Kreinik Flash is your secret ingredient for success every time you fish

by Harrison Steeves III

Tired of fighting the static electricity, or wish that other brands of flash were a little bit limper to get more action out of it? Well then, shift to Kreinik Flash.

Does this sound like some sort of sales hype on a used car lot? Maybe it does, but once you try this material I don't believe you'll think so. I did a “double take” when I first saw this material hanging on the walls of the conference room at Kreinik. It turned out to be the material in its raw form before it was woven into the braids and ribbons. My reaction was, “Give it to me! I'll take every color you have.” The material is called Kreinik Flash. Since that day, I have stopped using other brands of flash entirely and use them only for some very special (and I do mean special) applications. I have enough problems in my life and don't need to waste time fighting with fly tying materials.

What I particularly like about the put-ups of Kreinik Flash is the nifty way they come packaged: in a clear plastic tube, with a lock tie in the middle. The end of the lock tie is passed through the tube and the material is pulled into the tube until just the right amount sticks out of the end. You can cut off the right amount and keep the remainder in the package without making a mess. Plus, you can store dozens of these tubes in a very tight space. My travelling fly tying kit has a complete selection of colors neatly tucked away in compartments. 

Even though I used other brands in the past, the static electricity associated with some of these products drove me nuts. The Kreinik material, for whatever reason, does not exhibit this quality. If you don’t believe me, try rubbing the material all over your hands and you will see that it won't make any difference. 

Kreinik Flash has some other nice qualities:

• There is a very small supportive thread fiber associated with this material that makes it very tough, tougher than most other brands of material, while being flexible. These colors are referred to as "supported Flash" colors. 
• You can also get "unsupported Flash" without that supportive fiber, giving you a totally different movement in the water.
• It has sparkle, and it comes in just about any color you could ask for. 
• It is also priced competitively, and for those of you who tie commercially it is available in bulk. 

I can't tell you everything I do with this versatile material because there are so many options. As I stated previously, I use it almost exclusively in patterns calling for other products of this type, but I have also taken its use a bit further. For example, I tie saltwater flies using only the Kreinik Braids, Ribbons, and Flash. Also, since it is made of the same material as the braids and ribbons, the colors for the flash can be matched exactly to the braids and ribbons. I don't use any hair, feathers, or other natural materials. Heresy? I don't think so. If you are going to fish for toothy varmints, why not tie flies they can't tear up so easily? It's as simple as that. 

I have also tied salmon and steelhead flies using only the Kreinik materials. Tags, butts, and bodies are tied using the braids and ribbons, and the wings and beards are tied using combinations of colors available in the Kreinik Flash. I once tied up a series for Jim Bashline who used them with great success, even to the point of having a guide come over and beg him to show him the pattern he was using. Jim and I talked extensively about tying salmon and steelhead flies using only the Kreinik materials. 

I also use Kreinik Flash when tying midge larvae. A single strand wrapped around the shank of a tiny hook produces one of the finest midge larva you can imagine. Even if you tie a lot of them, there are probably enough fibers in a single hank of the material to last you for years. On dubbed body midge larvae, try ribbing the body with a strand of the material. It works like a charm and adds just enough color, sparkle, and flash to increase your odds considerably.

What do the letters mean? Colors ending in a "V" such as 001V have a matte, less reflective finish. Colors ending in a "HL" such as 001HL are hi-lustre and are very shiny. Colors ending in a "L" such as 001L are holographic. Colors ending in a "F" will glow-in-the-dark when exposed to light.