Line Color Fish See It? 2024
Green Trout reply :
Hi, I just picked up a 900yd spool of 15lb Steel Blue Trilene Big Game Monofilament yesterday for my Texas Rig worms in 1-10ft of water. My question is can the fish see the "blue tint color" in this situation? My water clarity is around 2-3ft of visibility. Thanks!
Choporoz reply :
I believe fish will can see the line. The question is: what do those little fish-brains do with the information?
poisonokie reply :
If they've been caught before and their highly sophisticated fish eyes saw it, I think their little ganglionic fish brains will scream "DANGER!" the next time they see it.
Scott F reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 6:06 AM, poisonokie said:If they've been caught before and their highly sophisticated fish eyes saw it, I think their little ganglionic fish brains will scream "DANGER!" the next time they see it.
How come they don't scream danger when they see the hook dangling from the bait?
WRB reply :
What is important is how well you see it.
Tom
poisonokie reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 6:45 AM, Scott F said:How come they don't scream danger when they see the hook dangling from the bait?
I'm not so sure they don't, but typically they bite lures like that reflexively. Jerkbaits aside, when a hardbait flies past their face they don't have time to study it. Slow presentations, on the other hand, like the t-rig the OP is talking about, may have a bass nosing up to it for a long time before it decides to eat it. So in that case line color may make a difference. I get more bites on fluorocarbon for sure, and I set more hooks by having a high vis mainline.
bigbill reply :
With visible line the fish see what we see in the water the split view or screen.
I use Excalibur silver thread copolymer line in clear or green.
On my c rig plastics rod it's Cajun red line. It disappears, I'm fishing in 10' of water.
My point is if I use clear line then a Cajun leader I have a weak link. Why not use the stronger test Cajun line all the way 17lb test.
Catt reply :
I do not buy any of that BS!
Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!
If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!
Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!
badhatharry reply :
I don't fish high vis or fluorescent line unless I absolutely have to. And even then, I will take a felt tip pen, usually brown, and color the last 4 feet or so.
Mike2841 reply :
I fish with hi vis yellow and neon green braid, direct to the lure. Fish don't seem to mind.
Surfcaster reply :
My favorite line is Stren clear blue florescent. I have caught plenty of fish in the lake and off the surf with that line. I also have reels spooled with clear mono, hi vis yellow braid and lo vis green braid. caught fish on all. I have outfished others in the boat that were using "invisible line" and I have been outfished by people in the boat who were using "invisible line".
My personal opinion is that the fish could care less what color you line is; it only matters to the fisherman. There is probably enough discarded line in the lake that it looks normal to them by now.
EmersonFish reply :
Fish don't see things the way we do. They don't know what line is. They don't know what a hook is. If they see something that typically triggers their instincts because it resembles in some way something they eat, but that thing has a line shooting out of it toward the surface, does it give them some instinctual pause? I don't have a clue. My human brain cannot conceptualize that. Here's what I do know. From my experience, fishing bodies of water like Bull Shoals, Table Rock, and other clear water reservoirs, ANECDOTALLY, line visibility has "mattered." However, in your situation, with lower visibility, you probably will not see a big difference in the number of bites you get. With that line, I'd focus more on whether I liked its other qualities or not. If I had that much of any kind of line, I would certainly give it a fair chance. It might be a long time before you come to any conclusions.
poisonokie reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:13 AM, Catt said:I do not buy any of that BS!
Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!
If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!
Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!
Not so fast. Why is that you can go up to a farm pond that no one ever fishes and catch every fish in there and then turn around and go to some highly pressured water and catch squat?
Lendiesel22 reply :
Think about it like this....when you see something new most of the time you touch it to help your brain associate it to something. It helps you interpret what you are seeing and class it with other things. Fish can only bite and smell something to interpret and class it as food. Visually it got attention but the only way they can be sure is give it a chomp. Far as line goes with this if they can see it, they have no way to class it. Not saying that they are not aware of it, but more so they cannot make the hardline decision that it is a threat enough to pass up food. I think the less of that visual signature the better but that is as much for my brain as it is hiding it from theirs. On the other side of that coin when you are walking a path and catch the last glimpse of the super thin spider web right as it wraps around your face and you become a ninja trying to get it off you, you d**n sure dont walk through there again without making sure there is no web there. 
poisonokie reply :
if fish couldn't identify danger, they never would have evolved into what they are now and we wouldn't even be having this conversation because we wouldn't be here either.
