Fly Fishing & The Color Purple

What is it about this color that drives everything from tarpon to trout crazy? I don't know, but I'm not complaining.

Growing up in Maine, I spent many hours trolling for landlocked salmon and brook trout with my family. Several of the flies we used, like the Magog Smelt, incorporated purple bucktail to mimic the color of the smelt that inhabit these lakes.

Want to get some purple in your vise game? Check out these materials. 

My first steelhead was caught on a purple egg-sucking leech after someone told me, "It doesn't matter what color you use as long it's purple." Fifteen years later, the predominant color in my steelhead box is still  purple.

In recent years, more trout fishermen have been catching on to the purple craze too. Patterns like the Lightning Bug and Chubby Chernobyl were among the first to don the Barney suit, but it didn't take long for others to come along.

While these flies don't necessarily imitate anything you see in nature, they sure get a trout's attention.

We've got a full array of purple flies gracing our bins this year, along with several new patterns guaranteed to produce on your local waters. Blow the dust off those fly boxes and come into the shop to pick out some fresh bugs!

Want to check out some purple flies yourself? Check out our fly selection here