Why Use Yellow Fishing Line?
There are a variety of different types of fishing lines for your reels, and your choice of the line can impact your ability to catch fish. There are other elements that can affect your success while fishing, but you won’t get very far without a decent fishing line.
A lot of anglers use yellow fishing lines. This is because its high visibility makes it easy for anglers to keep track of what’s going on if they’re casting multiple lines. But are yellow fishing lines really the best option? The following is a guide to all types of fishing lines, and their pros and cons.
Types Of Fishing Lines
There are different types of fishing lines on the market, and each serves its own purpose. These types include fluorocarbon lines, pink fluorocarbon lines, monofilament lines, red monofilament lines, green monofilament lines, clear monofilament lines, braided lines, and yellow monofilament lines. So- a lot to get through!
Fluorocarbon Lines
Fluorocarbon lines are often regarded as the least visible line you can buy. This is because it possesses the same light refraction properties as the water in which it’s used, which lends it near invisibility.
Perfect for clear water, fluorocarbon lines can lead to more bites from fish that have gotten used to more visible lines. While it can be used in water of all clarities, its invisible nature will make it harder to see activity on the bobber, so if you’re fishing in muddy water then you should probably be using a more visible line.
Pink Fluorocarbon Lines
Manufacturers of pink fluorocarbon claim that this kind of line is hard to see underwater (and therefore hard for fish to detect), despite it being very visible out of water. Studies have proven that at various depths pink loses its color, meaning that it becomes practically invisible to fish.
There aren’t really any benefits to having pink fluorocarbon lines over regular fluorocarbon lines- it’s just another option.
Monofilament Lines
One of the most popular lines on the market, monofilament lines come in multiple different colors. They tend to be marketed as both hard for fish to detect and slightly easier for anglers to detect than the nearly invisible fluorocarbon lines. Each color of the monofilament line comes with its own benefits.
Red Monofilament Lines
Studies show that, just like with the color pink, red loses visibility when underwater. Divers claim that red objects don’t so much turn invisible as they do turn black, meaning they’ll at the very least be the equivalent of invisible in darker waters.
There is some confusion regarding red monofilament lines, mainly because certain companies who sell red fishing hooks claim that the benefit of these is that the red looks like blood. This tends to go against the argument that red is invisible underwater, which is what leads to such confusion. Still, red is one of the better colors for fishing in the water of any clarity.
Green Monofilament Lines
Water tends to have a tint of green to it, making this color of line an ideal choice for blending in with the water. This camouflage effect makes it less visible to fish, and therefore harder to detect.
The only drawback to green monofilament lines is that they can be more visible than other colors if the water is very clear. As lines go, though, it’s a solid option.
Clear Monofilament Lines
If you’ve tried monofilament lines of different colors and none of them is netting you (borderline wordplay, there) much fish, you might want to try clear monofilament lines. This will mean the line is not only barely visible in the water, like fluorocarbon lines, but it’ll also be barely visible outside of the water too.
A variant of the clear monofilament line is the blue clear monofilament line, which is hard for fish to detect underwater but easier for anglers to see above the water.
Braided Lines
There are pros and cons to using braided lines for fishing. While they’re made of very strong material, maintain a thin diameter, can cast very far and don’t stretch, they’re also a lot more visible to fish than monofilament or fluorocarbon lines.
Braided lines are most recommended for when the water is muddy, or for when you’re fishing around heavy cover.
When Should You Use Yellow Fishing Lines?
Sometimes more bright neon green in color than yellow, this high visibility line is most commonly used in order to see movement on the line, particularly when you’re using a bobber.
While its bright color makes it a lot easier for the angler to see, it also makes it a lot easier for fish to see as well. For this reason, yellow fishing lines should mostly be confined to use in muddy waters. It’s a trade-off, really; you’ll be able to see more activity on your bobber, but you might not be seeing much activity at all if the water is clear and all the fish can see the line.
Conclusion: Why Use Yellow Fishing Line?
There is a lot of misinformation surrounding which type and which color of fishing line is the best choice for anglers. It’s really all down to personal preference. If you’re in muddy waters, you’ll be best using a strong braided line or, if you want to be able to see the line clearer above the water, a line of brighter colors.
But if you’re fishing in very clear waters, you’ll want one of the lines that are virtually invisible. You’ve got quite a few choices in that department- colored monofilament lines blend in well with the water, while fluorocarbon lines are regarded as effectively invisible.
It’s not like you need to pick one kind of fishing line and stick firmly with it, though. It’s most beneficial to have a few different types on hand when you’re fishing, so you can choose the best line for however the water’s looking. With our handy guide to the different kinds of fishing lines, you should be one step closer to mastering angling.
