PINK OR ORANGE ???

Pink or Orange? An Interesting Fishing Dilemma

The fishing season is in full swing, and once again, anglers face a fundamental question: which fly to choose? Sometimes, a simple decision evolves into an unexpected experiment. To explain why I’m asking specifically about pink or orange, let me take you back to mid-September this year. It was one of those afternoons when you think you know what you’re doing, only for nature to surprise you.

I was fishing on the Váh River, in a "catch and take" section. The sun was shining brightly, the water was crystal clear, but despite the favorable conditions, it was tough going. Small fish occasionally showed up, but catching anything larger was out of the question. My two colleagues, fishing further upstream, were equally disappointed.

When Pink Works Wonders...

I tried various patterns and eventually switched to one of my trusted combos—a dark fly with a pink tungsten bead, size 2.8mm, on a size 16 hook. And that’s when things started happening. Suddenly, I hit the jackpot! Fish began biting, including larger ones that had previously been lazily watching. I even hooked a massive one, but it managed to escape, breaking my line in the process.

Unfazed, I tied on another "pinkie" and... nothing. It was as if all activity had suddenly stopped. I figured the fish had lost interest, so I took a coffee break.

An Experiment at the Vise

Back home, it still nagged at me. I sat down at my vise and decided to tie another batch of those reliable pink flies. But while finishing the first one, I accidentally snapped the tying thread. Instead of starting over, I decided to cheat a little—I sealed the thread end with UV glue. When I shone the UV light on the fly, I was in for a surprise. The fly, which I thought was pink, suddenly appeared orange! I turned off the light—pink. UV back on—orange.

Of course, I had to check all my flies at home. The result? About half of them stayed pink, while the other half turned orange under UV light. What was even more intriguing was that the fly that had worked so well on the Váh was one of those "concrete pink" flies that turn orange under UV.

Pink That Turns Orange Wins

Let me cut to the chase—pink that turns orange in sunlight proved far more effective than the one that stays consistently pink. I’m no expert on the physics of light or how fish perceive colors, but from experience, I know this works. Maybe it’s a combination of light refraction in water, the fly’s color, and its movement—or something else entirely.

But this discovery taught me one thing: things are not always what they seem. Sometimes, a small detail, like the color of a fly’s head in different lighting, can make all the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful day on the water.

Happy fishing!

Milan Čubík