red flags

[one eye jack]

As a newbie on the pit I apologise if this has been 'flagged ' before, I've deadbaited for years but never used red 'flags'..I've just ordered some but still to use ..is it a 'if gonna take will take'? personally I think maybe a flash of red may induce a take..I'll give them a try ..

[cookiesdaughtersdad]

I always use them but not to attract the pike!
What I use them for is to mark which treble has the barb if I am using trebles and shows where the hooks are more easily when night fishing, I also always use them with livebaits as it helps to hold the bait on, a very hand tackle item!

Cheers, Alan

[one eye jack]

that's the plan with the lives I prefer a single circle hook with crushed barb, so next time on lives I'll pop hook through lip and put a flag over point look forward to trying it

[Antione]

I object to the obscene cost of these tiny pieces of silicone rubber so use instead small pieces of elastic band or cut up sections of red coloured silicone baking mat which are as cheap as chips and can easily provide hundreds of 'flags' per sheet. I only use 'em for helping keep a lively on a barbed or barbless hook. Also use them when fishing lobworm on the rivers as the lobs are then less easy for the fish to pull off the hook.
Anthony

[one eye jack]

just found a earier thread on same question , interesting answers, I particularly like as you say anthony, bits of rubber band for the lives, back of mind says I knew that but I've never used it....will do now could of saved 2 quid lol

[John Milford]

I use red everything on my pike rigs. Red flags, red shrink tube, red coated wire, red beads, red coated leads (some red with glitter!) Some of my traces have red trebles too. I even use red main line.

I've fished this way for four or five seasons at least.

Do I think it makes a difference? Well, all I can say with absolute certainty is that it amuses me and it doesn't put them off.

[Mike J]

As a newbie on the pit I apologise if this has been 'flagged ' before, I've deadbaited for years but never used red 'flags'..I've just ordered some but still to use ..is it a 'if gonna take will take'? personally I think maybe a flash of red may induce a take..I'll give them a try ..

Never used flags.

To keep a bait on the bend of a circle hook small squares of rubber band or thin foam will do it well enough. Below a pic of my rig box, the two hooks in the centre of the lid have the foam squares. Anything can be used as long as it keeps the bait where you want it.

BA1C9E9D-91F3-45D1-9891-FE15D6575E97.jpeg

No need to spend money on what you can make yourself, pike floats from reed mace stems or bits of wood, bite indicators from anything that can be formed into tube, even the bridles in my box above are made from old Dacron sea line..

.

[Chico 48 PAC]

Dave Horton swears by them, not the commercial ones but homemade. As John said he uses them and they certainly do not detract from pike taking them.

[Dave Horton]

Dave Horton swears by them, not the commercial ones but homemade. As John said he uses them and they certainly do not detract from pike taking them.

Indeed Chico, I even lay claim to inventing the idea and wrote about it in Coarse fisherman "Seeing Red" back in the day!

(John Roberts was professional and kind enough to contact me regards him initially marketing the red bait flags too face)

[one eye jack]

then I doth my cap Mr Horton, and weather permitting this weekend will give them a try ....I won't blame you if I blank (I usually do!) lol

[stubbojo]

before putting on a red flag ,try putting a worm on first then a red flag , there you have colour and movement on a dead bait...... certainly works for me
or a few big lobs if you have room on your hooks .....pike are very inquisitive and will come to have a look

steve

[Taxidi]

I am using small cuts of an old bicycle inner rubber tube.
They hold the bait nice and mark the barbed hook.
And they are free

[--Ped--]

do the same and for livies with a circle hook use a strip to form a saddle
i also punch out disks to form bait shields from the inner tube

[Mark Phillips]

I like John's comments on this. Works for me with lures as well... little edges...

[Dave Horton]

I like John's comments on this. Works for me with lures as well... little edges...

It was the red on Stickleback throats, fish fins and my Ondex lures that.

(Gave birth to the idea face)

[Nige Johns]

I like John's comments on this. Works for me with lures as well... little edges...

What is that covering made of Mark,how does it standup to being gripped by forceps etc

[Steve Dennington]

I like John's comments on this. Works for me with lures as well... little edges...

The BKK UVs do look good in the water on a roach pattern

[Dave Horton]

I like John's comments on this. Works for me with lures as well... little edges...

The BKK UVs do look good in the water on a roach pattern

To us Steve?

I gather fish see things differently but they must see red or at least contrast?

(Or it wouldn't be so common in the fish world face)

[Steve Dennington]

To us Steve?

I gather fish see things differently but they must see red or at least contrast?

(Or it wouldn't be so common in the fish world face)

I'm sure they do, or at least in certain light conditions. I can't imagine that they wouldn't be able to differentiate colours, or we wouldn't see such a wide variety in colours amongst them. Some sea species look like they've been spray painted by someone under the influence of something, which would be pointless if none of their fellow fish could tell the difference.

