Line Color

Utah Fishing Reports & Discussion Utah Fishing General
21

If you want invisibility use flourocarbon.

This Tackle Tour test would beg to differ with you: Flourocarbon showdown

And the testers wrote: “Conclusions from our visibility tests? We’d say largely inconclusive. For one, it’s difficult to determine if what we see is the same as what a fish can see. From our photographs, it would certainly appear that some of the lines are difficult to find, but then again, so is the Berkley Trilene XL!”

But go see the pictures for yourself.

I think the fishing line “new and improved” marketing is alot like all other new and improved: full of marketing but not really full of substance.

I decided to use a different line this year, and when all was read and researched, I decided on Trilene XL.

See the Flourocarbon post in Utah Fishing Gear.

BTW, be careful of Vanish in sub 30 degree temps. I’ve read post where guys have said it snaps in cold weather; not great if there’s a $15 Lucky on the end of your line…

Second, BTW, TubeDude wrote this in a 2006 post:

"We go through this same exercise about five or six times a year, and it usually results in about the same thing. Everybody voices/writes their opinions and we move on, with nobody really influenced by the opinions of others.

You are right about there being a confusing number of choices. You are also right that ultimately it is a matter of personal choice, based upon budget, type of fishing one does and what we want the line to do for us.

Sadly, some anglers who don’t know enough or appreciate the differences enough, spend more than they should, for lines that are not well suited for their needs. Just as sad are the folks who always buy cheap and then complain about losing fish, getting “boil-offs” or backlashes, etc.

It’s kind of a double edged sword. In the olden days there was not a lot of choice, and somehow we managed to get by. Today you need a degree in line-ology just to figure out what to spool up with. And then you always wonder “Did I make the right choice?”

It is just scary that I can remember 2006 TubeDude-isms [crazy]

Have fun selecting a line! [:p]

22

:sunglasses:What scares me is that I can’t remember yesterday. At my age every day is REALLY a new day. Meet lots of new friends that already seem to know me…and there is no such thing as a rerun on TV.

The thing on the line is pretty much the same. But, it is good to revisit the options once in a while. Hail progress. Technology marches on and there are always new choices.

But, it still boils down to personal preferences in limpness, visibility, abrasion resistance, memory, knot strength…and cost. I have tried a bunch of lines and still stick with my Silver Thread Excalibur. And, I still have not had a fish break off in over 8 years. And…again…I generally manage to get my share of hits and hookups…against other guys using higher priced and more exotic lines.

** If you are basically a good angler and know how to use your lures and tackle, line makes less difference than other factors. It doesn’t matter what line you use if you are fishing in the wrong place, using the wrong lure and the wrong presentation. **

High country trout in air-clear water are notorious for being leader shy. Ditto for many fish in clear streams. But, for bass, walleye, perch, white bass, wipers, catfish and many others, you can often use straight braided line with high visibility and still get plenty of action. Of course, using quality clear leader will improve the success rate, but line visibility alone is not the only killer.

For every finicky fish that turns away when it sees the line/leader, there are just as many that don’t give a hoot. Ever watch a bass smack a crawdad? They open their mouth, flare their gills and suck in a cubic yard of crawdad, vegetation and rocks. Same with many other fish. If they see food hiding in a pile of sticks, they chomp the whole mess and sort out the edible part later.

Bottom “line” is that you should use whatever you like and you have confidence in. Just like with lures, you will always do better if you fish with positive expectation…while standing on your left leg, squinting your right eye and holding your mouth just right.

23

Your comments here will be noted for my 2010 post on the never-ending saga of which line to use…[;)]

24

i believe that it is scientific fact that the color red does disappear first in water but i do not think that it means that if your line is fifty feet underwater that is goes invisible what i believe it means is distance from where you are looking from to the colored object be it anything fishing line included so if you are three feet from your line all colors probably show up, the further you get from your line the colors start to filter out, with my opinion stated i think a fish that is close enough to bite your line will see almost all of the different kinds

25

I think you are right in that the color red CHANGES, but the line is still there through light refraction.
I personally am convinced that the zero lite refraction in Fluorocarbon will make it invisible.
I do fly fish and this is very important it what I do, not to mention diameter, Fluorocarbon is stronger in a smaller diameter.
As mentioned the line size will make a difference also, but us ff will use an 8X :laughing:

26

I also use the Berkley Vanish, Transition, I never need to use Leader and most the lakes I fish the line disapears, willard is so merky, that is all I use to the lure, and have great sucess with it.

