Does Line Color Matter?

[Bpett2552]

Hey guys,

I normally fish with clear copolymer line but recently I was forced to buy P-Line CXX "moss green" because my tackle shop didn't have my usual line at the time. My question is do you think that having some color to my line will affect the bite? I typically fish in fairly clear water so that why I prefer the clear line. I do know some guys though who fish with straight braid, no leader, even in clear shallow water and say that it does not turn off the fish. I would love to know what you guys think.

Thanks.

[Raul]

It matters everything ...... to me, one of the reasons why for many years I didn´t fish with FC was that it blends so well that I can´t see the darn thing, as for the fish, I really doubt it matters, the ponds I fish regularly with fluorescent line has super extra crystal clear and the fish still bite.

[scaleface]

I like for my string to be   invisible . In green water I like green or clear line . I'm also a line watcher and use blue fluorescent for soft plastics and jigs. I use the old doug Hannon trick and camouflage my line with a marker by coloring two inch strips a couple of feet up .   Others think it is a waste of time to do it . I think it will help me catch a few more fish by the end of the day . I dont use florocarbon because I dont like it . 

[WRB]

Line color matters if it matters to you. The line diameter is more of a factor to bass because it can affect how the lure works. I use both clear and low visibility green like moss green FC, prefer the green tones for jig fishing because I can see it better than clear line under low light conditions, about equal in bright light.

Don't like fluorescent color line and that matters to me.

I have used coffee stained mono, line with cameo dashes, etc, if I catch bass it's good, if I don't it's not good.

Tom

[Kentuckysteve]

Some people use the thick braid with no leader and they catch fish.That's gotta appear like a rope tied to the lure from the fishes view but they still bite.Mono is not invisible and the fish must see it also but they don't seem to mind.As far as a color....maybe if its some really bright high visibility line i would think it might spook bass.Colors alone don't really seem to be a problem for me.I have fished the green,red and blue line and caught fish on all.I like my clear fluorocarbon line now because i like the invisibility.I use it most of the time unless i am fishing something top water.Even with the braided line i use a fluoro leader.I can't say that i am catching more than someone fishing with another type or color line though.It comes down to personal preference.Most people fish with whatever they feel comfortable using.

[Wayne P.]

I use YELLOW superline, the fish don't care.

Some of my yellow lines are striped with red lure dye to get some contrast for some lighting conditions.

 

Ever head of the Alabama rig? All those wires leading to the baits don't scare the fish and those wires are not clear.

 

 

If you need an excuse for not catching, you can blame the line color.

[the reel ess]

I use YELLOW superline, the fish don't care.

Some of my yellow lines are striped with red lure dye to get some contrast for some lighting conditions.

 

Ever head of the Alabama rig? All those wires leading to the baits don't scare the fish and those wires are not clear.

 

 

Yeah, this right here. I've started fishing with straight braid on single hook lures and even some trebles on a medium spinning combo. I've caught as many and some very nice fish on braid that I can plainly see in the water. It took me 45 years to get to this point. 

[scaleface]

You might catch 5 fish on an Alabama rig . How do you know that you wouldnt catch ten if the wires were invisible . You dont know. . Ive heard that argument before and I think it is a poor reasoning .

[bassguytom]

I use yellow power pro super slick 10 lbs braid with a 5 foot flourocarbon leader. I also cut a V into a thick black sharpie and run about 12 feet of the braid through it. I'm a line watcher and the yellow is easier to see for me. The flouro serves two purposes one being that it is invisible in the water and two it is easier to tie a lure to quickly. Never fished straight braid but this seems to be the best of both for me. No issues spooking fish as far as I can tell. I still haven't caught anything this way but... Just kidding I slay them this way. Good luck.

[scaleface]

A person can tie a lure to 550 paracord and catch a fish but that does not prove that line visibility doesnt matter . 

[Josh Smith]

I generally prefer my line to be visible as it helps me spool the reel.

The bass are too dumb to know the differnce.

Josh

[scaleface]

The

 

I generally prefer my line to be visible as it helps me spool the reel.

The bass are too dumb to know the differnce.

Josh

By that reasoning then you would get just as many bites using a drop shot with 100 lb test than you would with 10 lb test.

[scaleface]

The difference between a twenty fish day and a fifty fish day , small details .

[the reel ess]

Do you guys really believe florocarbon is invisible to a fish, a creature that lives underwater and starts its life off eating things so small we cant see them without a magnifying glass?

[Dave Jakes]

I have a different approach: All my mono line is moss green, all my fluorocarbon is clear. I do this just so I can keep track of what line is on what reel. I switch my rods and reels around quite often depending on what lake/technique I'll be using most for any given trip, just makes it a bit easier for me to keep track of things. I don't think that slight difference is enough to screw up anything too badly, but it's also true that I suppose I will never truly know, just like the Alabama Rig argument.

[MIbassyaker]

The difference between a twenty fish day and a fifty fish day , small details .

Yes, sure.

The real question, though, is: which details?

Some presentation details are simply going to be more important than others.

And if line invisibility was a detail that more than doubled your catch with any regularity, there would be no dispute on this topic -- it would simply be part of common experience. Nobody would even be selling, or buying, colored lines of any kind.

 

In any case, in the absence of clear evidence that line visibility matters, I have a hard time believing a fish who will strike virtually every artificial lure design ever conceived could reasonably be expected to care about it. 

