Line Color

[MuskieFever]

Does line color make a difference? I used to always believe that the more the line disappeared, the better of an option it was. I use orange and bright green mono while ice fishing but I tie a swivel and clear mono below that. So what do you think? Especially about bright lines like blue, orange, and green?

[mrklean]

I have caught fish on orange line, black and white fireline, clear mono, green braid, the white and green spotted Cortland line, steel leaders, mono leaders etc. Im starting to think less and less about line color then I did before

[Savage Brewer]

I think it depends on the water.

There are a couple lakes I have fished in the past and they seem to get spooked by line. on those using Flouro is about the only way I can get bites.

Now there also have been lakes with bright lines and sometimes even steel leaders where it doesnt seem to spook them at all.

[delmuts]

I've proved to myself it does make a difference at times.(especially with hi vis) In open water I was catching walleye using a flouro leader with braid.( 2 / 10 PP) It had broke off, so I tied direct. Not a bite, but as soon as I tied a leader back on I was in business. I will darken the fist few feet of braid if I think it could be a problem for bass, but don't use a leader very often.

[NCLaker]

I've proved to myself it does make a difference at times.(especially with hi vis) In open water I was catching walleye using a flouro leader with braid.( 2 / 10 PP) It had broke off, so I tied direct. Not a bite, but as soon as I tied a leader back on I was in business. I will darken the fist few feet of braid if I think it could be a problem for bass, but don't use a leader very often.

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For braid/fused link this for sure it true. Saw the same results on Leech. I was catching and partner was not - only difference I was using floro leader and partner was not. As soon as he put a floro leader on he was game on.

Now for Mono, I am not sure since I use fireline for almost everything for walleye. However, I use colored mono for ice fishing with jigs because that clear line is too hard for me to see against the snow. I have not noticed a big difference. But may have to do some testing by having one rigged with clear line if fish are just sniffing but not committing.

[BobT]

I started using Fireline about five years ago. I started out using the smoke colored line. Every year we take a trip to Ontario and one year I decided to fill my spare spool with the crystal Fiireline of the same test weight that I use with the smoke. I don't know why, but I can honestly say that I got more pick ups on the smoke colored line than I did with the crystal.

Another thing I learned is to use a mono or fluorocarbon leader as mentioned in the previous post. The number of bites I get using the leader is higher than tying the Fireline directly to my jigs. I don't know why this is true. Perhaps the color, feel, or I've also thought that maybe the leader has a different buoyancy than the superline and this affects jig action. I prefer fluorocarbon over mono because it has less stretch but then, with only about 4'-6' leader it probably makes negligible difference to the feel on my end.

[minky]

Great insight everyone!

With all the options today for line color I bet there is something for every situation.

[Deitz Dittrich]

When conditions are good, and the feed is on, line makes little to no difference. However, on pressured waters, and hen conditions are tough, line color, line weight, ect all make a very big difference.

[BobT]

When conditions are good, and the feed is on, line makes little to no difference. However, on pressured waters, and hen conditions are tough, line color, line weight, ect all make a very big difference.

Yes and no...I guess. My reference to how I noticed a difference between smoke and crystal and tied direct or using a leader were experienced on the Lac Seul in Ontario. When we are up there in June the bite is definitely on. We typically order 150 dozen minnows and 2 pounds of leeches for four days of fishing for 10 guys and even with that we will usually run out before the trip is over. On a typical day we boat upwards of 100-150 fish per person per day. It's a great opportunity to test different methods and tactics because the results are learned rather quickly.

[Northlander]

Yes line color and size matter a lot.

[MuskieFever]

Not trying to cut you down, but you could fish with 30 pound braid all week on lac seul and still smoke em; I know because I've done it. Obviously that's a bit extreme, but I personally think it's all about water clarity and pressure.

[BobT]

Not trying to cut you down, but you could fish with 30 pound braid all week on lac seul and still smoke em; I know because I've done it. Obviously that's a bit extreme, but I personally think it's all about water clarity and pressure.

So what's the argument then? I'm suggesting that line color does have an affect. Why? Because of water color and clarity. Just like lure color will have an affect.

The point about referencing the Lac Suel was that it is a fish factory where the results of this kind of testing can be realized rather quickly. Pretty hard to have a somewhat controlled test on a body of water that doesn't produce fish.

Two spools, one with crystal and the other with smoke. Same rod, same reel, same lure choices, same fishing conditions, same tactics, same locations, same fisherman. Using smoke colored Fireline at the Lac Seul definitely outproduced crystal in my testing.

Okay, the Lac Seul in the area we fish is very dark stained. Can barely see bottom in 3 feet of water. Hmmm...in dark water it has been a common understanding that darker lures typically work better. Do you suppose that the darker smoke line produced better for the same reason? I do.

The OP's question was whether or not line color mattered. In my opinion, for what it's worth, the answer is yes just as lure color can matter.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Not trying to cut you down, but you could fish with 30 pound braid all week on lac seul and still smoke em; I know because I've done it. Obviously that's a bit extreme, but I personally think it's all about water clarity and pressure.

If anything, you support what a few are trying to say.. Unpressured water.. use whatever you want.. dirty water.. again, use whatever you want.. metro clear water.. you may need to up your stealth.

[Lawrence Luoma]

I'm a firm believer that line diameter and type is more a factor than color. We tightline with yellow Hi-Vis Stren (Mono) in every ice tournament that we complete in. Including the UPL which is all metro area lakes. I now say line color doesn't mean a thing when using Mono or Copolymer.

With super lines I would say line color is more a factor because it doesn't have transparent properties.

[BobT]

I'm a firm believer that line diameter and type is more a factor than color. We tightline with yellow Hi-Vis Stren (Mono) in every ice tournament that we complete in. Including the UPL which is all metro area lakes. I now say line color doesn't mean a thing when using Mono or Copolymer.

With super lines I would say line color is more a factor because it doesn't have transparent properties.

That makes a lot of sense. That could also explain why I seem to have more "hits" when I tie on a mono or poly leader vs tying my braided line directly to my jigs.