Bright Purple Scott Biron Signature Series

Bright Purple Scott Biron Signature Series Ewing Streamer Hackle

Purple shows a dark silhouette in low light and a bright edge in sun. Few colors cover both. Bright Purple Scott Biron Signature Series hackle sits a full step brighter than the series’ Dark Purple, so you get that glow on cloudy days and in clear water without losing the profile fish key on at dawn and dusk.

New England streamer tyers have paired purple with silver and gray in spring smelt patterns for generations. Tarpon guides tie purple and black for dirty water and night tides. This feather handles both jobs: long, straight saddles with a slim profile for Rangeley wings and enough web to splay and kick on a tarpon tail.

Tie it alone, or pair it with Dark Purple from the same series for a two-tone wing that shades dark to bright.

Recipe 1: Purple Smelt Streamer (Rangeley style)

• Hook: 7X–10X long streamer, #2–#6
• Thread: Black 8/0
• Body: Flat silver tinsel
• Rib: Oval silver tinsel, small
• Belly: Sparse white bucktail with 6–8 hairs purple bucktail over it
• Underwing: 4–6 peacock herl
• Wing: 2 Bright Purple Biron saddles inside, 2 light gray or silver badger saddles outside
• Throat: White hen with a few red fibers on top
• Shoulder: Barred teal or mallard flank
• Cheeks: Jungle cock (optional)
• Head: Black

Tying note: Gray outside the purple gives you the smelt’s back. The purple glows through it when the fly is wet.

Recipe 2: Purple Splayed Tarpon Fly (saltwater)

• Hook: Saltwater stainless, 1/0–3/0, short shank
• Thread: Fluorescent red or black flat-waxed 210D
• Tail: 4 Bright Purple Biron saddles and 2 black saddles, splayed outward, 2–3 times hook length
• Flash: 4 strands purple or black flash between the tail feathers
• Collar: 1 Bright Purple and 1 black saddle wound wet-fly style, tight behind the eye
• Head: Thread built up and coated with UV resin

Tying note: Leave the front two-thirds of the shank bare. Tarpon flies that are short and tied far back foul less on the cast.

How to fish Bright Purple

Landlocked salmon and trout: Purple shines on overcast spring days and at first light. Fish the smelt on an intermediate line through inlets and along drop-offs. Strip fast with short pauses, or troll it close to the surface right after ice-out.

Tarpon: Cast the splayed fly 5–10 feet ahead of rolling or cruising fish. Let it sink to their level, then strip in long, slow pulls. When you feel weight, strip-set hard and keep the rod low. Purple and black owns dirty water, cloudy days and night tides around bridges.

Bass and pike: Swim the smelt pattern around weed edges at dawn. Purple’s silhouette stands out against a bright sky.