Watching My Line

[Boett43]

Is there any certain line color that is easier to see when fishing a jig type bait. Becauase i had a hard time seeing the line against the water with the rain and cloudy weather...

                      Big B

[detroit1]

I use clear/blue flourescent Trilene XL for all lures that require line-watching. You can see it well under most weather conditions, and i need all the help i can get.

[ABC123]

All my jigging is done with a 6'2" Spinning rod. I use a tracer line with a floro leader. The tracer line I use is yellow 12lb test braid. There are other colors, and there is also tracer colors in mono. Suffix makes an orange mono, Spiderwire and Powerpro have yellow and red braids. BPS has Mr. Crappie super visibility, there are others out there too, they just escape me at the moment.

[Catt]

As I get older this becomes more of a problem so depending on time of the year I change line color. I use Berkley Big Game in Mean Green, & Electric Blue; under certain conditions Cajun Red Lightnin'.  

[Avalonjohn44]

I would suggest Cajun Red.  I love the stuff.

[detroit1]

I've never tried Cajun line before- do you use it on both spinning & baitcast reels? Is it a mono of a different color?

[Boett43]

would the yellow line spook the fish at all? and just my opinon  but i find the cajun line to be very knotty? if thats a word when i put it on my baitcaster

[ABC123]

would the yellow line spook the fish at all? and just my opinon but i find the cajun line to be very knotty? if thats a word when i put it on my baitcaster

I use a good length of floro leader, at least 8 ft. I've been out in the boat with others, and was literally the only person to catch fish. I would say that the the yellow line with a decent length leader has little to no effect on the fish. I have never tied the yellow line directly onto a lure/jig, so I don't know what the results of doing that would be.

[Boett43]

Thanks now what do you mean by a floro leader is it the same type of deal as a muskie lead with a metal swivel snap at the end? a link would help alot thanks!!

                       Big B 8-)

[roadwarrior]

Well, there are lots of us that don't put much credence into "line watching."

I doesn't work to well when fishing in high wind conditions or at night.   :

[gatrboy53]

i line watch when possible w/ soft plastics w/o weight or very little that get bit alot on the fall.when fishin a jig i fish by feel because of the weight of the jig,usually even on the fall im trying to feel the bait fall.there are very few times you wont be able to feel a jig bite.

[Guest avid]

Jig fishing and line watching go hand in hand

The strike on a jig can be so soft that a little jump in the line may be the only indication that a fish has hit your lure.

I always fish jigs with heavy power pro.  No leader.  

The opaque green line shows up well.

I have tried leaders, but for jigs in cover or on the bottom, I have never noticed that a floruo leader makes any difference at all.

Fer sure jigs work great at night, but I use topwaters 90% of the time in the dark.  then a big black colorado bladed spinnerbait.

[Crestliner2008]

One thing on yellow lines. If you've read any of Doug Hannon's earlier books on bass fishing, he did extensive research on lure color and bass reaction, as well as catch ratios. It is stated, in that literature (the exact name of that book eludes me right now), that yellow is the worse color to use around bass. That being said about lures, if you carry it into the line discussion, I would probably feel a lot more confident either not using it at all, or using a long length of fluoro leader of some kind. Just a thought.

[tyrius.]

It is stated, in that literature (the exact name of that book eludes me right now), that yellow is the worse color to use around bass. That being said about lures, if you carry it into the line discussion, I would probably feel a lot more confident either not using it at all, or using a long length of fluoro leader of some kind. Just a thought.

Yellow is bad?  Chart is the best producing color for me on spinnerbaits.  Parrot, hot mustard, firetiger, and many other Rapale crankbaits have lots of yellow and they catch lots of fish too.

Would you be able to look up the book later and see if what you wrote is correct?  Seems weird.

[Davis]

It is stated, in that literature (the exact name of that book eludes me right now), that yellow is the worse color to use around bass. That being said about lures, if you carry it into the line discussion, I would probably feel a lot more confident either not using it at all, or using a long length of fluoro leader of some kind. Just a thought.

Yellow is bad? Chart is the best producing color for me on spinnerbaits. Parrot, hot mustard, firetiger, and many other Rapale crankbaits have lots of yellow and they catch lots of fish too.

Would you be able to look up the book later and see if what you wrote is correct? Seems weird.

I think he is talking about using yellow as a LINE color is not the best move for line selection.

I could be wrong though.

[ABC123]

Thanks now what do you mean by a floro leader is it the same type of deal as a muskie lead with a metal swivel snap at the end? a link would help alot thanks!!

                       Big B 8-)

I just take a length of florocarbon line and tie it to the main line with a uni to uni knot. Just a length of fishing line cut off the spool and tied on, not a pre made or steel leader type setup.

[bassman1282]

Its amazing to me that no one on here has mentioned sunglasses. The color of your line does not matter as much as the quality and color lens of your polarized sunglasses. This way, you can actually use a line that fish cant see and still see your line. Changing lens colors under different light conditions helps, but a good all around amber or grey lens will work. Go ahead and use tracer yellow, orange, that bungee cord stuff they call cajun red, and power pro with no leader, I will come behind you with my flouro and catch all the fish that saw your line.

[Catt]

Its amazing to me that no one on here has mentioned sunglasses. The color of your line does not matter as much as the quality and color lens of your polarized sunglasses. This way, you can actually use a line that fish cant see and still see your line. Changing lens colors under different light conditions helps, but a good all around amber or grey lens will work. Go ahead and use tracer yellow, orange, that bungee cord stuff they call cajun red, and power pro with no leader, I will come behind you with my flouro and catch all the fish that saw your line.

Let me guess you're a youngster; even with out looking at your profile I'd say mid to upper twenties?

Yes quality sunglasses are extremely helpful but they will not fix eye problems that come with old age.

I promise you fluorocarbon will not replace 40+ years experience so if you want to take my back seat while I throw Berkley Big Game in Mean Green, Electric Blue or Cajun Red Lightnin' come on down and get schooled.

[Jeff H]

Hannon mentions the yellow factor in his book "Big Bass Magic" and he was talking about lures, not line.

[TrickyVT1887]

I'm with bassman1282 I'm 20 and i use flouro exclusively on my jig rod i noticed my hits went up 100% especially when fishing clear water lakes also i've observed a better hookup ratio with flouro. Just because i'm young doesn't mean I haven't outfished a lot of people i've fished with that are more than twice my age.

[David P]

Its amazing to me that no one on here has mentioned sunglasses. The color of your line does not matter as much as the quality and color lens of your polarized sunglasses. This way, you can actually use a line that fish cant see and still see your line. Changing lens colors under different light conditions helps, but a good all around amber or grey lens will work. Go ahead and use tracer yellow, orange, that bungee cord stuff they call cajun red, and power pro with no leader, I will come behind you with my flouro and catch all the fish that saw your line.

Let me guess you're a youngster; even with out looking at your profile I'd say mid to upper twenties?

Yes quality sunglasses are extremely helpful but they will not fix eye problems that come with old age.

I promise you fluorocarbon will not replace 40+ years experience so if you want to take my back seat while I throw Berkley Big Game in Mean Green, Electric Blue or Cajun Red Lightnin' come on down and get schooled.

Get prescription sunglasses  

I'm only 20, and I would tend to agree with you as well. experience > line color, BUT in some situations I would say fluoro is the only way to go.

In highly pressured waters, extremely clear water, or in waters where fish are in general spooked, line does make a BIG difference.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I use Trilene XL Clear/Blue Fluorescent. Very visible under cloudy or sunny conditions.

Falcon

[bass109]

Berkley transition doesnt work that well with me, but its one choice.