That looks good
Different flasher.. no the same if look at the traces with combos... I brought in bulk large hanks of it in many colours yrs ago.. an opportunity was put in front of me so dont know if can still get it that cheap.
"Folding over "end of the day it is how the knot all holds together when in use... never tried that or tested.
My flasher, be it stray lines, ledgers , long lines always lasted longer than the hooks, even feathers...
Flasher would get re used several times over.
As to
"Tidy" a personal though here... I think untidy, a little on the scrappy side is more natural to something in nature that a predator would jump on with ease.
I have 'trialed' tidy , scrappy.. scrappy comes out a little ahead or even .. but not enough to statistically to say which is best.
Have discussed with fishermen over beers over the yrs and several fresh water guys.. one a well known now in England.
General comments are along the lines " a fly with a few bits hanging poking off works better than a very tidy insect body
Also from marketing point of view.. lets take childrens toys.. they are primary targeted in colours and shapes at those who pay for them, their concept of what children want... and children then get conditioned to these parameters...
Very basic principles or marketing and propaganda.
So on that , think about it... you have a rack of pre tied flashers.. some just look scrappy untidy, the other rack all very nicely presented proportioned , clipped.. even maybe just slightly more expensive...
Thinking objectively, which will you instinctively buy?
Since I tie all my own traces, and usually when out, someone looses, knicks a trace, fish get gut hooked, its quicker for everyone, for me to just grab a new one out of the draw under the bait board, and hand to them .. before they even have their gear bag out at their feet..
So tie a lot traces... tie neat, trimming up went out the window yrs ago.
The $2 shop feathers, was an experiment/ trial yrs back. Worked, gave an extra parameter.
At 1st when tried them, in the water, pull up fish or no fish, they looked a total failure.. so much was really disapionted at the time... then dropped the same trace back in the water and the feathers opened up again... Re se that same trace a week or month later, still opens up
I think it is more about choice of colours, combos of colours and shapes (the feathers) targeting different species and time of yr.
And the most important, regardless of choice flasher, or whatever..
is getting the hook sitting on the trace the right way (re curve /J ) and making sure that last turn of the main trace line going
back up around the flat side of the eye , then tru, back to main line is paramount.
Oh and cost.. yeah we dont have deep pockets now retired...
Quality and sharp hooks make big difference
I dont know what a flasher trace costs these days..
Owner or gamasahsu (? wrong spelling) work out about $1 each
A meter or so of good fluro about $1
Flasher feathers guess high 50c
So a 2 hook fixed stray line as per above is about $3 to $4.. And you dont need to go, travel to the shop to buy.
I buy hooks in 25 packs when on special, and doing so always have stock in the draw when re stock on next special.
There are a lot of us who these small budget things really matter, which other wise we would be spending more on lower grade 'tools'