Line color....let's hear your opinions...

[jdw174]

For a long time, I'd seen various outdoor writers extolling the virtues of clear line so you didn't scare the fish.  

Then, while I was an outdoor writer for a morning paper, I received a spool of the then new Trilene Solar XT.  I almost retched when I saw it.  It was so LOUD that I called Berkley and asked if they were joking.  They assured me that it was no joke and to please give it a try.  Keep in mind that this line was a bright flourescent chartreuse green that a blind man could have picked up in the water.

I spooled it up and went smallie fishing in Lake Erie.  This is water where you can see bottom in 20' of water on a calm day.  To make a long story short, the smallies tore up my jigs that day using that brightly colored line, and the same thing happened any time I used it.  The only reason I quit was that I was never fond of Berkley line (sorry Berkley).

Just interested in whether or not the rest of you think that line color REALLY matters.  The trips with that Solar line convinced me otherwise.

[justfishin]

Low-Vis Green, and thats all I have to say about that.

[Raul]

Experience based on a single day has hardly enough evidence to draw a conclussion like that one. Some days line visbility doesn 't matter at all, others line visbility is the difference between catching fish or come in empty handed.

[RoLo]

Your question (a very good one) gives birth to another question.

Let's suppose that two anglers were fishing the same lures, in the same place, at the same time.

However, the angler using 4lb line handily outproduces the angler using 8lb line.

Would you attribute the difference in their success to 'line visibility' or to 'lure action'?

I personally would side with the latter, because the finer the line, the lower the 'line drag' the more natural the delivery.

This isn't terribly important with largemouth bass, but it's more important with smallmouth bass

and "very" important with stream trout.

Roger

[Pa Angler]

On Mono I like the Flo Blue and on Braid I like green.

Chow

[jdw174]

Experience based on a single day has hardly enough evidence to draw a conclussion like that one. Some days line visbility doesn 't matter at all, others line visbility is the difference between catching fish or come in empty handed.

This was not based on a "single day".......

[Catt]

Late Winter through April the water color on Toledo Bend is murky so I prefer Berkley Big Game in Blue which give you better contrast.

Later spring and fall the water is clear so I prefer Berkley Big Game in Amber for better contrast.

During summer I night fish so line color does not matter   8-)

[Turtle.]

Low-Vis Green, and thats all I have to say about that.

DITTO!

[mike bat]

i prefer green ,but will use a copper color if green isnt aviable

[kbkindle]

kbhere i use green power pro for everything because of its outstanding sensitivity was having a harder time seeing the green line i a'm a line watcher with plastics and found out that there low vis yellow is real easy for me to see maybe the fish also can see it real good?kb

[Bud]

Sunline Defier in low vis green

[dodgeguy]

i'm going to color my sufix braid red next year and give it a try.

[ww2farmer]

I fish moderately clear water most of the time, I can see the bottom in 4'-6' of water most of the time, unless heavy rains have muddied it. I like clear and low vis green color lines.........but I fish for LM 99.9% of the time and in my opinion they are not line shy. THEY ARE however people shy, not spooking the fish and/or letting them see you is much more important than line color.

[Bionicman]

Low-Vis Green, and thats all I have to say about that.

DITTO!

Double Ditto!!!!

[WhiteMike1018]

Lo-Vis green....although i may think about switching, after reading a book on the biology based on bass, they see green the best out of all colors, lo-vis green may look good to us but different to bass

[roadwarrior]

I'm on board with Rolo on this. In general, I don't think line size or color is particularly important when targeting largemouth bass. When throwing reaction lures, it is not important to smallmouth either.

BUT...when using finesse lures (softt plastics) or live bait, line diameter can be crucial. On three different ocassions, fishing .010 diameter vs. .012 was the difference between night and day. I don't experiment anymore, I fish #4 (.009) or #6 (.010) Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft when I'm after smallmouth bass.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Here is how I judge it.  This is what I have had the best luck with.

Clear water = flourocarbon

Stained = flourocarbon prefereably or lo vis green

muddy= doesnt matter

weedy/clear= flouro

weedy/stained flouro/braid

weedy muddy braid