Line color. Just a thought.

[VTFan]

Does anyone remember the Stren Clear Blue Florescent line from years ago? I don't know if they even still make the stuff.  I just remember using it and it seemed like we caught just as many bass then as we do now. With all the talk these days about how bass can see colored line it just makes me wonder. I'm not going back to it even though it was good line, just a thought about color.

[Mobasser]

I used it also. I don't remember this line making any difference in numbers of fish caught. Line color is one of those debates that is ongoing for bass fisherman.

[Jig Man]

That was all that I used at the time.  Then there was no talk about line color because there was no internet where it could be discussed.  However, I found out the hard way about mono vs fluoro.

[A-Jay]

I use line color mostly to help me identify (insert remember)

which line is on which rig.

This includes mainlines and leaders. 

The only clear line in I use any application, is FC 12 & 15 lb.

Leaders of Big Game Green and Shooter Defier Armilo (sort of brown) are easy to ID.

My 8lb braid is grey and my 10, 15 & 20 lb braids are all green.

I do remember fishing Golden Stren half a life time ago.

I think they still sell it too.

A-Jay

 

[Reel]

It still exist and I used it a couple of years ago.  I have found better products now with the same advantage.  I now use metered line that is thinner for the same pound test  

What are the advantages ? Well you can see it.  When you are wade/drift  fishing with other fishermen that are a couple of feet from you on either side, you want to know where your line is.  

[Spankey]

I still use that line along with SunLine and McCoy. I don’t think Stren as a company is going anywhere. I try not to mess with the 330 yard spools and buy it in bulk. I’m pretty anal about striping my line back and replacing it. I’m sure I’m doing it premature but just a habit. 
The clear blue is nice for visibility and strike detection. I do fish a lot of clear also. Can say I’ve ever fished a red or camo type line. 

[gim]

Take a close look at virtually every single pro bass angler's setups.

 

Almost all of them are using some kind of main braided line attached to a fluorocarbon leader, with just a few exceptions.

 

Only the individual angler can decide if fish are "line shy" and whether that affects the number of bites they get in any giving outing and in any given conditions, but if pro anglers are all doing it with their livelihood on the line...well, you get the point.  That alone was enough to persuade me, especially if the water is on the clear side.

 

Keep in mind most of the fish they seek are highly pressured too.  YMMV

[Pat Brown]

I think water clarity and fishing pressure and timing have a lot to do with how line shy fish are. 

 

It's another one of those factors that you've got to take into consideration on a day-to-day basis and play it by ear because every fishery is different.

[DaubsNU1]

Most of the water I fish has visibility ranging from 1-3' at best. Sometimes worse.

 

Been straight green braid on all my casting rods since the 1990's. Ran mono on my spinning rods until 2020 when discovering this web site.

 

Now all my spinning rods are spooled with bright yellow 10lb braid, and mated to 6, 8, or 10lb FC leader. Been a great set up for me!

 

Do fish see the line? Likely.

 

Do they care? I dunno.

 

I am still catching fish : )

[rgasr63]

I have used it for the past 2 or 3 years so I can see the line better. BPS Excel line is available in clear blue flor. I have used some thinner line that was really thin and clear. I didn't see much difference between the 2 lines.

[F14A-B]

I use CXX in clear blue fluorescent and CX in the same. I use clear Yozuri I use green CX, I use green fluorescent by both Pline and Yozuri. No braid here..

 

I think a bigger issue is the amount of fishing pressure like @gimruis alludes to..

[Skunkmaster-k]

My woman uses clear blue all the time and I do not. She catches just as many as I do, sometimes more. 

[islandbass]

1 hour ago, VTFan said:

Does anyone remember the Stren Clear Blue Florescent line from years ago? I don't know if they even still make the stuff.  I just remember using it and it seemed like we caught just as many bass then as we do now. With all the talk these days about how bass can see colored line it just makes me wonder. I'm not going back to it even though it was good line, just a thought about color.

