Line color?

[TBH]

Which is the best for nymphing, bright (orange,yellow) or dull/camo (light green,grey) fly line?
Does bright line really scare fish or just bad casting?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[AaronJasper]

i dont think line color matters. ther rio nymjph line that i use has a bright orange tip on it. if you had a leader that is less than 7 feet or so and the line slaps the watrer. that is the only way i think the line bothers them. if you want camo, go with the rio nymph line. it is the best of both worlds. it only has a very short section of bright line. the rest of the line is either light green or olive. for dry flies, i like the rio grand. they seem to have to the bugs worked out and their lines are as slick as SA. i hope this helps.
aaron

[Nymphmeister]

I've used both dull and bright lines for nymphing, and I prefer ones where I can see the whole line, so I know when to mend. My favorite at the moment is the Rio Nymph Line in lt. green, it shows up well but isn't gaudy, kinda natural 'cuz the leaves are green from Spring thru Fall, and that is frequently the backround fish see it against. I DON'T fish flourescent orange, red or yellow lines, I think they cross the line into being too gaudy. I've seen pictures of flourescent lines in the air, and they make a distinct "flash", and also appear to be about 10 times thicker. If you line a spooky trout it will scare whether your line is flourescent or clear though. Presentation is everything no matter what color your line is, and I would put my money on the guy making stealthy casts with a bright orange line over the guy using a drab line but not presenting well. In New Zealand, the guides make the clients fish a grey or olive line, there is no discussing it. They also often use longer leaders. You are talking gin-clear water, and sometimes ultra-spooky, wild trout, a tough combo to say the least. They also use mostly black tungsten beads to get their flies down, not gold beads. I've personally moved away from gold beads myself, I use any color but, trout get pricked way too often by flies sporting a gold bead nowadays. Back to the lines, I hate drab lines for dry fly fishing, esp. in the evening- I have such a hard time knowing where my fly is, and it kills my accuracy too. Never realized how much I rely on the visible end of the fly line to judge where my fly is- I used a dark olive line on the Missouri River, and I couldn't hit the side of a barn. I was overcasting by up to 10 feet sometimes. Went to a bright green line, and it was problem solved. Even the experts like Borger and Kreh disagree on line colors, so decide for yourself.

[TBH]

Thanks Aaron & Nypmhmeister, awesome info!

Meister - I agree with you 100% on gold beads, I have been trying (by advice from a good friend)
to use more copper and orange beads on the Tannic rivers that I fish, and it works. My friend
said gold is a two edge sword, the flash does attract but also scares!

With this kind of advice, this forum page will go far!

See you on the river ..... ;D

[TightLines]

Cortland has done a study on the effects of bright lines versus dull colored lines on the water and what it does to the fish. There study found that the bright lines do NOT affect the fish in the slightest. The best they can determine is the lines, regardless of color, appear "dark" to the fish as they are looking up. Very similar to a stick floating in the water. As a result, don't be afraid to fish bright lines. They are easier for you to see and don't affect the fishing. I use the Cortland Precision Dyna-Tip lines on the South Holston in low water. It's a bright green line with a greyish color tip.

The same thing goes for leaders, tippet, etc...As a guide, I hear all kinds of pontificating on the river by anglers convinced they've figured out that flouro is better than mono, factory built leaders are not as good as personal built leaders and that it's all really important stuff. I'll tell you the same thing I tell them. IT DOESN'T MATTER if you can't lightly present a fly and get a good drag-free drift over the fish. The lack of fishing skill will always undo the fisherman before any of the gear they carry. I fish mono only because it's more environmentally friendly...it absorbs UV light and breaks down faster than flouro. I carry one spool of flouro in 7x and that's it. I reserve it for the few times a year that i have to catch a large and wary trout..... I build my own leaders starting with Maxima 30lb down to 12lb and then to Rio Mono from 0x-6x depending on what i need. I never fish less than a 12-foot leader/tippet rig, unless I'm high stick nymphing in fast water.

[SlowNDeep]

I agree with your assesment of leaders regarding the fluoro vs mono.

That said, i fish mostly fluoro. I fish nymphs most of the time I'm on the water, and find that I get more of my flies back from the bottom and change tippet less frequently using fluoro. In similar diameter, the fluoro is more abrasion resistant than std mono.

[JUICE]

Great info Torrey and Aaron! I was curious about that myself. I am not an expert by any means but I have to say I can notice a great change in the amount of fish I am catching since I switched from mono to floro. It might all be in my head, but I am pretty sure it has made a big difference. Torrey, don't you have some study on this that you know about? Hearing about that, made me make the change.

[Strol-eye]

Hey guys,
I agree with tightlines, all that jazz for the most part doesnt really matter, the most important variable in the equation is presentation. One variable that alot of fisherman take for granted, and need the most practice on. If you can present your flies naturally with minimal negative impact to the water you are covering, your chances of success increase greatly. Fly line color, tippet material and every other gadget that goes along with the whole system is truly a matter of personal preference. Go get em.....

[AaronJasper]

i agree it is 100 percent presentation. reme,ber the white wulffs on the west branch? if it is drifting correctly it will get eaten. people are too worked up on finding the right fly when they should be finding the right drift.

[JUICE]

I use white line and I have no problems at all.