Fly line color and scaring fish?

[AKguy]

Do you guys think a bright colored fly line will scare fish?

 

[afishinado]

AKguy wrote:
Do you guys think a bright colored fly line will scare fish?

Nope, not a bit, but some claim it does. I really don't worry about it much since I take great pains not to line spooky fish, in which case the color of the line is the least of your worries.

 

[JackM]

right. keep line out of field of vision. they don't know what it is anyway. can't really connected it with your dragging fly. sticks float down the river all the time. they don't know what those are either.

ee centric

 

[MKern]

My brookie line is bright orange and has never hurt my fishing.

 

[JF_]

I think once flows are reduced and the water is crystal clear a bright colored fly line may spook more than a drab one. But more of a problem would be any line smacking the water near a fish.
John

 

[jayL]

Nope. While I try to avoid it, I don't worry much about drifting over them.

I am with JF. It's the landing over them that causes problems.

Color's mostly irrelevant IMO.

 

[gfen]

From underneath, any floating line on the surface will appear dark. I wouldn't be surprised if a lighter line is beneficial during high sun.

As its cast overhead, the same should hold true: A shadow is a shadow, regardless of the colour of the line.

 

[PaulG]

Not sure if color matters or not. In my mind I think it does, so I always buy the dark gray colored lines.

PaulG

 

[jmh159]

I've wandered this myself. Up until the other day, my only 5wt was BRIGHT orange. It almost glowed in the sunlight it seemed. I fished it for the first time on Big Spring creek the other week and the fish seemed extra spooky. But then again, it was Big Spring on a bright sunny day, so probably wasn't the line. But I honestly think that it was bright enough to maybe cause a flash. Who knows? I just bought a light olive colored cortland fly line. We'll see the difference.

 

[pcray1231]

I stick with drab colors, darker greens and such. I don't know that it makes any difference whatsoever, but I don't think it can hurt.

 

[Fishidiot]

I'm not sure but I tend to lean toward the "no effect" point of view. I've used bright colored lines for trout fishing for decades and don't ever recall thinking that it made a difference. Bright lines are easier to see and thus to control while casting.
Viewpoints on this differ among the saltwater crowd however. These days there is a growing community of salt FFers who swear by clear or clear tip lines for spooky game fish like bonefish. Many swear that tarpon are spooked by fly lines and will swim around them so there is a growing market for "stealth" lines among salt guys but it doesn't seem to be catching on with freshwater FFers.

 

[osprey]

I'm with PaulG , Pcray , and FishI , I don't really know if it matters but i stick with the colors i hope will blend in right now it's green and peach/salmon colored lines on all my stuff.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Grey, tan, or clear.I have some bright colored lines,however.Favorite is a Monic clear 5wt.If I was in the market I'd buy clear tip lines.
I know that when I fished New Zealand my friend with a tan line out fished me ,I caught 0, he had 4 nice browns. I switched to the clear and caught fish.

 

[Squaretail]

I've used markers to change the last 10 ft or so of brighter colored lines. Dont know for sure of the color difference or not, but I know I've spooked trout just by false casting alot more than once, and its just another way I try to put the odds more in my favor if only by a percent or two.
It seems to me that if you do alot of little extra precautions like that, sometimes it adds up to "I caught a 20" wild brown" compared to "I saw a 20" wild brown".
As always, IMHO.

 

[Chaz]

I think it depends on whether you have a tendency to make a lot of false casts. But then my catch rate went way up when I lost the bright colored lines.

 

[PaulG]

Chaz wrote:
I think it depends on whether you have a tendency to make a lot of false casts. But then my catch rate went way up when I lost the bright colored lines.

Chaz, I agree I do very little false casting!

PaulG

 

[gemiller]

I used a tip I seen in a magazine of taking a felt tip marker and just putting lines all over my line to create a sort of camoflauge. I'm not sure it did anything but it's just an idea i'll throw out there.

 

[bowhunter0131]

I dont think brite line makes a diff i use brite ornage line on my rods. even my stellhead 8wt and steels get extra spooky when the water is clear and the crowds are in full force. if you use a fairly long leader and tippet and get it to lay down nice and easy it wont bother them. brite colors make it a lot more easy casting and detect hits with out a indicator. plus make it easy to mend in off colored water.

 

[PaulG]

JF_ wrote:
I think once flows are reduced and the water is crystal clear a bright colored fly line may spook more than a drab one. But more of a problem would be any line smacking the water near a fish.
John

JF

Are you still using that sissy peach line I gave you. 🙂 I hated that line!

PaulG

 

[sight_nymph_17109]

I have a bright orange line from air-flo, fished bright green 444sl for 20 yrs and have changed to Rio gold with the olive/yellow color scheme. Have not noticed any difference in fish being spooked by line color.

Sharkskin claims that the rough finish deters flash while casting over spooky fish. Can't comment on that one though. Like others have said, stealthy stalk, good position and not a lot of false casting will help you spook less fish than a clear line. Bright lines are easier to see in the shadows and low light conditions.