I was reading the post about the sound the fly line makes if you lift it off the water and whether or not it spooks fish. That got me to thinking what about the color of your clothes? I have always heard not to wear white or bright colors when you are fishing in clear water because the fish can see the white or bright colors better and it will spook them. If that is the case then why do so many “fishing” shirts come in white or very bright colored. I understand why you might want orange because of hunters. I have tried to go back and think about the last few times I went fishing and what I was wearing in relation to how much I caught. I honestly could tell the difference. The last few times however the water was very stained. So what do ya’ll think?
I am a strong believer that the color of the clothing you wear is important in many fishing conditions. Fish have to survive by being aware of their surroundings and that includes what is going on outside the water as well as in it. If you think of the times as a kid you were swimming under water and look out at people either on docks or the shoreline. You see the colors and any movement really captures your attention, especially if the color is bright. I read an article where there was a scuba diver in the water to take photos of the flies being fished. He kept seeing bright flashes like a camera flash which were distracting him and ruining his shots. When he stuck his head out of the water to see what was causing the flashes, he saw that it was the sun reflecting off of the bright chrome foreceps clipped to the fisherman’s vest. Everytime the man made a forward cast, the foreceps would move through the sunlight causing the bright flashing. Do you think a wiley old trout would see those flashes and not think that something wasn’t quite right. I need all the advantages I can get so I always dress in subdued colors usually worn or faded clothing when I go fishing. I also spray painted my foreceps flat black. The one exception to that rule is saltwater fishing where bright white and light blue colors tend to blend in with the sky. Just one man’s opinion.
Many fly fishers wear bright clothing because it’s, well, fashionable. Personally, I like matte finish fly rods, because I want to minimize flash.
The late Charlie Brooks wrote about an experiment he tried on the Madison (I think). He wore camo clothing, and stood still in midstream. Trout continued to feed in front of him. He then had a fellow fisher, wearing a white shirt, slowly step out from behind him. According to Charlie, the rises diminished substantially.
I would think the more visible you are the less likely fish will be spooked and swim away. Because you are visble the fish can see your movements and react according when a threat is precieved. Wearing colors that reduce your visiblility to the fish may cause the fish to be more cautious and react to movements that would not otherwise be the case if you were clearly visible.
Most Western waters(tailwaters, freestones) get pounded every day, all day. So if all those waders and boots traversing the stream don’t spook the fish, I’m not worried about my shirt, or my white hat. On the San Juan the fish actually follow you around as you wade. If trout spooked at every little thing out of the ordinary, they’d all starve to death.
I don’t see what “fashionable” has to do with the discussion. Been in a fly shop lately? There’s not a lot of bright clothing on the rack.
Now a low pressure, small clear creek, different ball game.
There are situations where I DO agree however. Flat Creek in the National Elk Refuge outside Jackson Wyoming where you have to crawl to the bank and cast from the prone position. In THAT situation you CAN wear white but it won’t be white for long.
if you wear white in low light (or dark) conditions, it probably won’t make a hill of beans difference. looking up in the dark water, all you can see is the silver surface…this is why dark flies work in those conditiions.
My fishing clothes are mostly lighter, natural colors that keep me cool and they happen to blend in to my surroundings at times. If the water is fairly clear, bright colors and your profile spell danger to fish. I spent most of a day learning that lesson the hard way in Wyoming last fall. I have seen plenty of fish move out as I approach, just from my profile. You can guarantee it would be worse if you wore bright colors too.
I don’t go so far as to wear camo, but I tend to wear green, tan and brown clothing, hat included. I’m not the greatest fly fisherman so I figure every little bit helps. I do remember one day, though, when I was sharing some water with a guy wearing a white shirt and a bright colored hat as he used his spinning rod. He caught more than I did.
I think that most of the light colored shirts you see from the manufacturers are meant to be used in the tropics where they are cooler in the bright sun and most of the fish you’re casting to are 60 or more feet away.
I think we are giving the fish way too much credit.
Small processing centers. Instinct rather than thought. Fish are pretty dumb, and trout are towards the bottom end of the ‘intelligence’ scale as far as fish are concerned.
Is it REALLY all that important. What’s the worse thing that can happen if you are weaing the ‘wrong’ color?
If you don’t catch a fish, can you really blame it on the shirt you are wearing?
Besides, I like the newer ‘bright’ colors, salmon, orange, chartruese, pink, bright blues, some lavender (I’ve been told that orange is the new pink in the fashion industry this season). So far, I’m not having any trouble catching fish. I can’t believe I’m all that much better a fisherman than the average.
This is just fishing. Wear what you want. Don’t sweat the small stuff, just go fishing.
So do I when I am fishing for trout in the spring creeks of Northeast Iowa. But I have worn blue and yellow and didn’t notice that my fish catching or lack there of was related to the color of my shirt. Now when it comes to warm water I don’t think it matters what color shirt you wear.
I have also noticed when watching fly fishing shows on TV the host/fisher will tend to wear a brighter colored shirt so it shows up better for the camera and the shirt color does not seem to affect their fish catching. Same goes for colored fly line. But for Pete’s sake, don’t tell the fish. They all seem to think they can get caught better if you use a olive colored fly line and wear an olive drab shirt.