27

Over the past several years thousands of new fishing products have been released. The vast majority of these are used to catch fisherman not fish. In the case of red line the thing that catches fisherman is that it “disappears underwater”. This isn’t the case when red light is filtered out by various particles in the water the line then appears gray to human eyes. Then there is the case of red hooks that are supposed to stimulate the fish to bite because its the color of blood. If red is supposed to “disappear underwater”, why would this make any difference?

Just use what you have confidence in, not the most expensive or most glamorous. For me, I like trilene in either XL or XT depending on the circumstance, but always in the low-vis green color. My reasoning for this i that unless the water is muddy, it always has a green tint to it no matter how deep or clear it really is. Lake and river water is never really clear.

28

Interesting. I could show you 5 studies to counter every one that says the contrary too. I’m not one that believes everything I read just like Cajun Red has been screaming for years it is invisible and shows their bias charts and graphs and other marketing ploys which took the fishing line business by storm in market share for a lot of years. Even rod manufacturers bought their song and dance and had cajun red pre-spooled on their product.

I just go by my experience and own tests. My profession has given me the opportunity to use and test just about all those lines listed on that chart. Each one of them has a their own downfall. I’ve never seen a “perfect” line myself. Each situation is different. I can say, however, that my own underwater tests with camera’s have shown flouro to be invisible in most situations. There have been times when a film of algae, oil from your skin, attractants, whatever…that get on the line will nullify it’s characteristics.

Like tubedude says I don’t know how we ever caught fish in the past. I seem to still have caught them on braided line with an old penn baitcaster with a metal rod in the 60’s.

29

Exactly right on with the red. What has been the go to “staple” color and sometimes one of just a few choices years(decades) back and sometimes still is to this day. Red. Red and white for the majority applications. The fish obviously can see it and like it. Whatever it is…red can be seen.

30

I could show you 5 studies to counter every one that says the contrary too.

Heck, I’d be happy with one or two. I’m always open to new information. It’s not like I’m married to Trilene; I could be persuaded to switch.

Post up a couple of links.

31

Just be glad you don’t fly fish then. The stuff you guys are talking about would be the last 2 to 5’ of a $64. line, but now which line, Long Belly, DT or WT or TT, Nymphing Line, Windcutter line, etc and that is just the floating end :laughing: Now add a reel or spool for each…ARGH!

32

All you have to do is google it and spend as many hours or days you want deciding on which study you want to believe. I’m not a believer in applied science to get the result I want to recieve. I’m not married to anything either.

I’m just saying off of personal experience, my own two eyes and the experience of hundreds of anglers I come in contact with on a daily basis.
:sunglasses:

33

heres the deal use what line makes you tingly, if you want to know more about color do some research on the electromagnetic spectrum and the 3 ways everything on earth (above absolute zero) reacts to electromagnetic waves 1-transmit, 2-reflect, 3-absorb, there you will find some leads to some info on the claims made, maybe check out Kirchhoff’s Law even, in the mean time use what works for you if it doesn’t, try new, besides i do not know if fish see the same part of the spectrum that we do maybe somebody could answer that question that would be a excellent place to start

34

:sunglasses:And thus we end up about where all of the previous plethora of line discussion threads have ended up. Lots of personal opinions and nobody really convinced that any other line is better for them than the one they already use.

Anybody feeling tingly?

**See y’all in a couple of months. **

35

Tingly? Heck…I’m having multiple O’s just the thought of it!:astonished:

36

:sunglasses:TMI

37

heres the deal use what line makes you tingly, if you want to know more about color do some research on the electromagnetic spectrum and the 3 ways everything on earth (above absolute zero) reacts to electromagnetic waves 1-transmit, 2-reflect, 3-absorb, there you will find some leads to some info on the claims made, maybe check out Kirchhoff’s Law even, in the mean time use what works for you if it doesn’t, try new, besides i do not know if fish see the same part of the spectrum that we do maybe somebody could answer that question that would be a excellent place to start

Whether or not fish see the same as we do is as confusing as line color. there is no way to have real proof, unless you were a fish in a past life. :laughing: here’s another issue of what fish can see, recently many UV lures have been released, can fish see UV light, or is this also something to catch fisherman?