Line watching and Power Pro.

[Jigger]

Do you guys that use Power Pro line use the green line?? Can you see a fish move off with the bait or see the line jump when a fish takes it?? I'm having trouble seeing the green line. I'm a fanatic about line watching. Sometimes when fishing jigs or plastics with mono, I never feel the bite. I just see the line move off or twitch. What's the solution to this problem?? Ever use the PP in hi vis yellow? I use the PP hi vis yellow on my spinning reels for crappie but have not tried it on a baitcaster. Anyone else having a problem seeing the PP green and do YOU think it's a problem?

[Jim80]

no problems with seeing it yet , i use the 30lb green . if you want to try the yellow it's on you , but the hi vis kinda bothers me a tad .

[WTL]

It sure isnt high vis, but I can see it. When its calm I try and get it to balance a little on the surface tension of the water, that helps. I wish they made (and indeed there may be a product like this) a marker which was potentently visible for staining line. I don't want to use high vis line, I'm scared it spooks the fish, but if I could just have a stretch like 30 feet up the line that was bright yellow or green that I could see it would be great.

[Buzz Wing]

Try something like the new, well, sorta, Stren Microfuse Glacier Blue. It flouresces under sunlight and black light.

-Buzz

[Eddy]

Found this forum while doing a search on braided lines. Is it safe? . I have used all of the braids & settled on sufix for the time being, I use the 40 lb. on my jiggin rod & the 30 on my worm rods & spinning tackle. Lot of debate on whether or not the fish can see this line & some people are using leaders. I'll be around reading the various posted information.

[Marty]

Lot of debate on whether or not the fish can see this line & some people are using leaders.

I don't think that's debatable. It's a given that they can see the line, the debatable point is whether line visibility deters strikes.

I use the green Power Pro and it's visible under some conditions, but I don't know what they are offhand. I'm a line watcher too and I suppose I could be missing some strikes, but somehow I get by. Often when I can't see the line well I'll try and see where the line enters the water and keep an eye on that.

My partner uses hi-vis Fireline but ties a leader to it.

[Eddy]

Marty...I use a hummingbird 343 c fish finder & I can watch my jig dance on the bottom in 30 feet of water but I can't see my line. I don't dispute your contention that fish can see braided line but just how has that been determined & by who? Braids make a lot of sound. Too many human characteristics have been attributed to fish & bass in particular. Using a leader makes no sense to me & defeats the purpose of using a braid in the first place. If bass can see braids then SHOW ME as they say here in my home state of Missouri!

[zooker]

eddy
i think fishing in the stained waters line vizability is a given. but in gin clear water i have seen fish spook from low viz 17 pound florocarbon line. me personally i think that addin a leader to braid is a complete waste of time. and i rather get more cast in the water then mess with tieing up a leader..

zooker

[Eddy]

Zooker...If by some means bass can determine a element of danger then I'd be inclined to believe that any adversion bass were capable of would be directed toward hooks. In any event my catch ratio hasn't changed since going with braid. As always these topics make for interesting discussion.

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by Buzz Wing

Try something like the new, well, sorta, Stren Microfuse Glacier Blue. It flouresces under sunlight and black light.

-Buzz

Not only does MicroFuzzzzzzzz fluoresce, it also feels and handles like cheap wrapping twine that has been dipped in wax. I oughta know. I bought some last year, used it once or twice then gave the majority of the spool away.
This stuff has the WORST coiling tendency I've evAr seen and that's death to sensitivity when fishing soft plastics.
I'd recommend avoiding it.
If you want maximum visibility try Power Pro Yellow. For slow presentations use a pure fluoro leader and there'll be no worries re fish seeing the line.
For "fast" stuff; Buzzzzzzzzzzbaits, toads (not frawgs!), etc, line color is pf no consequence so far as fish are concerned nor is the angler's ability to see (or not) the line.
To enhance above-water visibility, either in daylight OR under UV light at night (See: Nucli-Eye[TM]), apply Spike-It(TM) Chartreuse Tail DYE, NOT Tail DIP!...to your braid. Here's how; Strip off about a cast's worth of braid from your reel. Using an eyedropper, apply the DYE (NO DIP!) to the line remaining on the reel until it's well saturated. Reel in about 20 feet of line, the repeat the saturation process with the eyedropper. Continue until all of the line has been treated with DYE (I swear, if I smell DIP on your breath I'll skin you!). For maximum effect, let initial application dry then repeat the entire process. You will need to re-treat the line periodically to maintain visibility.
Of course, it's best to use yellow braid to start with. The DYE will cause the line to fluoresce to a degree and make both daytime and night line-watching (under UV) much easier.
Why do I so emphasize dye v. dip? Well, if you'd like a reel spool full of chartreuse bubble gum feel free to disregard the warnings.
Also: One gripe re fluoro, to include coated lines (See: P-Line FloroClear), is that it is difficult to see. Well, the DYE treatment helps there too. I usually leave the last fifteen feet or so of "F" lines UN-dyed, just in case of sharp-eyed fish.
Good Luck.

