Does braided really spook fish?

[Tatsu Dave]

12 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

you could catch thousands of bass while blaring hip hop music in your boat and stomping your feet too but why. Might as well sneak up on them in stealth mode 

The hip hops gotta go? the beavers smack their tail's to it...........heck I don't know. Joking aside I believe in total stealth and also believe when you have on water experience teach you something it doesn't matter then what someone else does.......you're going to follow that learning experience. This is a topic that will never be agreed on so we all do what we feel is most effective. 

[FishTank]

My thoughts....  If a fish can sense a finesse ribbon worm (which is one of my favorites) in complete darkness at night, then yes they can sense the whipping of braided line in the water. 

 

So... 

 

In medium to heavy stained water> Yes.  More water and material is displaced.

In clear water > Not so much. Weird, I know.

 

Or at least that is my theory.

 

 

[Hammer 4]

In gin clear water, if I'm flippin, punching or fishing top water, i.e. frogs, buzzbaits, ect. then I use braid. Everything else is usually mono, but sometimes fluro.

 

Stained water, not muddy, same thing. Try fishing bottom contact baits in clear water with braid, regardless line size vs mono or fluro, see how many fish you get with braid. 

[Catt]

One thing that never gets mentioned is what's in the water. 

 

I fish Lacassine Wildlife Refuge, the water is a clear as any on the nation. The reason bass can't see my line is the extreme amount of vegetation in the water. In areas where the is less "grass" actually growing there's always strands floating around.

 

If y'all are fishing clear water with nothing floating around in it then it's possible for the fish to see your line.

 

As for the experiences of side by side anglers out fishing each other we have to ask. What is the experience level of each angler? Was each angler working the lure in an identical way? Were they casting to the exact same spot? We can miss a target by 2' & never get bit!

 

[NHBull]

It is one think seeing the line, it's another processing that info.

 

I have no idea, but I do see that in most side by side comparisons, anglers say thay get more hits on FC than braid.  I seldom hear the reverse.  At best I hear it doesn't  matter.

 

I also understand how pros get paid and wonder if those that rely on their tools for income choose FC for most applications.

 

?

 

 

[soflabasser]

Both braid and mono have times they do best. For example I prefer fishing with braid when I frog fish.

[Stratocat_Joe]

I was a Marshal for a TW Pro Circuit event earlier this year and was paired with an angler who had just finished in the top 5 at the Pro Circuit event on Okeechobee.  This angler told me he caught his fish there flipping but used 25 lb. fluorocarbon over braid.  His reasoning wasn't because of sight of the line by the fish but he said braid has a different sound/vibration as it goes through the water that can sometimes make a difference. 

[king fisher]

On 9/5/2021 at 9:38 AM, 12poundbass said:

Here’s my theory, Gill nets have been used for hundreds of years. If the fish were spooked by things like this they wouldn’t still be used today. 

Have you ever used a gill net?  Most gill nets are made of mono.   Commercial fishermen change colors of mesh often depending on clarity and color of the water.  Purse seine nets are made of braid because it doesn't matter if the fish see the net.  Fish do learn to avoid gill nets.  Proving a large brain is not required to learn basic survival instincts.

     I do not think bass will shy away from braided line where I fish(1-2 foot vis).  I don't have experience fishing for bass in clear water. I will be interested to see what bass fishermen that do fish clear water think.

     Other species of fish in clear water are spooked by braid.  I have seen this happen many times.  I can only guess it is because braid is more visible.  

[BoatSquirrel]

Wind is the determining factor for me in the braid vs fluoro question.  When the wind slacks off and the lake gets quiet, braid is just too noisy. 

[The Bassman]

I've started using a black sharpie on the last few feet of my line. As far as noise goes I'm gradually switching over to P-Line TCB 8. It's quieter than any other braid I've used. Almost compares to Gliss but way more durable.

[CrankFate]

Yes, sometimes. I fish straight braid in stained and darker water. I use a mono or fluoro leader in clear water. Do not ask me how I decide whether to use mono or fluoro. I’m not sure.

[LrgmouthShad]

I have a related question but first I'll stay on topic. I believe braided line can sometimes make small differences in catch rates if the braided line is relatively heavy.

 

Okay, has anyone used a method for trying to make mono less visible by putting in dark streaks along the line? Similar to putting black sharpie on braid. There was a youtube video under the channel old school bass fishing videos where it was shown that green line was less visible and that when you dotted the line with a black sharpie, it was also less visible. They had an underwater view to offer the comparison. Thoughts?