Those BKK UVs aren't just red/orange, they're painted with UV reactive paint which is alleged (by those who sell them, so I'm mildly sceptical) to be eye candy to predatory fish. Whether there's any gain from using them or not is a moot point, but even if there's nothing to gain there's surely nothing to lose by using them.

I found it interesting though, that having sprayed a bunch of lures and left them hanging to dry outside, I couldn't see any difference between the ones that I'd painted fluorescent yellow and the ones that had just their white primer coat from 10yds away as the light faded in the evening. They all looked pure white. I can only assume that the effect would be the same in shallow coloured water as it is in the well-documented loss of colour at depth in clear water. It all down to UV light penetration I suppose.

[Dave Horton]

To us Steve?

I gather fish see things differently but they must see red or at least contrast?

(Or it wouldn't be so common in the fish world face)

I'm sure they do, or at least in certain light conditions. I can't imagine that they wouldn't be able to differentiate colours, or we wouldn't see such a wide variety in colours amongst them. Some sea species look like they've been spray painted by someone under the influence of something, which would be pointless if none of their fellow fish could tell the difference.

Those BKK UVs aren't just red/orange, they're painted with UV reactive paint which is alleged (by those who sell them, so I'm mildly sceptical) to be eye candy to predatory fish. Whether there's any gain from using them or not is a moot point, but even if there's nothing to gain there's surely nothing to lose by using them.

I found it interesting though, that having sprayed a bunch of lures and left them hanging to dry outside, I couldn't see any difference between the ones that I'd painted fluorescent yellow and the ones that had just their white primer coat from 10yds away as the light faded in the evening. They all looked pure white. I can only assume that the effect would be the same in shallow coloured water as it is in the well-documented loss of colour at depth in clear water. It all down to UV light penetration I suppose.

Interesting!

(Stuff face)

[Mark Phillips]

To us Steve?

I gather fish see things differently but they must see red or at least contrast?

(Or it wouldn't be so common in the fish world face)

I'm sure they do, or at least in certain light conditions. I can't imagine that they wouldn't be able to differentiate colours, or we wouldn't see such a wide variety in colours amongst them. Some sea species look like they've been spray painted by someone under the influence of something, which would be pointless if none of their fellow fish could tell the difference.

Those BKK UVs aren't just red/orange, they're painted with UV reactive paint which is alleged (by those who sell them, so I'm mildly sceptical) to be eye candy to predatory fish. Whether there's any gain from using them or not is a moot point, but even if there's nothing to gain there's surely nothing to lose by using them.

I found it interesting though, that having sprayed a bunch of lures and left them hanging to dry outside, I couldn't see any difference between the ones that I'd painted fluorescent yellow and the ones that had just their white primer coat from 10yds away as the light faded in the evening. They all looked pure white. I can only assume that the effect would be the same in shallow coloured water as it is in the well-documented loss of colour at depth in clear water. It all down to UV light penetration I suppose.

I've been putting BKK UVs on quite a few of my lures for some time now, mainly patterns I use in low light or coloured water. They really stand out and also the new Chartreuse ones, which were on a lure I caught some good fish on last month, fishing in almost zero clarity flood water. I'm 100% they make the lure more visible to the pike under certain conditions, any little edge you can get is worth it in my opinion...

[Steve Dennington]

To us Steve?

I gather fish see things differently but they must see red or at least contrast?

(Or it wouldn't be so common in the fish world face)

I'm sure they do, or at least in certain light conditions. I can't imagine that they wouldn't be able to differentiate colours, or we wouldn't see such a wide variety in colours amongst them. Some sea species look like they've been spray painted by someone under the influence of something, which would be pointless if none of their fellow fish could tell the difference.

Those BKK UVs aren't just red/orange, they're painted with UV reactive paint which is alleged (by those who sell them, so I'm mildly sceptical) to be eye candy to predatory fish. Whether there's any gain from using them or not is a moot point, but even if there's nothing to gain there's surely nothing to lose by using them.

I found it interesting though, that having sprayed a bunch of lures and left them hanging to dry outside, I couldn't see any difference between the ones that I'd painted fluorescent yellow and the ones that had just their white primer coat from 10yds away as the light faded in the evening. They all looked pure white. I can only assume that the effect would be the same in shallow coloured water as it is in the well-documented loss of colour at depth in clear water. It all down to UV light penetration I suppose.

I've been putting BKK UVs on quite a few of my lures for some time now, mainly patterns I use in low light or coloured water. They really stand out and also the new Chartreuse ones, which were on a lure I caught some good fish on last month, fishing in almost zero clarity flood water. I'm 100% they make the lure more visible to the pike under certain conditions, any little edge you can get is worth it in my opinion...

Yeah, they do give off a good glow. Top quality hooks too - strong, but wickedly sharp.