Lendiesel22 reply :
Hahahaha 10 4
Josh Smith reply :
Bass make the decision to strike like you make the decision to breathe.
Sometimes they just can't help it just like you can't help but breath when you've held your breath too long (bass strikes out of hunger) or when you're startled (bass strikes in defense or from pure reflex).
This is likely the closest analogy I've hypothosized in the past 25 years or so.
Josh
poisonokie reply :
that's the difference between reaction strikes and feeding strikes. Cranks and flipping? Line color probably doesn't matter as much. But slow dragged jigs, t rigs, and drop shots are different. The less they see anything but the bait itself the better.
BobP reply :
Well, you got your answer! Opinions are definitely yes, but also definitely no - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. So you have to decide for yourself. I fish a clear lake and yes, I think it can matter especially when we're talking about slow presentations like worms and jigs. Even if I were doubtful I'd choose to keep it stealthy just because there's no downside to doing so and maybe a downside if I didn't. Would that keep me from spooling up blue Big Game and fishing it in water with 2-3 ft visibility? No. But the next time I ordered some, I'd buy the green or clear version.
Cgrinder reply :
They can probably see it. But then again, they can probably see 15 lb Big Game clear as well (.38 mm ain't exactly subtle).
Catt reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:54 AM, poisonokie said:Not so fast. Why is that you can go up to a farm pond that no one ever fishes and catch every fish in there and then turn around and go to some highly pressured water and catch squat?
Why do they continue to hit 100 year old lures?
I've caught bass on orange mono, solor green mono, amber/brown mono, steel blue mono, mean green mono, red mono, plus every braided line since braided cotton.
poisonokie reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 11:15 AM, Catt said:Why do they continue to hit 100 year old lures?
I've caught bass on orange mono, solor green mono, amber/brown mono, steel blue mono, mean green mono, red mono, plus every braided line since braided cotton.
I get that, but you'd probably get more bites on less visible line. As for the lures,it just depends on where you are and what the fish see and get caught on all the time. Back to that farm pond, you could just about throw a bare hook in sometimes and come up with a kicker fish, but to catch something decent at a place with constant fishing pressure you have to change it up and try something new because the fish grow accustomed to the spinners everyone and their dog casts in there. They become lure shy, they become line shy. They remember threats and avoid them, just like every other creature alive. If they didn't, every day on the water would be a cake walk and fishing tackle wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.
lmbfisherman reply :
HAHA this is getting interesting. I use yellow braid a lot and I don't have problems catching fish. I even directly tie it to my lures. I guess I'll be SOL in my waters near me once they understand yellow lines mean danger. Until then, I will keep catching.
Catt reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 11:26 AM, poisonokie said:I get that, but you'd probably get more bites on less visible line. As for the lures,it just depends on where you are and what the fish see and get caught on all the time. Back to that farm pond, you could just about throw a bare hook in sometimes and come up with a kicker fish, but to catch something decent at a place with constant fishing pressure you have to change it up and try something new because the fish grow accustomed to the spinners everyone and their dog casts in there. They become lure shy, they become line shy. They remember threats and avoid them, just like every other creature alive. If they didn't, every day on the water would be a cake walk and fishing tackle wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.
If this were true we would never catch a single bass ever!
Tom Mann was once asked why he made so many lures in so many colors?
His answer, " To catch the fisherman, bass have never spent a penny on my ures"
Yes bass fishing is a billion dollar industry but not cause of the bass!
I've around this sport long enough to know a huge part of sales is pure hype!
I'm still catching bass off the same structure I fished 50 years ago with worms, jigs, spinner baits, cranks, & topwaters.
tnt2671 reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:13 AM, Catt said:I do not buy any of that BS!
Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!
If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!
Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!
what he said!
Turkey sandwich reply :
I kind of just think that less visible line rarely hurts any situation vs a high vis line (no leader) that may hurt certain situations. I also think that certain fish are more line shy than others. There's a reason Orvis, Sage, etc sell tons of 6x-8x flourocarbon tippets - if you try dropping even 6lb mono in front of spooky trout without some serious stealth, there's a good chance they're headed to the bottom of the pool. On the flip side, on opening day of trout, you could jam a hook through a matchbox car tied to parachute cord and still catch a limit. Having fished a variety of waters and conditions, I think it's reasonable to assume that bass aren't all that different. If they want to survive, they need to learn from surroundings. Not to say it's anything like how we think, but at least something like classical conditioning/Pavlov's dog.
Here's the way I kind of think about it from an evolution standpoint... For bass (or any fish) to grow big, they need to out compete other fish for food and stay alive long enough to meet their maximum size. The drive to outcompete is what makes them aggressive. Throwing us in the mix messes the whole thing up because the same aggression that drives them to out compete other fish is the same aggression that leads to them smashing a crankbait, and thus potentially reducing their lifespan. Kind of a messed up Catch-22 for the fish. As time goes on, this would likely lead to the most aggressive fish being caught and either A ) harvested, removing genes that allow for fast growth and aggressive tendencies or B ) released and likely a lot more weary.
This is kinda why I think bass, especially in clear or pressured waters can become line shy. Whether this is the case or not, I'd rather err on the side of caution and use the lighter flouro or mono vs direct tie to braid 90% of the time. As for the issues with creating a "weak link", with the exception of maybe in the heaviest cover, I think we should all be able to agree that a bass shouldn't be breaking off 12-15lb test with well tied knots regularly checked for kinks and frays.
GetJigginWithIt reply :
Bass have no ability to logically process information. Physically, the brain of the bass is missing a lobe that would function for logical thinking. I. Other words, they are a fairly stupid fish.
Watch this video. Bob Lusk. Biologist. Some interesting facts.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-fishing-fish-biology.html
poisonokie reply :
Just because bass don't reason doesn't mean they don't adapt. Something that was a threat before will elicit a fight or flight response the next time. Something subtle like line may take a while to be associated with the threat, but over time it will. Of course they don't know what it is, but they do see it and they'll turn away from that t rig if they do.
Sounds like you've got quite a collection of baits to catch the same fish on the same structure. So why is that necessary? Could it be that the fish's little brain is trying to keep it alive by keeping it from biting some of them? If not, you might as well just throw everything away and go buy a lifetime supply of purple worms before everyone else figures out that your bait presentation doesn't really matter and the entire fishing industry collapses because we're all just a bunch of idiots throwing money at fish when we should be throwing purple worms on neon 20 lb line.
Choporoz reply :
Amazing to me that we're still 'arguing' over what we believe a bass sees.... and thinks.
Fun4Me reply :
I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
For clear water, or slow moving presentations, you probably wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice by using less visible line.
For everything else, it probably has less effectiveness.
I probably wouldn't dropshot with 65# braid, and I wouldn't worry about a leader, or changing the type of line I normally use, throwing into mats, top water, jerkbaits, spinners etc.
EmersonFish reply :
Everyone believes what they believe. We can't think like a fish. All we can do is make decisions about what we are going to do based on our personal experiences. If you don't think the color/visibility of your line makes any difference in the number of bites you get, than use whatever line is easiest for you to see so you have that advantage. If you are like me, and believe that in clear water, line visibility can be the difference between maker on a few bites over the course of a day, than use line that helps mitigate that problem. There's really no point in arguing this topic too much. People tend to dig there heel in pretty deep on this one.
Raul reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:13 AM, Catt said:I do not buy any of that BS!
Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!
If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!
Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!
Well, Catt pretty much beat me to the exact same thing I was going to say in pretty much the same manner. But never mind if the fish can see it but how well can you see it ; one of the reasons why I don´t like most FC lines is because they blend too much for me to see them properly against the watery background.
wmiketo reply :
As I learned a long time ago, the universal answer to these subjective types of questions is "it depends".
