Hi vis line for Walleye and other fish in clear water?

[Hammmerhead]

Been after the Walleye and Hybrids in a really clear lake, but didn't know if this made a difference with them. I really haven't noticed the hi-Vis line helping me determine bites while spider rigging for Crappie and was thinking about going back to a clear mono or something.

[ozarks ranger]

I do mostly dock shoot or dip trees and deep brushpiles. hi vis does not bother the fish and with my old eyes I need it. spider rigging, trolling pushing cranks it probably wont help much. just use the line you have the most confidence in.

[cevans]

Here in Indiana, we have walleye fishermen using diff colored lines especially when trolling and using planer boards to keep them from getting tangled. If it bothers you to use a hi Viz or colored line, tie a 5-6' leader of clear or vanish mono on what your using and then the bait or lure to it. I use yellow power pro braid and catch fish with no problems.

[micorps]

The cheapest way to keep you hi vis line without respooling for walleye is to tie a red swivel on your main line and run a 12 lbs test fluoro carbon leader to the swivel. For walleyes i use the yo zuri pink disappearing fluoro carbon leader material. For clear water lakes, you need line that disappears as walleyes sight is very good.

[Locator79]

Stren blue shows up just as much as hi vis in my opinion

[CrappiePappy]

Stren blue shows up just as much as hi vis in my opinion

And I'm not so sure that fluorocarbon line is "invisible" to fish, either. Just because it's hard for US to see below the surface (from above it), that's no reason to believe that fish can't see it ... seeing as how their eyesight is far better underwater than ours.

IMHO ... the trick is to present a bait that draws their attention to the point that they ignore the line it's attached to

[skiptomylu]

I usually use braid and usually in the Yellow or even Blue, but if I get to feeling that it's costing me bites because they have become line shy, I tie on a mono leader. Still I don't think in this lake it will make much difference if any, but going mono with sure reduce your feel a lot!

Skip

[wicklundrh]

For me, tournament fishing for walleyes, I use three different types of line. When trolling (pulling planer boards) I run berkley XT 10lb. Crank baits are hooked to the line directly with a duolock. That same duolock will also hook to my bottom bouncers, divers, or Tadpoles. Any leader (including the tying of my crawler harnesses) is done with 20lb Seagar Red Label AbraseX floro. Although I am not 100% sold on the effects of Floro, what I can tell you is that I trust the AbraseX line above many others. I like it for exactly what the name says. I've compared it side by side with the standard 20lb floro and there is a night and day difference as far as nicks, cuts, and abrasions on the line. Keep in mind that one fish can be worth 20k! I don't want to lose it to a simple knick on the line from the tooth of a previously caught fish.

For jigging, I use Stren Original in 6lb test. We have utilized stren original for more than 40 years! I grew up steelhead fishing on the banks of the Manistee river. As many people know, trout (especially steelhead) are line wary. I've never had an issue with this line. I've yet to break off a walleye on 6lb stren and I've had days were we have caught 14 fish over 11lbs! I do utilize an inline barrel swivel BUT... that is only to prevent line twist while jigging in the river. I use the same line on both ends.

Keep in mind that I jig with a very specific rod custom built by myself. Like my steelhead rods, this rod has a very specific back bone that allows the "rod" to do the work and not the line. Many jig fisherman opt for using braided lines because they say the feel is better. They are using rods with Xfast actions. Unfortunately, sometimes you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. On one particular trip I my boat (prefishing a tournament) I noticed a buddy of mine missing a ton of fish on his hookset. As I watched, I began to realize what was happening. Due to the lack of bend in his rod (or load up), and the fact that the braid has about zero stretch, he was ripping the bait out of the fish's mouth. My setup, with mono and a softer backbone allows the rod to load up, the line to stretch or give slightly, and doesn't create the "ripping" effect. Plus, who wants to fight a fish with a broomstick for a rod!!! As for feel, again, it really depends on the rod. Some of the Xfast rods simply won't allow you to use mono and get the same "feel" of the bottom as you would with braid. So, there is a give and take to that.

I have, in the past, used braid on some of my Xfast rigs (now kept around for beginners to get the feel of jigging). If I do, I utilize the green, 10lb powerpro. I will utilize a barrel swivel and tie on a leader. Not because the fish might be wary, but because I "hate" line twist and find mono much easier to break off and retie then trying to break braid (or a rod). Many of my buddies tie direct to the jig without issues. They also break a few rods here and there and do have issues getting snags out.

As for hi viz line with walleye fishing, I don't see a genuine need for it.

[Hammmerhead]

thanks for all the responses. I usually fish the AR river waters or lakes where it doesn't matter what I have on. I have recently been hitting Hamilton near the dam and below it a ways. Over the holiday with them letting a little water go from Ouachita, I was seeing the bottom in crystal clear water that was 15ft deep. And I don't mean just seeing hints of the bottom, it was like looking through a window as you could see everything. Even a half mile down or so where we were fishing for Walleye, but catching hybrids, I could see a spinning rig 6 foot down, no problem.

[wicklundrh]

I have a tournament in two weeks up in Alpena Michigan on Lake Huron.

We fished there last year and the water is so crystal clear that you can see the bottom (in high defintion and detail) in waters over 30 feet deep! There is a ton of boulders and rock structure in this area and the fish hide in them during the day. Boat spooking is a big issue if you are not running planer boards!