L6

PeeYess: There will be a little drippage when applying the DYE so if you're paranoid about a little dye on your reel seats, cork, etc, remove the reel from the rod before application. I sometimes use and old busted rod to mount the reel on to make handling more easy.

[islandbass]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Found this forum while doing a search on braided lines. Is it safe? . I have used all of the braids & settled on sufix for the time being, I use the 40 lb. on my jiggin rod & the 30 on my worm rods & spinning tackle. Lot of debate on whether or not the fish can see this line & some people are using leaders. I'll be around reading the various posted information.

There is no doubt that they can see line, including braid. However, with that said, it has been my experience that unless they are very spooked, they could care less about seeing the line. If they want to attack the lure badly enough, they'll go for it whether they see the line or not. Welcome aboard!

Jigger,

That is a great question. From my own experience (and not much) with braid, its near zero stretch has enabled me to feel the bite no matter how subtle and whether or not I can see the line. Braid is that good at transmitting feedback to me. Your experience with mono is about the same as mine on occasion. That probably won't happen with braid though.

[Bob Smith]

I have no problem seeing the green Power Pro even with my tired old eyes More importantly though is what I FEEL with the Power Pro! From years of fishing I have developed a happen of keeping a finger on my line while worming or jigging. I use that method less and less with the new super sensitive rods and new age lines. Still there have been a few instances (even recently) where I just saw my line move off and never felt a thing. Mind you, I mostly night fish from about April through October and do not like using blacklights or other light devices. They mess up my night vision for casting so flourescence is of absolutely no value to me. I have only fished a couple of lakes where "visibility" was a factor and those waters were clear to about 25 to 30' or more. Most lakes that are turbid after about 4-6' don't really present a visibility issue when it comes to lines. I still use a leader anyway, more out of habit than anything else. The Power Pro Green will fade after a while, so I take my black and green sharpie pens and camoflage the line for about the first 6-8'. again this is just habit, no proof that it really works.

[Marty]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Marty...I use a hummingbird 343 c fish finder & I can watch my jig dance on the bottom in 30 feet of water but I can't see my line. I don't dispute your contention that fish can see braided line but just how has that been determined & by who? Braids make a lot of sound. Too many human characteristics have been attributed to fish & bass in particular. Using a leader makes no sense to me & defeats the purpose of using a braid in the first place. If bass can see braids then SHOW ME as they say here in my home state of Missouri!

Eddy, I don't know that I can prove anything, but it stands to reason. Wild animals are acutely aware of things in their environment and I don't think anything's invisible. Plus braid is solid, not translucent like monos and fluoros.

To me, it's inconceivable that braid and other lines are not seen by fish.

[Bob Smith]

Marty, I am sure you are correct, but the real question is whether or not they are alarmed by it? From my own personal experiences I can say that in most cases that I've seen, they are not. I believe the fish in the zone of the presentation (worm or jig, on bottom. for example) may not even notice the line. Conversely, fish above the bottom and not in proximity to the presentation, may actually see the line and flee from it (who knows?). My greatest experience with clear water has occurred in three different parts of the country: Dale Hollow and Center Hill in Tennessee. The Southern California Lakes (Hodges, Perris, Castaic), and finally Lake Amistad on the Texas/Mexico border. Each of these lakes have water that exceeds clarity of 25' or more. I have used flourescent lines up to 20 lbs. in California and Tennessee (meanwhile other folks were fishing 6 lb. line) and still caught fish. My numbers were not always as good as the light line fish, but I was fishing with bigger (non-finesse) presentations. On Lake Amistad, I fished with Power Pro green and Tuff Line in Yellow, both of them are braids, and still caught fish, lots of fish and good ones too. So it's hard for me to think that the line visibility is a real issue with the fish. I still believe if you put the right bait in front of the fish at the right time, they will eat it.

[stanley]

put a 4 to 5 feet of green and the rest yellow so the fish dont see it but you will see all but the last few feet i have a rod set up like that

[BigBassin144]

Use yellow, and and add a fluorocarbon leader. I use a leader with the green as well because I do believe that the fish can see it. The only time I don't use a leader is fishing in muddy water, or heavy cover. both of which describe a lake we fish often.

BB

[bassnman30]

What happens when fish see the line ? Do they know where it came from ?
I don't think so, as a matter of fact NO they don't (in my opinion).
I don't use braid but instead Stren mono. Oh yea it's got visibility but big deal, I havent had any problems.

[doc]

My biggest bass comes from Power pro 30lb green braid. That hogmozilla didn't make it to over 10lbs by being stupid. I just dont think its a factor.