[RoLo]

You might catch 5 fish on an Alabama rig . How do you know that you wouldnt catch ten if the wires were invisible . You dont know. . Ive heard that argument before and I think it is a poor reasoning .

 

But aren't you using the same reasoning?

 

Let's say you catch 3 bass on transparent line,

how do you know you wouldn't have caught the same 3 bass on braid?

In fact, you might've caught 4 bass on braid, because thinner line offers a more natural delivery.

 

Roger

[Kentuckysteve]

Do you guys really believe florocarbon is invisible to a fish, a creature that lives underwater and starts its life off eating things so small we cant see them without a magnifying glass?

 

Sure i don't but if it's harder for me to see in the water don't you think it would have to be a little harder for the fish to detect?

[Fun4Me]

Sure i don't but if it's harder for me to see in the water don't you think it would have to be a little harder for the fish to detect?

 

That all depends on if the fish see exactly like we do.

 

They'll hit an A-rig, spinnerbait, look past treble hook, regular hook, etc.

 

I don't think line really matters all that much. 

[scaleface]

I dont see any Bass anglers   using High visibility green line . If line visibility didnt matter , then why not ? 

[Fun4Me]

I dont see any Bass anglers   using High visibility green line . If line visibility didnt matter , then why not ? 

 

Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. 

 

Again, if line visibility is so critical, how do you explain fish being caught on spinnerbaits, A-rigs, and lures with treble hooks and regular hooks, made with large diameter shinny metal either on them or leading them? 

[scaleface]

Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it hasn't happened. 

 

Again, if line visibility is so critical, how do you explain fish being caught on spinnerbaits, A-rigs, and lures with treble hooks and regular hooks, made with large diameter shinny metal either on them or leading them? 

Never will 100 per cent of bass  hit and more than  0 percent will . In my experience , large spinnerbaits lose their effectiveness in summer . I still catch them on smaller ones with muted colors and smaller blades. Its not hard to understand. Plus theres a difference using spinnerbaits which are most often fished faster than worms and jigs . I like to burn them to not give bass a good look at them .Its a good technique employed by anglers everywhere .

 

I rented a slip at super clear Table Rock lake. The Aunts creek resort to be exact. There was a keeper   bass under the walk way . I tried catching it with a brown Salt Craw and 12 lb test clear line . The fish had zero interest in it. I tied the brown Salt Craw on a spinning outfit with 6 lb test and dropped it down to that fish repeatedly . The bass ignored it. I then took a black marker and colored two inch strips on the line , to break up the outline. This time when I dropped it on the fish it got hit  immediately. So at least one time it appeared that line visibility mattered . I camouflage my line a lot when using worms and jigs. Im convinced that it helps put a few extra fish in the boat , I cant prove it does and you cant prove it does not.

 

Trout anglers are convinced line visibility matters but it has zero impact on bass ? I just dont buy that . Surely there comes a time where a bass will refuse a bait because of line visibility . Barge rope  , half inch rope , paracord , 100 lb test , 50  lb test ...6 lb test .

[Fun4Me]

Never will 100 per cent of bass  hit and more than  0 percent will . In my experience , large spinnerbaits lose their effectiveness in summer . I still catch them on smaller ones with muted colors and smaller blades. Its not hard to understand. Plus theres a difference using spinnerbaits which are most often fished faster than worms and jigs . I like to burn them to not give bass a good look at them .Its a good technique employed by anglers everywhere .

 

I rented a slip at super clear Table Rock lake. The Aunts creek resort to be exact. There was a keeper   bass under the walk way . I tried catching it with a brown Salt Craw and 12 lb test clear line . The fish had zero interest in it. I tied the brown Salt Craw on a spinning outfit with 6 lb test and dropped it down to that fish repeatedly . The bass ignored it. I then took a black marker and colored two inch strips on the line , to break up the outline. This time when I dropped it on the fish it got hit  immediately. So at least one time it appeared that line visibility mattered . I camouflage my line a lot when using worms and jigs. Im convinced that it helps put a few extra fish in the boat , I cant prove it does and you cant prove it does not.

 

Trout anglers are convinced line visibility matters but it has zero impact on bass ? I just dont buy that . Surely there comes a time where a bass will refuse a bait because of line visibility . Barge rope  , half inch rope , paracord , 100 lb test , 50  lb test ...6 lb test .

 

 

It's also possible that by coloring your clear line black, you essentially made the line visible where you colored it, making the fish bite because he saw the line.

 

Or, maybe he only bit it the third time because he got frustrated and just decided to hit it.

 

The point is fish can't talk, and unless we can tap into their little brains, we'll never know the answers to any of our questions.

 

If line visibility mattesr to you, and by you I mean anyone, go for it. it's just hard for me to think it really matters in the context of normal fishing. Sure, we could make the argument that a fish might see my line if I use a tow rope, but that's fairly unrealistic.

[scaleface]

Anyhow I presented my case . The jury is still out . LOL

[Fun4Me]

Anyhow I presented my case . The jury is still out . LOL

 

And it's very possible you're correct. 

 

I just can't get my head around a fish that would require 100 LB test not being able to see the line, but a bass can, or any fish for that matter.

 

I think this debate is analogous to how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop. The world may never know.