Can fishing line spook fish?

[myst]

Hey guys, I've been thinking about this for a while. Can fish see the line and does it spook them at all? If they can't see it, why would anyone use light line? I've been using my moss green PowerPro 20 lb test for all of my fishing, and haven't had much success this year. Would using a smaller line improve my chances of hooking some fish? Thanks!

[Terry]

Well IMHO

yes no and maybe

 

it depends on how clear the water

and how much light

and the mood of the fish

and how fast you are fishing

 

the longer a fish has to look at the offering the more you need to concern yourself with details

and line can be a major detail

[OhioFisherman]

Real hard to tell what affect it has. I usually use clear blue stren but have used a variety of lines, including Golden Stren which was pretty obvious and unnatural. Different results on different days, the main thing was locating the fish and trying to determine what they would eat.

[bassman]

Try using fluorocarbon leaders, there invisible in the water. Use a uni to uni knot and you're good to go.

[ctdd2006]

I often wonder the same and I've been fishing a couple times a week for years. I do find though and it could very well be in my head that I'm more successful when I tie my lures (mainly jigs) direct to my line as opposed to using leaders/snap swivels like my fishing buddies do. Try the red power pro.....even in clearest of waters I can't see it a couple feet beneath.

 

Also, try tying a couple feet of fluoro or mono from a barrel swivel at the end of your PP and tie it direct to your lure.

 

Good luck

[forrest]

different fish have different vision capabilities.

The answer is yes.

 

forrest

[timmeh]

In my opinion there are a variety of factors but the most important are clarity of the water, method of fishing and type of fish you're after.

 

The clearer the water the more you need to consider the line you use. As well the slower you're fishing the more you need to consider your line (ie. if you're trolling or fishing quickly you don't need to worry as much as if you're finesse fishing, like dropshotting). And some species of fish are more easily spooked, but this can depend a lot on their particular mood that day. But in general fish like trout are more finicky than pike or bass.

 

So you need to think about what you're targetting, how, and where. So for trout in a small, clear stream line choice is more important than for bass in a muddy lake.

Edited September 25, 2008 by timmeh

[sharper]

I would says yes as well, I tie on about 6ft fluorocarbon leader with my braid lines.

[carll2]

i use stren gold when jjigging for eyes usually works really amazing but when they get line shy i take out my rod thats spooled with 6lb flurocarbon and works wonders.....i think it depends on alot of different factors

[Rich]

Yesterday on Erie, I was slaying fish (though mostly sheephead) on tubes there for a while. Only problem is, every third cast I was breaking off (using 6lb test). So I switched over to my spinning rod with 10lb braid, assuming it wouldn't matter. Nothing, for like 20 minutes would touch the tube on the braid rod. Switched back to the 6lb mono and they started hitting just about every cast again.

 

I'd say if a sheephead will shy from braid, anything will!

[Ramble]

As its already been said, line can make a differance. 10 pound mono is my old go to. When i'm using braid i use a Floro leader, as mentioned above, just make sure you tie a good knot. Leaders and snaps can also make a big differance some days, and for some species. Trial and error is the only way to really figure this kinda thing out for your home water.

 

tight Lines

 

-R-

[myst]

Wow, great info here guys! This helped a lot, thanks.

[kemper]

Absolutely they are line shy!

 

Thats why when steelheading we have to run leaders that are somtimes as low as 2-4 lb test in clear water.

 

but on the other hand a largemouth will attack a bait thats tied onto a tow rope for waterskiiing some days...

[mepps]

My short answer is yes, but most of the time I don't think it does. The guys above are right, it depends on many factors. I usually carry around 2 rods with me, one with lighter mono, and one with heavy braid. I use braid 99% of the time, but if its not working I switch to mono. Most of the time this switch makes no difference at all.

 

To me its not so much how you fish, but where.

[kentooley]

I don't think it matters when fish are aggressive, but for spooky fish ( ie. steelhead in clear water), why not spend the extra$ and put the odds in your favour. Go fluoro!

Edited September 25, 2008 by verminator

[Wild]

Why is everyone only focusing on the visual part of line? what about sound and vibration?

[Rich]

If they can't see it, why would anyone use light line?

 

Though I am a believer that in clear water braid can shy more fish away than mono or flouro, my main reason for using lighter line is usually it's overall castability and sensitivity.

[forrest]

Why is everyone only focusing on the visual part of line? what about sound and vibration?

 

 

What about it?

[JohnF]

For what it's worth I've been noticing recently on the creek that the little baitfish are doing their flying fish act when the bright-coloured lures get near them, but none of the line seems to spook them. I've been using both mono and braid, but the braid has a fluoro leader on. I can actually follow the progress of the lure by watching the little fishies get airborne. That's in shallow (3') water with about 6-8' viz.

 

'Twould appear the baitfish at least aren't bothered by the line. Maybe the growed up bass think differently.

 

JF

[singingdog]

Well, first there's flouro. If you think it's "invisible" under water, put some in a water glass next to mono and see for yourself. Marketing hype. Flouro has some other great attributes - low stretch (better sensitivity) and the fact that it sinks (different lure depth and action) - but invisibility is not one of them. As well, Wild has a good point. Fish get as much, or more information from their surroundings from vibration as they do from sight. If there were such a thing as invisible line, it would still be sending out just as strong a vibration as regular line.