Choporoz reply :
On 8/19/2015 at 12:44 AM, another siteketo said:As I learned a long time ago, the universal answer to these subjective types of questions is "it depends".
The world of interwebs forums would be a very boring place if all members accepted that answer.
Dwight Hottle reply :
The OP needs to talk to the fishes. That my friend is the only way to get the answer to your question. 
bigbill reply :
I'm fishing a place deep in the woods near a golf course. It's hardly fished. I find the fish very sensitive to there surroundings.
A few sunfish lined up looking where my line went into the water.
The only way I almost caught one of the larger bass there was I caught a sunny on a rebel bumble bee. As I lifted the sunny out of the water a large bass made a pass on it.
The fish do see our line this says they could be line sensitive.
Can the bass be wary of our line color probably.
Bass seeing colors look up Dr. Loren Hill ten year test on bass seeing colors.
Keep an open mind you just may catch more bass.
When the bass bite slows down, shuts off try changing colors then talk to me. It's not bs.
Raul reply :
On 8/19/2015 at 1:07 AM, Dwight Hottle said:The OP needs to talk to the fishes. That my friend is the only way to get the answer to your question.
What !?!? oh gawd, now we need "the bass whisperer" to know what them scaly wet critters are athinkin´ ....
EmersonFish reply :
I don't know about BASS, but when night fishing for catfish I use Berkley Big Game in Solar Collecter color (neon green) for my main line, and BATS and far more prone to fly into my line when I use it versus clear or low-vis green line. So there is some completely irrelevant information about line color. Maybe I'll go to Steel Blue from here on as well.
Maggiesmaster reply :
I use Stren flourescent line when worm fishing so I can watch my line carefully. Don't know whether or not line color makes a difference bass fishing, but it definitely does on trout. One time my brother and I were fishing the White river; we were standing side by side, fishing the exact same lure the same way. He wore out the trout, while I didn't get a bite. Only difference was I had blue/flourescent line and he had green/ camo line.
Basswhippa reply :
I recall reading a story regarding Tom Mann Jr. one time. He was a light line specialist at the time, focusing on Lanier spotted bass. He had a client or was fishing a tournament with some old guy. The old guy had Stren Hi Vis so he could see the line. Tom went on to tell him that it was an inferior choice and he would be better off fishing clear or green line of the same diameter. Then the old feller proceeded to spank him like 10 to 1 or more. Destroyed him and changed his ideas. I have believed that bass are curious and see high vis line and follow it to it's end. That is just my belief. I am sure that there are times in clear water that you have to use clear small diameter line.
Josh Smith reply :
I believe I've read that the black bass is the smartest North American freshwater fish.
Smarter than me, anyway, some days...
Josh
badhatharry reply :
As I'm reading the full spectrum of opinions on this post it occurs to me that everybody has a different definition of "clear" water based on their local environment . I fish some lakes in Eastern Washington that you can see your shadow on the bottom in 100 feet of water...in 20 feet of water you can read the mint mark on a dime. Even "lo-Vis" green line looks like cable in this water. I've seen tons of Bill Dance videos where he's fishing "clear" water with a visibility to 4 feet. In my neck of the woods we call that stained or cloudy.water. Talk about your po-tato, po-tahto.
kingmotorboat reply :
My opinion is people have been catching bass for years using everything other than fluoro. Hell catt has been catching them in clear water marshes for longer than I've been alive. After talking with him face to face about situation like this and his opinion if I.needed a softer punch rod or my meat stick with no give. I'll take his word on this.
kingmotorboat reply :
If a fish can't identify a hook as danger which is much more visible, least of my worries are line visibility
Bluebasser86 reply :
We need the thinnest, hardest to see line so bass won't notice it while they're eating one of the 5 baits on my wire armed Arig 
Surfcaster reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:12 PM, Choporoz said:Amazing to me that we're still 'arguing' over what we believe a bass sees.... and thinks.
