Line Color Fish See It?

[Green Trout]

Hi, I just picked up a 900yd spool of 15lb Steel Blue Trilene Big Game Monofilament yesterday for my Texas Rig worms in 1-10ft of water. My question is can the fish see the "blue tint color" in this situation? My water clarity is around 2-3ft of visibility. Thanks!

[Choporoz]

I believe fish will can see the line. The question is: what do those little fish-brains do with the information?

[poisonokie]

If they've been caught before and their highly sophisticated fish eyes saw it, I think their little ganglionic fish brains will scream "DANGER!" the next time they see it.

[Scott F]

If they've been caught before and their highly sophisticated fish eyes saw it, I think their little ganglionic fish brains will scream "DANGER!" the next time they see it.

 

 

How come they don't scream danger when they see the hook dangling from the bait?

[WRB]

What is important is how well you see it.

Tom

[poisonokie]

How come they don't scream danger when they see the hook dangling from the bait?

 

I'm not so sure they don't, but typically they bite lures like that reflexively. Jerkbaits aside, when a hardbait flies past their face they don't have time to study it. Slow presentations, on the other hand, like the t-rig the OP is talking about, may have a bass nosing up to it for a long time before it decides to eat it. So in that case line color may make a difference. I get more bites on fluorocarbon for sure, and I set more hooks by having a high vis mainline.

[bigbill]

With visible line the fish see what we see in the water the split view or screen.

I use Excalibur silver thread copolymer line in clear or green.

On my c rig plastics rod it's Cajun red line. It disappears, I'm fishing in 10' of water.

My point is if I use clear line then a Cajun leader I have a weak link. Why not use the stronger test Cajun line all the way 17lb test.

[Catt]

I do not buy any of that BS!

Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!

If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!

Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!

[badhatharry]

I don't fish high vis or fluorescent line unless I absolutely have to.  And even then, I will take a felt tip pen, usually brown, and color the last 4 feet or so.

[Mike2841]

I fish with hi vis yellow and neon green braid, direct to the lure. Fish don't seem to mind.

[Surfcaster]

My favorite line is Stren clear blue florescent.  I have caught plenty of fish in the lake and off the surf with that line.  I also have reels spooled with clear mono, hi vis yellow braid and lo vis green braid.  caught fish on all.  I have outfished others in the boat that were using "invisible line" and I have been outfished by people in the boat who were using "invisible line".

 

My personal opinion is that the fish could care less what color you line is; it only matters to the fisherman.  There is probably enough discarded line in the lake that it looks normal to them by now.  

[EmersonFish]

Fish don't see things the way we do. They don't know what line is. They don't know what a hook is. If they see something that typically triggers their instincts because it resembles in some way something they eat, but that thing has a line shooting out of it toward the surface, does it give them some instinctual pause? I don't have a clue. My human brain cannot conceptualize that. Here's what I do know. From my experience, fishing bodies of water like Bull Shoals, Table Rock, and other clear water reservoirs, ANECDOTALLY, line visibility has "mattered." However, in your situation, with lower visibility, you probably will not see a big difference in the number of bites you get. With that line, I'd focus more on whether I liked its other qualities or not. If I had that much of any kind of line, I would certainly give it a fair chance. It might be a long time before you come to any conclusions.

[poisonokie]

I do not buy any of that BS!

Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!

If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!

Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!

 

Not so fast. Why is that you can go up to a farm pond that no one ever fishes and catch every fish in there and then turn around and go to some highly pressured water and catch squat?

[Lendiesel22]

Think about it like this....when you see something new most of the time you touch it to help your brain associate it to something. It helps you interpret what you are seeing and class it with other things. Fish can only bite and smell something to interpret and class it as food. Visually it got attention but the only way they can be sure is give it a chomp. Far as line goes with this if they can see it, they have no way to class it. Not saying that they are not aware of it, but more so they cannot make the hardline decision that it is a threat enough to pass up food. I think the less of that visual signature the better but that is as much for my brain as it is hiding it from theirs. On the other side of that coin when you are walking a path and catch the last glimpse of the super thin spider web right as it wraps around your face and you become a ninja trying to get it off you, you d**n sure dont walk through there again without making sure there is no web there.

