Fluorescing: Why It's Important And How To Use It

fluo·res·cence
flo͝o(ə)ˈresəns,flôrˈesəns/

noun
the property of absorbing light of short wavelength and emitting light of longer wavelength.


Most of the time fishing isn’t rocket science, but when you’re talking about how light reacts underwater and what fish actually see, you’re getting awfully close.

We don’t want to make anything more complicated than it has to be, but in order to understand the benefits of using a fluorescing resin or cement, it helps to understand a little bit about what happens to light underwater and how it affects flies as they sink.

"I love to fish in low light conditions. Fluorescing resins make sure that the fish see all the attention I spent on my fly, no matter how deep it is or how low they light is."

Jeremiah Houle, Director of Guides, Deep Canyon Outfitters

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Water absorbs and scatters sunlight, which means that what we see in our fly box may look drastically different once it is in water, especially to fish that detect different wavelengths of light than we do.

As we’ve all experienced while swimming, the deeper we swim the darker it gets, and the darker it gets the harder it is to distinguish between colors. Even the brightest of hot spots can appear grey to fish at depths as shallow as a few feet.

Fluorescing materials have a great advantage in that they absorb the limited amount of light that is available underwater and emit a light that is more visible at deeper depths.

"I believe that it works better than any other resin for Puget Sound baitfish heads. In the clear/green hue water the light penetrates just deep enough to light up the heads and allows fish to see them better. I definitely get more hits with this stuff."

Brita Fordice, Product Developer, Sage Fly Rods

HOW TO USE IT

Fluorescing UV Clear Fly Finish and Fluorescing Hard Head can be used to coat just about any material and any part of a fly. Most frequently, it is used to…

- coat hard bodies of nymphs, intruders, or wet flies
- coat heads of any type of sinking fly
- create or coat a wing case
- create a hot spot