Have you ever wondered why some colors always seem, to produce results? I'm incredibly partial to red. Perhaps it's a confidence thing, but I can consistently catch fish on Royal Wulff, red ants, blood midges, red Copper John's, and so on.

Last week a group of friends and I were fishing the Rio Grande, several local creeks and small lakes in the area of South Fork. What was our number one fly? A size 16 red Copper John tied with and without white rubber legs. It took my best fish of the trip, a 23-inch rainbow. It also proved irresistible to a number of large Brown Trout.

In Gary La Fontaine's book "The Dry Fly" he points out that color intensity which can trigger attraction varies throughout the day. His sense of it was that the color of sunlight (direct or reflected) interacts with the color of the fly - certain combinations are intense and others are dull.

I think that red works well more often than not because it's is a natural exciter the color of blood and it maintains its intensity across a broad time horizon. I firmly believe that it can trigger a strike even when trout may not be in the mood to feed. Moreover, it stands out in a contrasting manner against most backgrounds and can be easily spotted by the fish

One of my favorite strike indicators when fishing nymphs or emergers is the Royal Wulff created by the famous Lee Wulff.

How To: Eliminate Static Electricity

Static electricity particularly in the winter months can turn fly tying with deer hair into comic routine. But relief is possible. Years ago I found a spray bottle of anti-static spray in our laundry room. After spraying my hands and every thing else with it, I gained the upper hand on the unruly hair. Subsequently, I've found a much better and cheaper solution.

Next time you remove clothes from the dryer, save that little "fabric softener" sheet you threw in. Since it has been used the distinctive smell is pretty much gone. Simply take the used sheet and gently rub it with the grain of your deer hair which will remove a good part of the static. Next, take your hair stacker and swab out the inside of the barrel with the sheet, then clean off your scissors, razor blades, and wipe-off the jaws of your vise. Keep the sheet close to your fly tying bench and use it on any item that seems to carry a static charge.