Debate Topic: Do Fly Line Colors Matter?

Flylines

I’m throwing this topic out there, because I have no steadfast opinion, and need some convincing one way or the other…

Do you think the color of the fly line you use matters at all–for better or worse–as a factor in tricking and catching fish?

I have some friends who absolutely swear by the fact that muted grays, greens, and sky blue lines play a critical role in their abilities to catch fish. Stealth matters, and color of a fly line is a factor. Or so they say.

On the other hand, I’ve heard people say that it’s easier to pay attention to that hot-fluorescent line… you can watch your loops better, see drag on the water and mend the line, etc. Hot colors help anglers make their line behave better, and a line cast and drifted well will catch more fish, no matter what color it is.

We do know these things: Fish indeed see colors. Fish also get spooked when you “line” them (thus, a perfect cast, in my mind, puts the fly, tippet and leader in play, but not the fly line, so color shouldn’t be an issue at all). We also know that fly line companies spend a lot more time promoting their tapers and lines’ physical properties than they do color.

Still, all things being equal, when you buy a line, and you have a choice of colors, do you go with a subtle color, a hot color, or whatever you pick off the stack?

Convince me.

Deeter