Red Hooks and Red Line

[nipples]

I'm not sure why so many people can't simply add 2 and 2 and get 4. If you don't understand the red hook and red line reasoning, then hit yourself on the head with your wil-e-go board, and lets investigate this mystery Nancy Drew.

Bass can see the same colors we can, although they see them differently than we do.

Red... It's the first color to disappear in water depth and will start to fade in as little as a couple feet of water.

Red... is the hardest color for bass and humans to see in low light conditions. This is why the military use red lights for any and all covert night ops. Night vision technology uses a red light to achieve the night vision.


So far so good? Still with me Nancy Drew? ... Good.

Ok... here we go...

Top water lure with a red hook.. Full light situation... hmmmm... looks like the red might be a wound on a fish, perhaps some spilled blood or maybe a red gill.

Red hook on a deep lure... low light situation (due to water depth)... hmmmm... faded color... hard to see it, in fact, hard to see it all... just looks like a minnow or food... it doesn't look like it has the dreaded and unnatural treble hook that fish have learned to avoid.

Now for the fishing line...

Red mono fishing line... used for top water, hmmm... Fish and fishermen both see the line... Fish don't bite so well... Mental note, red line not good for shallow fishing.

Red mono fishing line... used for fishing deep... 10+ feet... low light level for fish (due to water depth)... hmmm... color faded... hard to see.... line become a perfect camo under water... meanwhile at this very moment... up at the surface... fisherman can see even the slightest twitch in the line... and yet the line has achieved stealth mode below the boat.


So.. lets recap our zany-no-brainy mystery...


Red line not great for surface fishing, i.e., not good for top water and shallow fishing.

Red line great for deep-water fishing when line watching and stealth are critical.

Red hooks on everything, it either looks like blood at the surface or makes it hard for the fish to see the hook in deeper water.


And to think... all the facts are still the same, but somehow they make sense after we did the math.


And if you can read this and understand it, thank a veteran math teacher.

[Rod Martin]

I thought the military used red light at night to prevent loss of night vison. Something about being able to see when you return to the dark and not having to wait for your eyes to adjust again. But I've been worng before

[Dan McKenzie]

So that explains why nobody stops for red lights.

[Swimbait Wannabe]

Ah the old red argument again. First off not all fish see the same way. Swecond water clarity and color really change what colors look like at depth. And finally, most importantly red does NOT dissappear. In case you missed it red does NOT dissappear. Sure it is usually the first color filtered out but it does not just vanish it turns BLACK! Every color eventually turns black I think blue or green retains color the longest. Grab a mask and snorkel and take a few baits down and see for yourself, I did. If this whole red thing were true when a shark eats a fish and the blood cloud starts to sink does it magically vanish after it sinks a few feet? NO. It turns black. My .02. Love the red light quote.

[swimbait]

Are you replying to my post?

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.ph ... ype=search

I find this topic fascinating but also humorous. I like your summary of the topic and you know, you very well may be right. But then again I think... we aren't fish, so to pretend that we understand how a fish relates to it's world is a little pretentious no?

[CharlieS.]

Personally...the I think the reason red line,red hooks...are made is an easy one....it sells! Look in the boat,would anyone actually catch less if they had half the tackle? Or maybe had one less Plano box of aarons magic blue with red flake,etc,etc..? Im just as guilty,lol...Ive never got a fish that Im so sure I wouldnt have picked up with the wrong bait. Its all marketing...To "sell" someone something that they dont have by convincing them that the need it. Strange,no one has to "pimp" groceries do they? Cause we actually do "need" those. Charlie

[Scott D.]

yep you're right. The red hooks make no difference AT ALL. I think everyone should take them off their baits, throw all of them away, never buy or use them EVER AGAIN

[Swimbait Wannabe]

The red snapper bit just killed me!! How about red submarines they would only be visible near the surface!!!! I read your thread over on calfishing. Good Stuff. Yes, I know that my eye functions differently than a bass and I am sure if we were both hanging out under a tree in 15' of water the bass will see things differently. The whole red thing will be with us for a long time. I do get laughs out of the cajun line guys at the show telling me how their line vanishes. After a few beers vanished into my belly I almost started to believe them. Fish ON!

[Swimbait Wannabe]

The red snapper bit just killed me!! How about red submarines they would only be visible near the surface!!!! I read your thread over on calfishing. Good Stuff. Yes, I know that my eye functions differently than a bass and I am sure if we were both hanging out under a tree in 15' of water the bass will see things differently. The whole red thing will be with us for a long time. I do get laughs out of the cajun line guys at the show telling me how their line vanishes. After a few beers vanished into my belly I almost started to believe them. Fish ON!

[Paul W]

Red line seems silly to me. If you dont want the fish to see the line, why not just use a clear monofilament?? I dont think my catch ratio is going to increase using a red line. I'd like to see someone go Bonefishing on the flats or to an ultra clear lake like Lake Shasta using nothing but the red line tied directly to their lures and see how many bites they get. I've tried red hooks and caught fish using them....do I think I got more bites using them?? Not really. And the red finish usually flakes off after a few fish so then you are left with a GOLD hook. It's just another unnecessary trend!!!

