Invisible line!?

[aquaman456]

Going to be fishing some crystal clear water pretty soon. Looking for some new line for the occasion. Any suggestions guys??

[HTHM]

florocarbon

[Garry2Rs]

The importance or unimportance of your lines visibility is a tough call.

With a bait that is moving, or mostly moving, like a jig, crankbait, spinnerbait, top-water etc. I don't believe it is relevant. The fish see something escaping and reacts to it.

 

On a dead drop like a senko, something that is drifting in the water column, like a roe bag or nymph or with a floating bait like a fly, drag is the biggest problem.

 

The water column isn't all moving in the same direction, or at the same speed. This means that the line is being pulled in different directions and the bait doesn't move in a natural manner.

 

The classic methods of dealing with drag are to "mend the line" and/or use a smaller diameter line.

 

Mending the line means throwing some slack up stream or up wind so that the bait is less effected by other elements and of coarse thinner line has less cross section for things like wave action, wind and cross currents to pull on.

 

In my area, just north of the Kawarthas, the water is very clear. On calm days I don't think 15lb. chartreuse banded Tracer or red 10 pound Power Pro bothers the fish. On windy days I am apt to tie on a fluorocarbon leader or put to switch to a spool of fluorocarbon. The fact that the fluoro sinks might be more important than the claimed invisibility. Braid floats and in the wind it gets pulled around, spoiling the illusion of something that is dead or drowning.

Garry2R's

[tilly]

The importance or unimportance of your lines visibility is a tough call.

With a bait that is moving, or mostly moving, like a jig, crankbait, spinnerbait, top-water etc. I don't believe it is relevant. The fish see something escaping and reacts to it.

 

On a dead drop like a senko, something that is drifting in the water column, like a roe bag or nymph or with a floating bait like a fly, drag is the biggest problem.

 

The water column isn't all moving in the same direction, or at the same speed. This means that the line is being pulled in different directions and the bait doesn't move in a natural manner.

 

The classic methods of dealing with drag are to "mend the line" and/or use a smaller diameter line.

 

Mending the line means throwing some slack up stream or up wind so that the bait is less effected by other elements and of coarse thinner line has less cross section for things like wave action, wind and cross currents to pull on.

 

In my area, just north of the Kawarthas, the water is very clear. On calm days I don't think 15lb. chartreuse banded Tracer or red 10 pound Power Pro bothers the fish. On windy days I am apt to tie on a fluorocarbon leader or put to switch to a spool of fluorocarbon. The fact that the fluoro sinks might be more important than the claimed invisibility. Braid floats and in the wind it gets pulled around, spoiling the illusion of something that is dead or drowning.

Garry2R's

 

 

This is a great answer! I fully agree.

[Lokka]

I'm using spiderwire recluse brown, which is really hard to see (for me anyways) on my baitcaster and i'm using 15lb tracer Braid on my spinning real. Haven't had much luck with the braid compared to the spiderwire, but i have been using the spiderwire a lot longer. My Perch rod is set with normal 4lb clear mono and doesn't seem to have a problem with small bass and perch seeing it.

[whitbyboatguy]

Fish often react out of instinct if it is a moving object. Different fish act differently. You could use telephone cable to pull a carrot through the water and a pike would still hit it.

 

Put a 3 foot floro leader on. My other thoughts on floro -> floro as a mainline sucks and is pricey and who says fish can't see it anyways?

Edited August 24, 2011 by whitbyboatguy

[snowdown]

The importance or unimportance of your lines visibility is a tough call.

With a bait that is moving, or mostly moving, like a jig, crankbait, spinnerbait, top-water etc. I don't believe it is relevant. The fish see something escaping and reacts to it.

 

On a dead drop like a senko, something that is drifting in the water column, like a roe bag or nymph or with a floating bait like a fly, drag is the biggest problem.

 

The water column isn't all moving in the same direction, or at the same speed. This means that the line is being pulled in different directions and the bait doesn't move in a natural manner.

 

The classic methods of dealing with drag are to "mend the line" and/or use a smaller diameter line.

 

Mending the line means throwing some slack up stream or up wind so that the bait is less effected by other elements and of coarse thinner line has less cross section for things like wave action, wind and cross currents to pull on.

 

In my area, just north of the Kawarthas, the water is very clear. On calm days I don't think 15lb. chartreuse banded Tracer or red 10 pound Power Pro bothers the fish. On windy days I am apt to tie on a fluorocarbon leader or put to switch to a spool of fluorocarbon. The fact that the fluoro sinks might be more important than the claimed invisibility. Braid floats and in the wind it gets pulled around, spoiling the illusion of something that is dead or drowning.

Garry2R's

 

good