror detection from the water surface below! Now take a break & have a cup of coffee.

My other learnings:

1. Use the under water mirror of the water surface effectively in fly design!!
2. For better visibility, fish your fly as high as possible (the muddier the higher), but close enough for the fish to come and get it.
3. A fly higher in the water column is easier detected (colour or contrast): so if you fish on/near the bottom, a second fly higher on the line (dropper) can cause more attention.
4. Flash (if there is sunshine) will carry further than colour and is easily detected (Like a red fog lamp in the mist).
5. Sunlight comes from above, so to use flash effectively: bind it on the top half of the fly!
6. Most water is not as clear as we see it from above the water surface (from a vertical perspective), The underwater horizontal visibility is a fraction of the vertical visibility. Turbidity and diminishing light intensity play a great roll in how far and intense colours are seen under water. 
7. Fluorescent colours are strong contrast to the background. Just as flash, bind it on the top half of the fly!
8. White - such as a wounded fish or white koi carp- contrasts really well.
9. There is enough to read about how colours change under water so I skip that chapter here. 

So back to the Bunny Bottom

Inspiring tying video's for small zonker streamers (seatrout):

• Goby seatrout fly 
• Zonker baitfish 
• The burner