And a week from now the line color question will be raised again or the braid vs mono question. People will respond with their opinions, and I will be right here hanging on their every word.
GetJigginWithIt reply :
On 8/19/2015 at 1:19 PM, Surfcaster said:And a week from now the line color question will be raised again or the braid vs mono question. People will respond with their opinions, and I will be right here hanging on their every word.
Oh so true.
poisonokie reply :
On 8/19/2015 at 1:07 PM, Bluebasser86 said:We need the thinnest, hardest to see line so bass won't notice it while they're eating one of the 5 baits on my wire armed Arig
On 8/19/2015 at 12:40 PM, kingmotorboat said:If a fish can't identify a hook as danger which is much more visible, least of my worries are line visibility
The OP was taking about Texas rigging, which is completely different from your A rig, and conceals the hook. Plus hook visibility is why we have black nickel hooks.
einscodek reply :
It matters in braod daylight in that they can see the line since they have excellent color vision in some parts of the spectrum
the inexperienced fish wont care
the experienced fish may associate it with danger depending on its experience with it and run
this applies to hooks as well
you wanna take the chance.. go right ahead.. its a free world to believe whatever u want
EmersonFish reply :
So that begs the question, would an A-rig get even more bites if it could constructed in a way where fish could not see the wires? If one's opinion is "no" than we are heading toward a logical fallacy known as "proving too much" where people make an argument that, if true, would lead to ridiculous conclusion that bass will indiscriminately eat anything moving around in the water, and that they as likely to eat a piece of plastic tied to a cable as they are a live shad or minnow.On 8/19/2015 at 1:07 PM, Bluebasser86 said:We need the thinnest, hardest to see line so bass won't notice it while they're eating one of the 5 baits on my wire armed Arig
Catt reply :
On 8/19/2015 at 10:03 PM, einscodek said:It matters in braod daylight in that they can see the line since they have excellent color vision in some parts of the spectrum
the inexperienced fish wont care
the experienced fish may associate it with danger depending on its experience with it and run
this applies to hooks as well
you wanna take the chance.. go right ahead.. its a free world to believe whatever u want
And ya believe that!
RoLo reply :
Every time we land a bass on a crankbait, we reaffirm the fact that bass are 'not' hook-shy.
Then why would this same reckless creature be frightened by the sight of a filament in the water?
Differently said, how can a fish become conditioned to danger if it lacks the ability to identify danger?
If bass can't figure out that it's the hook that bites and not the line, then they're not even on first base.
It's probably a good thing when a fish sees your line, then she almost certainly sees your lure 
Who knows, maybe it's good to use high-visibility line, so bass can follow the line all the way to your lure 
Roger
Raul reply :
Now that I come to think about it, why are y'all "bass can see my line" dudes so worried ? The solution is simple, get RED line cuz ya know, red line dissapears so bass won't be able to see it. There you go, problem solved !
WRB reply :
I am a believer in using line you have confidence with. My preference is dull green or clear line and don't like using bright colored line. I have a friend who believes the opposite and uses fluorescent line, his thinking is the bass follow the line to his lures! Whatever works is the right line.
Tom
Fun4Me reply :
There will never be a definitive answer to this question until the fish can talk, and I don't know of any that have up to this point 
corn-on-the-rob reply :
Can it matter? Sure
Will it always matter? no
How much of each scenario? who knows
Like Tom said, confidence is key. If you think it matters then change and let your experiences guide you.
Catt reply :
Bass anglers are a gullible crowd if the appeal to their belief "it's the tackle not the angler!"
The fishing industry is built on this 
GetJigginWithIt reply :
On 8/20/2015 at 7:12 PM, Catt said:Bass anglers are a gullible crowd if the appeal to their belief "it's the tackle not the angler!"
The fishing industry is built on this
X2
Last_Cast reply :
I have blue braided line...never had an issue.
Ifthey have no problem biting the hook, why would the line be any different??
Dont fall for nonsense...unless youre trout fishing. thats a different ballgame.
Choporoz reply :
I will probably regret extending the life of this thread, but....