Paul W

[nipples]

Bonefishing on the flats is shallow... review above...

Red line is good for deep applications, not shallow.

I use red line for deep applications on Shasta and Oroville all the time. Being able to see the fish tick the line in the winter can make all the difference in the world. The rest of the time I am fishing fluorocarbon with the exception of braid for my frogs.

Will you get more bites using red hooks? Try fishing side by side with a fisherman who is equally skilled and switch off throughout the day and see which hook caught more fish.

Will you get more strikes with red line? Same experiment as above. I don't think I get any more strikes on the red than with the fluorocarbon, but I do believe you will see more strikes that you have been missing on the harder to see lines.

Anyone who dives can tell you that the ocean is the clearest and cleanest water you can find. Red line got its start with ocean fish and there is a good reason for it's popularity. But don't take my word for it. The line is dirt cheep, everyone needs to quit the "I don't understand the red line and hook thing" whining and go buy a 4 dollar spool and form their own opinion.

[crawdaddy]

Have you ever been scuba diving? Forget about what you think you know if you have not. Color visibility is the direct result of light penetration into the water. I have been in water that had 60+ ft of visibility and you can see all colors at 100+ ft, I have done it. Do fish see it, when one tells me yes or no I will have your answer until then I will limit my opinions to my own experiences. If you don't want to buy and use red lines and hooks then don't, but don't talk to me like I'm stupid if I do.

[nipples]

Power Pro has a new red super line. The color is called Phantom Red. Can't wait to try the 15lb (4lb line diameter) for my deep water drop shotting.

[RichThiel]

Nipples

Here is a line company back east that makes and produce's Red Line mono...Ken Kirk introduced this line to me and swears by it. Here is the Link>

http://www.hiseas.net/linesmenu.html

Rich Thiel

[Andy Giannini]

I think fish can see red, and it can be a bite trigger.

However, this Okie isn't buying any red hooks or red line.

A.G.

[basstamer]

I hope everybody just keeps thinking this way cuz I LOVE that Cajun RED Lightning line and man is it CHEAP!!! As long as everybody doesnt "buy into the hype" it'll stay that way and I can keep getting it for darn near nuthin so Thanks! For those of us that use it we know how good and how strong it is Now as far as red hooks-yep use them too! I figure I will do whatever I can to make my odds better-I use smelly jelly too-does it help? Dunno but in my head it does so it gives me more confidence. Red hooks dont cost any more than an ol black one does so why not use them? Again just my .02 but hey every little bit helps.
Tighties boys!
Scott

[basstamer]

and Nipples (GOD I love your name ) your saying too much about being able to see that red line tick and jump! SHHHHHHHHH!
Scott

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

If you have an Italian surname. I think it s like fishing with two rods in the Delta.
I have read every posting for the past three weeks and I have finally found someone to criticise for getting it wrong. Watch it fella the matress cops have an expanded agendaa since the first of the year
I want to thank you for giving me something to post before going up to Shasta to fish the back seat with a couple of real BASS masters. OOPS I guess the will really be FLW masters
My grand father always told me that there are two kinds of people. Those who talk because just have to say something, and the others like me who really have something important to say. HA

[kayaking4fish]

Have you ever been scuba diving? Forget about what you think you know if you have not. Color visibility is the direct result of light penetration into the water. I have been in water that had 60+ ft of visibility and you can see all colors at 100+ ft, I have done it. Do fish see it, when one tells me yes or no I will have your answer until then I will limit my opinions to my own experiences. If you don't want to buy and use red lines and hooks then don't, but don't talk to me like I'm stupid if I do.

Crawdaddy,

You may have dove in water with 60+ ft of visibility and you may have even thought you saw every color at 100' ft depth but you did not. You are I am sure going on your own experiences but remember your very own eyes can and will deceive you.

I have some background in the Fine Arts specifically oil color painting and let me tell you your eyes and your brain are more than capable of making you think you saw something that wasn't or isn't there. I have no doubts that you think you saw it all, but simply put the water has color and filters color and technically speaking color visibility is the direct result of light reflecting off of the subject matter with is still limited by light penetration and filtering in the case of being underwater.

Talk to someone who makes a living doing underwater photography and they can explain color correcting lenses and filters to you. In fact next time your at your local dive shop ask them about the color correcting dive masks that are now available.

Beyond all that though I do often use red leaders and sometimes I use red hooks. Does it make a difference? I couldn't tell you, it seems to for me but I am using it in deeper or darker water. Clean or shallow water I'll still use a clear mono.

Jeff

[hang'emhigh]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet...



Now it makes total sense, that's why the preferred color of night time camo wear is red. Yeah, have you guys not seen the navy seals in their red camo outifts, it's soooo summer '02. And the stealth bombers were not so stealth until they got their new candy apple red paint jobs. Now, no one in Iraq or Baghdad can see them flying by at night.

Would it not make sense that black would be the first color to disappear in dark conditions? I guess I am no Nancy Drew.

Victor

[mark poulson]

Victor,
Give yourself a little more credit. You are a Nancy Drew!