Red Hooks and invisible line

[fshndoug]

I use a lot of 6x trouthunter or seguar grand max tippets on small flies 16 0r smaller as I believe you get a better drift.As for red hooks I have never believed it made a difference but if you believe it then go for it

[dan hufferd]

The color red turns gray or black after just a few feet under. Even in the clearest water.  Watch these guys fish for a few minutes then fast forward to 6.30 minutes. Can fish see line?

The second video is about line color but is does show what red does in water.

 

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, with typical water conditions in Missouri streams and lakes, it's pointless using red for anything but lures that run less than 3-4 feet deep...deeper than that, it looks indistinguishable from black nickel hooks.  I actually would prefer nickel or chrome hook color if I want the hook to be less visible.  

[joeD]

I was caught with a smile and a “No.”

Persistsnce works, regardless of color.

[timinmo]

So if I am reading this correctly, color probably does not matter on deep diving crankbaits or plastic on the bottom is 10 to 15 feet of water?

[Al Agnew]

Tim, depends upon water clarity.  Certainly red doesn't show up in water that deep unless it's SUPER clear.  But other colors may in reasonably clear water.  Basically, though, few colors are very obvious in water that is more than twice the depth the water clarity is.  For instance, if visibility to us is 5 feet (you can see the bottom in 5 feet of water but not much deeper), then most colors turn to greens, grays, and blacks in water that is more than 10 feet deep.  Green and blue are the last colors to lose their hue, so they may still show at water 10 feet or deeper in that case.  Red loses first, then orange and yellow, then violet, finally blue and green.  Keep in mind these colors don't "disappear", they just turn some shade of greenish gray.  A light color like yellow will turn to light greenish gray, a dark color like violet will turn very dark greenish gray.

That also means that PATTERNS don't disappear.  They just turn to something like a black and white photograph with a greenish or blueish tint.

Also, fluorescent colors retain their actual color significantly deeper.  Yellow might turn to light greenish gray at a certain depth but fluorescent yellow will still look yellow past that depth.