Clear fly line?

[NewSal]

So I've seen a few suppliers offering clear fly line, was thinking this would be a good choice for fishing clear water/high res shallow streams as well as native streams, its up for debate but I'm almost certain that fly line floating on top of the water effects trout in a negative way, just because they don't "spook out" or act funny doesn't mean they arent spooked. A trout can see size 22 and smaller flies, so obviously they could see a size 3x tippet, hence why everyone runs small tippets, but what about the fly line on top on those shallow situations, high sticking is great but it would be nice on the shoulders to be able to drop that tip down, thought the clear fly line would be pretty neat to use, but I've literally seen no-one fish with clear fly line, ever. What gives?

Also I completely understand the use of high vis fly line, I love a bright line for regular fly fishing, but for certain situations I would think clear line would work better, anyone use it? how you like it?

 

[afishinado]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
So I've seen a few suppliers offering clear fly line, was thinking this would be a good choice for fishing clear water/high res shallow streams as well as native streams, its up for debate but I'm almost certain that fly line floating on top of the water effects trout in a negative way, just because they don't "spook out" or act funny doesn't mean they arent spooked. A trout can see size 22 and smaller flies, so obviously they could see a size 3x tippet, hence why everyone runs small tippets, but what about the fly line on top on those shallow situations, high sticking is great but it would be nice on the shoulders to be able to drop that tip down, thought the clear fly line would be pretty neat to use, but I've literally seen no-one fish with clear fly line, ever. What gives?

Also I completely understand the use of high vis fly line, I love a bright line for regular fly fishing, but for certain situations I would think clear line would work better, anyone use it? how you like it?

I've only seen clear line offered for tropical salt water applications and have not seen any clear lines made for trout fishing, even after a Google search.

When fishing for trout, and especially places where trout are especially spooky, I always suggest to never cast a fly line over or even near the fish if possible.

Try to set up your cast to show the fly first, or just allow the end of the tippet and fly to drift into the trout's lane. Casting any fly line will cause a disturbance and whatever color it may be, will spook trout, especially in lower and/or clear water conditions.

When high sticking, the whole purpose for holding the line off the water is not really for stealth, it is to eliminate or reduce drag by allowing only your tippet and maybe the end of your leader to be submerged. The heavy fly line if allowed to touch the water would be carried in the current and begin to drag the fly, ruining your drift.

 

[NewSal]

Of course, your 100% correct, and thanks for responding, but my thinking was that in situations where you cant get a perfect cast, and often times the perfect presentation isn't possible, a clear fly line may give you a little extra edge, but of course it may not help at all due to the fact that there will still be line on the water, who knows

 

[MKern]

My brookie line is florescent orange; never had trouble catching spooky fish.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

I have a Monic line I got maybe 10 years ago. I think it is great. No idea if they are still available. GG

Monic :-D .com

 

[Dave_W]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
certain situations I would think clear line would work better, anyone use it? how you like it?

What Afish said. ^

As far as I know, clear lines (and clear tip) have a niche following among tarpon anglers. I'm not sure if anyone uses them in freshwater. They might be useful in stillwater trout scenarios where "lining" cruising fish is a problem. Frankly, trout are so keen to surface stuff that I'd think even a clear line would be obvious to them (shadow, surface tension, and all that stuff).

 

[pcray1231]

A trout can see size 22 and smaller flies, so obviously they could see a size 3x tippet, hence why everyone runs small tippet

Don't kid yourself. They see 6x and 7x tippets just fine too. Smaller tippets, IMO, are more for drag control than visibility control. We're talking micro drag, from the tippet, not from your rod and fly line. But the amount of drag the line puts on the fly is a function of fly size and line diameter. Generally speaking the old rule of thumb is fly size divided by 4, plus 1. So a size 12 fly gets 4x tippet, size 16 gets 5x, 20 gets 6x, and so forth. That gives you the approximate balance between having enough stiffness to turn over the fly during casting but enough suppleness to get a decent drag free drift. And that's what tippet selection is really about.

But the fact that, when you use, say, a size 8 fly, that 3x tippet doesn't seem to be a problem, tells me it's not visibility, but rather drag.

As was mentioned, high sticking is also about drag and line control, not visibility.

Anyway, sorry, that's OT. I think fish see all lines and tippets. That doesn't mean more subdued colors aren't less "alarming" to them than bright gawdy colors. I've generally favored darker greens and so forth on the business end of my fly line. How much does it help? I dunno. It certainly doesn't hurt! And I'd feel the same way about clear lines.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

FWIW,Kiwis shun any bright colored lines. Tan, brown, or sage? color are preferred. Guide I had in NZ. loved the Monic line and was going to look for one. Less visible he said. Afish, when I get to the Jam I'll show you the clear line I use. GG