@T-stillwater Interesting reading. As per your recommendation I bought a used copy of the Rabideau book. I will read it and try to employ/test what I absorb.
I am curious on what species of trout you primarily fish. Also, are they wild or stocked? The reason why I ask is that I do believe different strains of trout respond differently to color. Some seem more inclined to react to flashy patterns and although I have an entry level understanding of salmon as noted as the target species in the article, often the strategy with them is to annoy…so flashy colors are often what most anglers gravitate to.
There have been outings on the water where I will only catch brown trout with a certain fly with a bright hotspot and then switch to a brown fly and only catch brookies…in the same stretch of water. This was a specific reaction on a specific day. Its not as if those patterns are locked to a species, but that day they were.
To add in response to the Buzalsky article, his custom-painting spinners, plugs, wobblers, and flashers primarily do a specific thing. They send out a vibration and a signal that fish do and will pick up on a fish’s latteral line. The color may seal the deal, but the effectiveness of any lure is primarily tied to its signature in what it does in motion and how it displaces water.
These are my thoughts, and to disclose I do enjoy and usually absorb tactics from every angler I meet. Your convictions strong and methodical, so I do not have any doubts on your success. That said, I also understand what @Scott_T is alluding to. As in, because you are a methodical being you may be having success as a result of a culmination a many small decisions. I have a friend that is far more methodical than I and often he absolutely destroys me with his fish counts. Not always, but enough for me to recognize he has some mojo.
I am more in the school of presentation, then size/profile/signature, then value, then color…being the pecking order of what will convert fish. Color can pop up a couple notches in some cases when we run into fish that seem to be moody/keyed or not in a feeding mode. I dont always believe high visibility is important. Sometimes fish want the neon sign that says…this food is different, and sometimes it is better if the offering is harder for them to see. I dont carry much color in my flybox and am willing to forfeit the lost fish when it is a factor.
My flybox is pretty simple. I do use hot spots but not much color in the fly body. Pretty much the same fly in a couple sizes…but with tonal and material differences. Dark, light, brown, and flashy(metalic gold). Often on the water what i think will work doesn’t but the last item on the list is the winner. I enjoy the economy of having a smaller palette to choose from. For me this method works and not just for trout but for other species. I fish plugs for striped bass in the ocean. My color palette plug collection is very narrow. Relying on mostly on profile and presentation. I feel that I do pretty well with that approach.
I did not discover this guy until recently, but he explains a lot of philosophy I am aligned to.
I will read the Rabideau book. I think we can all agree is that color is part of the package when it comes to fish behavior. The more tools we have in the toolbox to draw from the better.