They still do. It’s also the only line in 14# test that gives me the highest percentage to catch them with spinnerbaits. It is still available. It is weird for me but true. I’ve even experiment with that. It is one of my favorite monos. 
 

Also, it’s been my experience that if the bass are in an aggressive enough state, line color doesn’t seem to matter. 

[gim]

35 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Most of the water I fish has visibility ranging from 1-3' at best. Sometimes worse.

 

In this case, I suspect there is no difference in what kind of line is used, and what color.

 

In the crystal clear waters of the Great Lakes, where visibility is 10 feet or more, and the sun is out, you might want to re-consider.

[TnRiver46]

I still use the stren clear blue fluorescent, I believe they just slap a BPS excel label on it now. Put the 12 lb on a baitcaster and you are set, it would take a might strong bass to break it. I’ve hauled 20 lb stripers in with it, in raging current below a dam 

[Bankc]

I've got some neon green, hi-viz line spooled up on one of my reels.  The fish don't seem to notice it, so I don't worry too much about line visibility or color. 

 

I mean, bass will bite a spinnerbait.  And that thing looks and sounds nothing like food.  Is there anything in nature that looks like a head, with a million tiny rubber legs hanging out the back, that has a pair of spinning metal spoons that follow just overhead everywhere it goes? 

 

Besides, we all know if I tied a steak to a fishing line, dogs would still bite it.  And dogs are a lot smarter than fish.  Heck, if I tied a $100 bill to a fishing line, smart humans would still chase it, knowing full well it's going to get pulled away before they can get to it.  It's instinctual.  Even when we know it's going to end up bad, we can't help ourselves. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Some thoughts on the subject.  
 

It’s important to remember that bass see differently than we do.   Bass do not see the color blue very well so the line may look grey to them.   When considering if bass can see fishing line,  I think line diameter maybe the most important factor.   Humans have extremely good visual acuity (the ability to see fine details).  Fish do not.  

[Bankc]

2 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Some thoughts on the subject.  
 

It’s important to remember that bass see differently than we do.   Bass do not see the color blue very well so the line may look grey to them.   When considering if bass can see fishing line,  I think line diameter maybe the most important factor.   Humans have extremely good visual acuity (the ability to see fine details).  Fish do not.  

True. 

 

Here's an article that talks a bit about that:

https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/understanding-fish-vision/154655#replay

[new2BC4bass]

Have never used Stren.  I do fish Neon Tangerine, Neon Green, Blue, Green, White, Hi-Viz Yellow and Red colored lines along with Clear and Camouflage lines.  I don't fish gin clear waters.  I don't think color makes a difference in the waters I fish.

[bulldog1935]

40 years of night fishing, blue is the Most productive color by far in the dark.  

This white bass stringer was all caught on a blue fly in the hour before first light.  

 

My understanding is fish vision is biased toward the blue end, which is why fluorocarbon works.  Fluorocarbon transmits 100% UV, while mono absorbs enough UV to create a UV shadow.  

[Eric 26]

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

I do remember fishing Golden Stren half a life time ago.

I think they still sell it too.

A-Jay

 

Oh they still sell it and this bluegill didn’t see it or didn’t care about the color match as much as I do when he seen my setup 😉

[Sota]

I saw a guy on YouTube that did a line comparison. He varied the type, color, diameter of lines. Then dropped the lines in differing water clarity and lighting conditions.  It was an interesting watch.  If I can find it I will post the link here. 

[WRB]

Line color only matters to how the fish see and react to it. Line colors we can see easily helps to detect line movements on the water surface.

Trout have micro vision to see small insects and line diameter can be critical trout fishing. Bass are not line shy fish but can react negatively to line that hampers lure movements or rate of fall. For example use line too big in diameter can hamper the live bait like Shad move and bass tend to avoid that bait but eagerly strike the same bait on smaller diameter line.

Tom

[GRiver]

@Bankc Thanks for sharing the link, great article. 

[Catt]

I think bass can see our line but that's not my question. My question is what do they think it is?

 

Do they gasp & say, that dang Cajun at it again.

 

Next how can a bass pick out my line given everything floating in the water.