[poisonokie]

if fish couldn't identify danger, they never would have evolved into what they are now and we wouldn't even be having this conversation because we wouldn't be here either.

[Lendiesel22]

Hahahaha 10 4

[Josh Smith]

Bass make the decision to strike like you make the decision to breathe.

Sometimes they just can't help it just like you can't help but breath when you've held your breath too long (bass strikes out of hunger) or when you're startled (bass strikes in defense or from pure reflex).

This is likely the closest analogy I've hypothosized in the past 25 years or so.

Josh

[poisonokie]

that's the difference between reaction strikes and feeding strikes. Cranks and flipping? Line color probably doesn't matter as much. But slow dragged jigs, t rigs, and drop shots are different. The less they see anything but the bait itself the better.

[BobP]

Well, you got your answer!  Opinions are definitely yes, but also definitely no - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.  So you have to decide for yourself.  I fish a clear lake and yes, I think it can matter especially when we're talking about slow presentations like worms and jigs.  Even if I were doubtful I'd choose to keep it stealthy just because there's no downside to doing so and maybe a downside if I didn't.  Would that keep me from spooling up blue Big Game and fishing it in water with 2-3 ft visibility?  No.  But the next time I ordered some, I'd buy the green or clear version.

[Cgrinder]

They can probably see it. But then again, they can probably see 15 lb Big Game clear as well (.38 mm ain't exactly subtle).

[Catt]

Not so fast. Why is that you can go up to a farm pond that no one ever fishes and catch every fish in there and then turn around and go to some highly pressured water and catch squat?

Why do they continue to hit 100 year old lures?

I've caught bass on orange mono, solor green mono, amber/brown mono, steel blue mono, mean green mono, red mono, plus every braided line since braided cotton.

[poisonokie]

Why do they continue to hit 100 year old lures?

I've caught bass on orange mono, solor green mono, amber/brown mono, steel blue mono, mean green mono, red mono, plus every braided line since braided cotton.

 

I get that, but you'd probably get more bites on less visible line. As for the lures,it just depends on where you are and what the fish see and get caught on all the time. Back to that farm pond, you could just about throw a bare hook in sometimes and come up with a kicker fish, but to catch something decent at a place with constant fishing pressure you have to change it up and try something new because the fish grow accustomed to the spinners everyone and their dog casts in there. They become lure shy, they become line shy. They remember threats and avoid them, just like every other creature alive. If they didn't, every day on the water would be a cake walk and fishing tackle wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.

[lmbfisherman]

HAHA this is getting interesting.  I use yellow braid a lot and I don't have problems catching fish.  I even directly tie it to my lures.  I guess I'll be SOL in my waters near me once they understand yellow lines mean danger.  Until then, I will keep catching.

[Catt]

I get that, but you'd probably get more bites on less visible line. As for the lures,it just depends on where you are and what the fish see and get caught on all the time. Back to that farm pond, you could just about throw a bare hook in sometimes and come up with a kicker fish, but to catch something decent at a place with constant fishing pressure you have to change it up and try something new because the fish grow accustomed to the spinners everyone and their dog casts in there. They become lure shy, they become line shy. They remember threats and avoid them, just like every other creature alive. If they didn't, every day on the water would be a cake walk and fishing tackle wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.

If this were true we would never catch a single bass ever!

Tom Mann was once asked why he made so many lures in so many colors?

His answer, " To catch the fisherman, bass have never spent a penny on my ures"

Yes bass fishing is a billion dollar industry but not cause of the bass!

I've around this sport long enough to know a huge part of sales is pure hype!

I'm still catching bass off the same structure I fished 50 years ago with worms, jigs, spinner baits, cranks, & topwaters.

[tnt2671]

I do not buy any of that BS!

Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!

If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!

Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!

what he said!