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3. UV Tying Materials - does this really make sense ?, Page 2

Am coming late to the parade, but noticed one thing missing from all these discussions...in order for UV to be effected, a UV lighting source is required. Things fluoresce under UVA, UVB or UVC, LW/MW/SW, respectively, dependent on the wavelength. UVC and UVB are basically absorbed by our atmosphere so unless you are underwater with a UVA lamp lighting your fly, the sun will be your only fluorescent illumination source. And since sunlight is dispersed through water up to 60% at only a couple of meters, UV illumination (fluorescence to us) will be nominal...and zero w/o sunlight.The thread that presented UV viability in young trout is probably most correct since it is the plankton that respond to the UV photon that allows young trout to better see their food source...quit eating plankton and UV ability disburses...and for the record, there is no UVR (reflective) that is referenced in the fly tying marketing material. UV light is either observable or not, the UV light is not "reflecting" off anything, the same way white light does not reflect off the page of the book you are reading.

That doesn't sound right to me. Can you clarify what you mean?

CaptainCon,

I am confused by your statements as well. Most of those things we see in the world are visible because of diffuse or specular reflection (computer screens are one exception, because they emit light in various wavelengths). When I look at a book, the page is white to me because the paper is absorbing little light and reflecting a nearly equal amount of red, green, and blue wavelengths (and UV and some IR). A red object is seen as red, because all the visible wavelengths below 620nm are absorbed, but the wavelengths between 620 and 700nm are reflected.

Solar ultraviolet light has been measured in viable amounts at a depth of 600 meters in sea water. SCUBA divers use fluorescent patches on their wetsuits and fins because UV will cause the patches to fluoresce at great depths.

We have been using UV reflective materials in our flies since the first fly was tied, centuries ago. All materials reflect some amount of UV. And mature trout can see the UV reflectance. See http://www.overmywaders.com/cblog/index.php?/archives/112-Ultraviolet-Vision-in-Trout.html for more info.

Thanks.

Huh? I too do not understand this? I'm no physicist by any stretch of the the imagination, but I'm pretty sure that the only colors we see are those wavelengths of the visible spectrum that are reflected off an object. I think some guy named Newton figured that out.

My new killer pattern. :-)

All,
Apologize for the apples and oranges comment...was focused on fluorescence and not the visible perception of invisible (to us) UV...it was an incorrect tangent.