Get Ready for "The Martian Invasion" with Ascent Fly Fishing!

Photo Credit for Glow in the Dark Images: Curtis Durham

Trout need to see your flies if they are going to eat them. This can be a challenge with traditional fly patterns when the sun starts to sink but the bite remains hot and trout look to continue to feed throughout the night. The Martian series of flies were hatched to help the angler hack the science of trout vision and land more and bigger fish all throughout the night. As the sun recedes into the west each evening, so do the cone receptors within the eyes of trout that are responsible for interpreting light as different colors. The result is that your favorite red, green, and blue fly patterns all fade to black and blend into the dark backdrop of the river. Trout feeding at night, therefore, key into the intensity of light and contrast created by mixing light and dark colored materials in our patterns. Designed by Aquatic Biologist and Ascent Fly Fishing owner Peter Stitcher, the Martian series of flies were created to exploit the night vision of trout and inevitably draw them through the river to eat our flies. Like a UFO parked over a Kentucky trailer park, the glow in the dark materials used in these patterns will beam unsuspecting trout out of the river and into your landing net. So, the next time you head to your favorite fishing hole at night put in your earbuds, turn up Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science” and embrace the Martian invasion!

Ascent's glow in the dark "Martian Pattens" were featured in Fly Fusion's "End of the Line" column this Spring! To see detailed recipes for our Martian patterns to try tying them yourself, pick up a copy of the Spring 2019 Fly Fusion at a fly shop near you!