Are Crappie line shy?

[Alphahawk]

I've used hi-vis lines in gin clear trout waters and caught tons of crappie.


Regards

[Grainraiser]

I fish in Texas and none of our waters are clear. My dad taught me how to crappie fish and you used double minnow rigs with 17lb test line on baitcasters. Hig vis or clear line makes no difference in my neck of the woods.

[BobC]

Sometimes yes maybe and sometimes no maybe.

Mostly always fish Hi-Vis braid but have switched to a small jig and mono or floro leader at times and started catching fish from the same school that would not bite before.

Could be the smaller jig, could be the line, could be timing, could be how my boat was positioned, could be how my hat is tilted, who knows?

Who knows is probably the best answer. I use hi vis because I wouldn't be able to tie a knot or see the line. That said, the water around me is not that clear so ? As mentioned above, fish both and on more than one occasion and see if it matters. Trout can be a whole different story.
Bob

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

If the water is that clear I would still use the 2 lb mono or maybe a 4lb fluorocarbon. Can rig a rod or two with a high vis line and try it to see what works better. Everyone is different and there are plenty of options to try to see what works better for you.

[Ketchn]

It’s likely they can see line in some places, not sure if it could make much difference to them “ until” it moves , that might have some play , movement in their environment seems to always have play .
It worries me none most of the time , the old school in this part of the world used big giant gold hooks on the end of white cotton line tied up to a stick and managed to ketch plenty…

[Bricks]

Sometimes yes maybe and sometimes no maybe.

Mostly always fish Hi-Vis braid but have switched to a small jig and mono or floro leader at times and started catching fish from the same school that would not bite before.

Could be the smaller jig, could be the line, could be timing, could be how my boat was positioned, could be how my hat is tilted, who knows?

Me personally feel the answer above is the closest, changing lines will change how the jig is presented. I fish braid and HiVis mono for me switching up totally changes how the jig reacts, I use six lb when fishing mono the jig falls much slower then the braid, any current wind driven or otherwise the mono line reacts much more then braid that cuts the water more. Then there are braids and mono that sinks much slower by design which changes the presentation.


Does it come down too the color or type of line ( braid Mono brand of line ) or how the line affects the presentation?

[catchNgrease]

I think you will miss more bites by not being able to see them using clear line than you could ever spook with hi-vis.

Now blue gill and shell cracker are a different story.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[skeetbum]

I’ve done the hivis/clear comparison and found no difference. I’ve tied direct to the jig with hi vis power pro and deep jigged timber in 50+ FOW in the winter and absolutely slammed the fish one more than one occasion. The only reason I use a mono leader on my 2lb is for abrasion resistance and ease of retying.

[Les Young]

I’ve done the hivis/clear comparison and found no difference. I’ve tied direct to the jig with hi vis power pro and deep jigged timber in 50+ FOW in the winter and absolutely slammed the fish one more than one occasion. The only reason I use a mono leader on my 2lb is for abrasion resistance and ease of retying.

Whst about in clear shallow water? I don’t believe they’d be able to see anything at 50 feet deep. Atleast what I read yesterday said they lose the ability to see color around 20 feet because the light didn’t penetrate deep enough but I know in some lakes it would be possible for us to see that deep so I’d think a fish would too. I can see the fluorescent yellow diawa j braid pretty deep with my own eyes.

[Brag]

I've been fishing a highland reservoir that most people (especially Crappie anglers) would consider VERY clear. Can't say how I would have done with clear line, fluoro, etc., but I've been fishing it with 4 pound hi-vis mono (or hi-vis 8-10 pound braid) and have caught more and bigger Crappie than most of the locals would ever acknowledge live in the lake. I suppose it's hypothetically possible that I may have done better with clear line, but I doubt it. If nothing else, people use hi-vis for a reason and any fish that you'd catch because of the low-vis line would probably be offset at least to some degree by the fish you missed because you couldn't see your line.