Cape York

[Muzzy]

I was a thinking dan the man blanton did the thinking behind a flashy tail...

and george was the guru behind me fav the spinster...

dont matter either way as I still get to fish no matter how made what where or when...

Muz

[Maxg]

Well thats as maybe but I used Brooks Blondes with flash on the tail in 1968 or so, and used all flash flies.
Nothing is new and some of the "new" tricks are as old as fly fishing itself. Even the blonde can be linked to the early Homer Rhode tarpon flies of the 40's and the earlier Van Luven, but the Deceiver is kind of unique, it was the first swimming feather fly rather than having feathers pulsate. Max

[Steve_Ooi]

One of the things i noticed about Blanton's flashtails is the length, he explained how the length and the type of material used is critical to fly's performance. Instead of just adding a flashy section in the back of the fly, the way he tied the flashabou makes it undulate, and pulse, sending out shimmering flickers of light. and at the same time he tied it in so the flashabou doesn't foul up.
A quick search over the net and you'll come up with many different types of flashtail flies tied by various anglers, But by far i believe that Blanton's flashtails are unique and unrivaled in the way they perform.

Steve Ooi

[Maxg]

Well maybe, but any flash material will reflect light photons and ANY movement of the fly, in any direction, will cause that flash to flicker. In fact if it doesn't move it will not flash. Its just a matter of a reflective material, light photons and the reflectors position. Flies like clousers and for that matter spinsters are not really active and depend on imparted action.
Strips of metallised material tend to stick together when wet and I think that is easily demonstrated.
But you could remove ALL of the other material from both of clousers and spinsters and the thing would still work due to the amount of flash, or not because of the amount of flash.
Either way, Deceivers beat the hell out of them. Max

[Steve_Ooi]

The barra's love them , and i'm not going to argue with them..

[Maxg]

Coupla flash tail doovers.