 

A big part of the light-line debate comes from trout and salmon fishing. I believe the biggest part of going to lighter line is to get a proper drift, not so much for the visibility aspect: lighter (thinner) line has much less drag in the water. Does it make a difference with a fly or a small single hook with bait? For drift: yes. For visibility: maybe. Does it make a difference for a lure with 2 treble hooks hanging off it's belly, both treble hooks made from wire that is twice the diameter of 6 lb test? Doubtful.

 

I have seen too many lakers caught on copper line to believe that line visibility is something I need to worry about.

 

I have caught fish by switching line. Was it visibility? Maybe. I am just as likely to think that it was the different action that it imparted to the lure I was using.

[Dabluz]

Yes....the size of the line is important. I go fishing with lots of people. I have been fishing for a very long time. I use fine line. I usually fish with 2 to 6 lb clear mono. Not the fluorescent blue mono that we usually see in the stores but real clear mono and I almost always outfish everyone that fish with me. I tried different types of fluorocarbon lines.....they are all crap. I did stretch tests with fluorocarbon lines and they have just as much stretch as most monos. I did strength tests with fluorocarbon lines and they are weaker than equivalent monos. Even the famous Seaguar fluorocarbon line is junk unless you want to use over 40 lb test fluorocarbon.

 

Walleye and brook trout are line shy. For brook trout I never use anything more than 4 lb test clear mono and for walleye, I use 4 to 6 lb test clear mono.

 

I know for a fact that just using a snap on the end of your line when fishing with a jig for walleye will decrease the number of bites. I don't know why but I have seen it happen quite a few times with people who were fishing with me.

 

If there are pike and I don't want to lose a lure, I use 4 to 8 kg, 49 to 54 strand steel wire that I buy in Europe. It's about the size of 6 lb mono and flexible enough to knot. It's very expensive and when you get hooked on bottom and you have to apply extreme tension to rip your lure loose, the wire becomes curly queued....lol.

 

However, there are times when you have to use a more robust line. I use 4 to 10 lb test Fireline when necessary. Yes, the stuff does fray but it's the finest and the strongest line you can find. I don't mind having to cut of a few inches after a day of fishing with Fireline.

 

For heavy fish or for very deep water fishing ( I often fish in 450 feet of water ), it's hard to beat a good braid in 20 to 30 lb test. Get the braid that is 100% dyneema or spectra. This means the stuff that does not have additional nylon or mono to make it rounder, stiffer etc. There are not many braids out there that do not have this additional junk to make them larger and so called "more manageable". The only braids that I know of without this extra junk are Mason Tiger Braid and Tuff Line. Not the Tuff Line Plus or the Tuff Line XT....just the Tuff Line which is very hard to find.

 

When I use braid or Fireline for pike fishing and I don't want to lose the occaisonal lure, I add a leader of 49 to 54 strands of steel....8 kg test. The stuff I buy in Europe. I tie on a small swivel at one end and a small snap at the other end. A 9 to 12 inch steel leader is ample. Less than that and the pike can wrap the leader around his head and the line can end up in his mouth.

 

If you want to test your fluorocarbon against equivalent test mono, tie something to end of your line, put a bucket of sand on a bathroom scale, tie the line to the handle of the bucket of sand and pull while looking at the readout. While you are at it, check the elasticity at the same time.

[bicephalic]

IME it hasn't made much of a difference what line/setup is being used if the bite is on. I can see how with clear water, live bait, species being fished for, lighter line may be useful, but here's an interesting situation:

 

On our last outing, my wife, myself, Johnnyb, and Laker Jessy were in two canoes. Roughly 10'-20' apart. Both running a Minn Kota Drift Sock out the back, going about the same speed. All of us were using 3" tube jigs, right on bottom for Smallies. I'll ignore jig head size for the moment because I don't have the numbers. I was using 14lb Mono, Johnnyb green power pro (__lb test?), Jessy red power pro (__lb test?), and my wife 10/12?lb flouro. Nicole and I had a small swivel clip at the end of the line for simplicity. I'm going to assume that the power pro's were doing the same for the moment (I'm sure I'll be corrected shortly if I'm wrong). Nicole caught nothing on the fluoro ( a few small ones got off beside the boat); I got a few in the 1-2lb range on the mono; the two running power pro hooked into several, including two over 4lbs.

 

Doesn't speak volumes for fluoro; nor does it seem the power pro got in the way.

 

Until someone develops wireless fishing rods, this debate will go on and on...I think it's somewhere on the same list as wireless power bars

[Dabluz]

For the fluorocarbon lover and haters.....look at this site for the first of 2 articles concerning independant tests on fluorocarbon lines. The fluorocarbon lovers are in for a big surprise.

 

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html

[forrest]

For the fluorocarbon lover and haters.....look at this site for the first of 2 articles concerning independant tests on fluorocarbon lines. The fluorocarbon lovers are in for a big surprise.

 

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html

 

 

Read the article. Whats the big surprise?

[singingdog]

Great article! I certainly won't be buying Transition for it's "invisibilty"

 

The article pretty much debunks several myths about fluorocarbon lines, especially the "no-stretch". Good info about knots as well. If you want 10 lb test knot strength from fluoro, you have to upgrade to at least 12 lb test line, which probably erases most of the benefits of a light line.