Flashabou
Also called Flashabou tinsel, flash material, flash
A synthetic flash material used in fly tying. It comes as long, thin strands that add sparkle and a bit of movement to a fly.
- Group
- Flash & synthetics
- Category
- Fly tying — materials & tools
- Level
- Beginner
- Water
- Fresh & salt
Last updated
What Flashabou means
Flashabou is a Hedron brand of flashy, ribbon-like synthetic strands used in tying. Tiers use it to imitate the glint of baitfish scales, the shine of an insect wing, or just to help a pattern show up in off-color water.
You tie it in as a few strands in a tail, along the sides as lateral lines, or as part of a wing. It is common in streamers, saltwater patterns, and some nymphs. Most of the time, less looks more natural.
Why it matters on the water
Flash is one of the fastest ways to change a pattern’s visibility without changing the fly’s profile. If a fly looks right but gets ignored, adding or removing a couple strands is an easy adjustment before swapping patterns.
Flashabou also affects how a fly behaves. Too much can foul around the hook bend or twist around the leader, especially on smaller patterns or softer materials. Keeping it sparse and trimmed to the right length helps the fly track straight and stay fishable.
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Read next
- Clouser MinnowA weighted baitfish streamer with lead or brass eyes that make it ride hook-point-up. It’s used in fresh or salt water to imitate small fish and move quickly through current.
- Krystal FlashA synthetic flash material used in fly tying. It’s sold as fine, twisted strands and tied in as an accent in tails, wings, bodies, or throats.
- StreamerA streamer is a fly meant to be moved to imitate a baitfish, leech, sculpin, or crayfish. It is often fished with strips, swings, or a steady retrieve, but it can also be dead-drifted.
- Woolly BuggerA Woolly Bugger is a simple streamer with a marabou tail and a fuzzy chenille body, usually palmered with hackle. It’s fished to imitate small baitfish, leeches, or big nymphs.
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