I was wondering what difference fly line colour makes on catching fish.Does a bright line eg.white,flouro orange prevent strikes by fish?Does a camo line catch more fish?
Suggestions welcome
I think if you have an appropriate length leader and tippet then no. In crystal clear waters my fly is 13 - 15 feet from the end of the line, otherwise 8-10 feet.
jed
From the trout’s eye, the light source behind the fly line silouettes the line and washes out the color. The same effect washes out the color of a dry fly and makes it less important than you might think. At least, that’s the way I’m currently thinking.
There’s a feature on FAOL somewhere that demonstrtes this effect for dry flies, but you can extrapolate the principle to fly lines. I temporarily can’t remember what it’s called, but I’m sure you could find it.
So, in my opinion, buy a fly line that you can easily see on the water and fish those Adams’.
What Jed said! The other week while pond fishing, I saw a few casts into new water spook a number of fish from their spots right next to the shore in skinny water. Particularly when the presentation was more like heavy ordinance than feather soft and stealthy. I use green, neon yellow, and yellow orange lines and the fish that spooked saw the line and ske-daddled while it was still incoming about a foot and a half above the water. Some fish also spook when you “line” them by over passing them with a retrieve. And on the other hand, some hungry fish will strike the flyline like trying to smash a bug.
An Orvis employee I spoke with last month was switching his 10 wt albie reel to clear line to avoid getting it cut by fish during a blitz.
good presentation, stealthy watercraft, sufficient leader/tippet length should allow you to use “psychedelic” line if you so choose…IMO and 2 cents. HTH.
Steve
I’ve heard somewhere that a neutral colour line such as a white line is best, but I’m sorry I don’t really know the reasoning behind it.
later
MIke
[This message has been edited by Newfoundlander (edited 08 December 2005).]
I believe Jed has it right. Still, I favor muted color fly lines. Any color line that slaps the water or lands over trout in shallow water can spook them…Just natural instinct.
In my experience it depends if it is sunny or over cast. And in my opinion you should be less worried about the color of your line but what color and how big a splash your strike indicator makes. Just my opinion.
Alex
I have had fish hit the strike indicator as well. Another vote for Jed. Instead of focusing on line color, we should focus on presentation and stealth (ala Featherchucker and Bluegill).
From the fish’s point of view, the opaque line will be noticeable regardless of color, especially on sunny days, because they will be looking up from below. Then of course, there’s the issue that fish see different colors than we do, so orange to you is not orange to a fish. Jed has iit right - as long as your line is nowhere near the fish and the leader is doing its’ job, no worries.
It seems that color is more of an issue to us, generally. We like stuff we can see first. We find most of our spooked fish from the line, is from the line SHADOW. By the time it splashes, most have departed anyway.
Fish must be able to see above the water. Else why do we spook some just casting over them and have some take a bug before it even hits the water? Many consciously keep their false casts away from above their targets.
Yep, agreed, stealth and presentation #1. Line color generally for us. 
…lee s.
My 2 cents CDN . I cast better if I can see the line so I use bright chatruse floating line , which tends to make my presentation better . I use the longest leader I can . I have had the fish strike the leader/flyline knot on more than one occasion . Anything that helps your presentation will improve your fishing IMO . Everything changes tho when you go to a sinking line . I use as dark as I can get because I fish in dark coloured lakes .
Jed,
I posed a similar question awhile back about colors of furled leaders. As I recall, the majority of people responding said color makes no difference. Now, I have no opinion on that. Well, yes I do, I don’t like furled leaders regardless of the color. But that aside, the color of the leader is a lot closer to the fly, so what would be your response when only the tippet separates the color from the fly?
Allan
Nope
I think 2 feet (approximate tippet length) is pretty close. It can leave shadows and it can fall within the cone of vision of the fish. Here is an experiment. Cast a line with leader and tippet on a 2’ deep clear calm water. Look to the bottom. You can see the shadow of the line, and maybe the butt of the leader but as you get closer to leader end and the tippet you cannot see the shadow. I would propose this as an interesting test with your line/leader/tippet and then you can answer the question about furled leaders for me 
I have passed a rod over trout casting the shadow across them. They see the shadow on the bottom and move away from it. Don’t know the exact relevance of this experiment or the shadow, but I think it gets us a little closer to the answer of what fish see and don’t see and what they respond to.
jed
Many people “do not” wear bright colors to stream fish. There have been comments about the color of clothing and how it can spook fish. One person commented if you go the the stream with him in a bright white T-Shirt you won’t be fishing with him because it would spook fish. Sooooo…why wouldn’t the different colors of fly lines, especially “bright colors” like ORANGE or WHITE, spook fish also…uh…more than other softer more muted colors?
GEM
Probably not, but I still use only olive or grey lines.
I don’t think color makes a difference because, like what has already been said, its just a silloute to the fish. However, I think line color is important for the angler to see the line, especially if you don’t use a strike indicator.
Round as we are, they would prololy just think it’s another big white cloud going over.
Good question Saflyfish. People watch the color of their rods, color of their clothing, keep their shadow off the stream, don’t make any sudden movements, false cast not over the stream till final cast, try different color of flies, talk about fish vision, talk about what colors attract fish more and then speak of a trout so attracted to your fly he can see it, and will jump clear up out of the water to take it out of the air, you sneak stealthly up on trout in streams and keep a low profile and cast from your knees to not spook fish, then use any color of fly line the want to?
Gem
[This message has been edited by Plain Old Jim (edited 10 December 2005).]
I think the same principles can be applied to clothing. If the sun is behind you, the color of your clothing doesn’t matter so much. In general, I would say that is the preferred angle for approaching a fish. But you can’t always approach from that direction.
If the sun is facing you, then the white shirt that you are wearing is very clearly visible in the trout’s window. I have a dvd using underwater photography that drives this point home.
Besides that, the plastic license holder pinned to the front of your vest really shines when facing the sun. Consequently, I pin mine to the back of my vest.