Line Camo

[Keith Ritter]

I SAW A TIP IN AN OLD MAGAZINE ABOUT USING A MAGIC MARKER TO CAMOFLAGE LINE.  MAKE TWO INCH MARKS EVERY TWO INCHES ON THE LAST 4 FEET OF LINE BEFORE YOU TIE ON YOUR LURE OR HOOK.  USE GREEN FOR CLEAR LINE AND MAYBE YELLOW FOR BLUEISH LINES.  IT IS SUPPOSED TO BREAK UP THE LINE IN THE FISHES VISION.  HAS ANYONE TRIED OR HEARD OF THIS?  IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD WORK BUT I HAVE NEVER TAKEN A MARKER WITH ME. 

[Dan Blackburn]

I've never tried doing the marker trick. I always for ever used Stren clear green line, it matches alot of water conditions and is a very good line.

[Keith Ritter]

I've used that and I like Cajun Red. I just wonder if the oldest most, weary fish is avoiding my bait because of the line. I guess thats why we continue fish because of what might be lurking out there.   

[Dwayne Denison]

Sounds interesting. I have been using the mr. crappie camo line, with good luck. A lot of people don't like it, but seems to work............Dwayne

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I have never seen scientific evidence to support this. But I recall that when I lived in the Florida Keys, we did something similar.

One of the favored game fish down there were grey or "mangrove" snappers. They were plentiful, almost everywhere and tasty. BUT, they were notoriously tackle shy. If they detected the hook or any hint of unnatural action with the bait, they would vanish. And because of their sharp teeth and gill flaps - and their furious fight - thin copper or stainless leaders were preferred.

So you had a conundrum - you needed something to protect against their teeth and gill flaps, but they mustn't see it!

In the end, it was common practice among mangrove anglers to use a marker or paint to camouflage the leaders. Black "Magic Markers" were common and many people used shades of olive-green paint. Back then, we didn't have the tough, invisible flouro lines we have today so you hadda do something.

Keep in mind that the waters of the Keys were crystal clear. Like bluegill, these fish were sight feeders, too. So if you fish clear waters, it may be worthwhile to apply line camouflage. The next thing to consider is this: the tackle you use should be micro-sized for bluegills.

They have small mouths, so hooks need to be small - like size 14 and smaller. Also when snaps, swivels, line and so on are oversize, they see those, too. Johnny Wilkins makes the point that you should really be shopping for 'gill tackle in the *trout* section of your suppliers. I reckon he's right. Given the proper 2-3 lb test line and trout sized tackle, I think you have made a long leap towards upping your chances of success.