(Originally appeared 4/30/97)

Which Color Line is Best?

by Mike Schoonveld

It never gets any easier, does it?

Besides having to choose between monofilament line, cofilament line, braided line, super-braids, and lines made from copolymers or monopolimeric nylon molecules, most manufacturers now feature lines made in a variety of colors, as well.

There's clear line, blue-tinted line, moss green line, silvery grey, pink, fluorescent blue, amber brown, fluorescent yellow, and glow green.

Which color is best for which application, and does it really make any difference?

Mostly no. Which color of line an angler chooses to spool on his reel won't make any major difference to most fish, most ways of fishing, much of the time. So why all the available choices?

Marketing is one reason--the same reason there are so many kinds of anything available, from candy-bars to cars. Manufacturers have learned they can sell more line by including a variety of colors rather than offering only one or two selections. Still, sometimes line color of line does affect the outcome of a fishing trip to one degree or another, and knowing anglers often spool-up with the line which gives him or her the best advantage.

To See or Not To See

Besides marketing, there are two reasons fishing line makers add color or strive to manufacture clearness into their lines: to make the line more visible to the fisherman or to make the line less visible to the fish.

Anglers who fish stained or off-colored water usually prefer tinted lines. The working premise is line with a green tint is camouflaged in greenish water. Brown-tinted line should work best in tannin-stained lakes. Anyone fishing a variety of lakes with different water colors can be confident that tests have proven clear line--especially those without a bright sheen--often score as well as lines tinted to match the water color in underwater visibility tests.

These same underwater studies have proved there's no such thing as an invisible line regardless of water color or line color. The most important aspect of visibility was line diameter. As fishing line gets thicker it becomes easier to see--regardless of the color (or lack of color.)

Luckily for fishermen, fish are somewhat low on the intelligence scale. The fact that a worm, bait minnow, or fishing lure is connected to or being towed along by a strand of line won't keep most fish from biting.

Still, most fish can be put off by using line which is too visible.

Years ago I tried catching white bass using Stren's Golden Fluorescent line tied directly to the lure. No dice. Only after tying on a leader of clear monofilament did I start catching as many fish as my companions. The bass may have been dumb enough to mistake a Mepps Spinner pulled along by a barely noticeable strand of line as something to eat, but pulling the same spinner with a bright yellow line convinced them otherwise.

Most of the reels I own are spooled with Stren's Golden Fluorescent line nonetheless. Do I like making fishing tough? No, I like making fishing easy and being able to easily see the line I'm using helps.

I blood-knot on a clear leader of a few feet or more ahead of the lure or bait, and I can always see my line and what it's doing whether I'm trolling or casting.

In many instances that makes no difference, I'd be just as well off with a hard-to-see line. In a few cases using the bright line alerts me to fouled lures, saves tangles, or helps me detect strikes. That makes fishing easier and helps catch more fish.

Regardless of which color of fishing line you choose--clear for general purposes, tinted for specific applications, or hi-viz for ease of use--keep fresh line on your reels and always select premium brands for quality assurance.


Copyright (c) 1997 Mike Schoonveld. All rights reserved.