On 8/20/2015 at 9:05 PM, chris7390 said:Dont fall for nonsense...unless youre trout fishing. thats a different ballgame.
Why?
Do trout see line differently than bass? See it the same, but process and assess the 'threat' differently? Approach potential food sources differently? Are they the same, but the waters are simply different? It probably isn't important in the least to bass fisherman....but then again, if the folks above who are serious about making their line as unobtrusive as possible to bass are correct...well, maybe it would be instructive to know what a trout sees or thinks??
RoLo reply :
On 8/20/2015 at 9:05 PM, chris7390 said:I have blue braided line...never had an issue.
Ifthey have no problem biting the hook, why would the line be any different??
Dont fall for nonsense...unless youre trout fishing. thats a different ballgame.
When we fish for keen-eyed species in crystal-clear water, a thin diameter line is very important,
but the reason is more covert than 'line visibility' (fish aren't interested in eating your line, their eyes are fixed on the lure).
For example, brook trout, tuna of all species and smallmouth bass in Dale Hollow, are all quick to reject an offering
that displays just a tad of 'unnatural motion'. The fatter the line diameter the greater the water resistance,
and 'line drag' is the leading cause of unnatural drift (e.g. fly fishing with a wet nymph).
Roger
tholmes reply :
On 8/18/2015 at 9:13 AM, Catt said:I do not buy any of that BS!
Y'all trying to say how bass see things through a human brain!
If a bass can identify line as danger they will know your lure is fake!
Bass might see your line but have no clue what it is!
I agree with Catt on this one. I've been using neon green Trilene Big Game for fishing T-rigs for years. I catch enough bass to keep me coming back. I don't believe that a fish brain is sophisticated enough to go through all of the reasoning required to associate seeing a line with the possibility of danger.
Tom
Nocturnal reply :
The way I look at it is like this:
I don't really think that fish care about the line (if they can see it or not). BUT, it makes me feel better and that's a big deal for my analytical grape. When you're as nit-picky as I am it's just one less thing to think about when I'm fishing and one more oppertunity for me to enjoy what I'm doing instead of thinking about what I could be doing better. Just one more box to check as to why they are (or are not) biting.
Also, when you start getting into abrasion resistance, etc. it's just a no brainer. There are only two things that plague my mind with leaders (but I get over); the joining of two lines togther and the tap of the knot going through the guides with longer leaders. As a "less is more" kinda guy I don't like weak points or splicing anything together, but with a good knot it's good to go (I guess haha).
You have to take anything that I say on any post with a grain of salt. Most of the things I obsess over wouldn't bother anyone else. Attention to detail is an extremely important thing to me. Mating surfaces with play in them keep me up at night, slop in anything can take up an entire day for me to adjust something so it's the perfect balance of no play with the least resistance. Haha, where fishing is concerned I have to make a mental note not to write down or witness mark spool tension/brake settings for every bait I tie on. I got back into fishing to relieve stress, not create more haha!
If you aren't stressing out about it and you're catching fish then I wouldn't change a thing.
God Bless
Scorchx1245 reply :
I believe in they don't associate line visibility with danger but sometimes I feel as of it doesn't give the right presentation such as, what's this long yellow thing on my food, just enough to where the bass might be a little shy, specially on pressured waters.
The Patriot reply :
I have a setup with clear mono, and a setup with red mono. Have caught fish on both, but more on the clear. In my worthless opinion as I have very limited fishing experience and probably even less knowledge as Im in my second year being back in the sport, I think the fish do see the line, just like they see the chartreuse senko. But I dont think what they see makes a bit a difference when the lure has their focus.
RoLo reply :
On 8/21/2015 at 4:02 AM, Scorchx1245 said:What's this long yellow thing on my food, just enough to where the bass might be a little shy, specially on pressured waters.
Bass that enjoy spaghetti will just slop it down (who said there's no free lunch?) 
fatso reply :
The trophy bass will stop and ponder the situation and then decide to hang around for a few. When a younger and dumber fish comes along and gets itself hooked, the trophy fish just swims away knowing you will never know!
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