All of my reels are black. I read something early on that said flash from a shiny reel can spook fish. The earlier thread about reel color got me wondering if anybody else avoids reels that have too much shine?
I try not to over-analyze things. The brain of a fish is a small thing...a very small thing. Much like the human male, it mainly reacts to food and sex... very little else... and will defy death for either one
I have a shiny new Redington Drift loaded with a 3 wt DT that I will be using for small stream trout fishing. I think that I'll have to wear shades when I fish with it, so the glare doesn't blind me. I'll let you know if I think its scaring the fish. I might have to limit its deployment to small, canopied streams in narrow gorges, or only bust it out for cloudy days.
Naw, I've been fishing my Redington GD 5/6 - shiny silver - for years and its fine. Ofc over the years it's shininess has diminished.
Fishing is a sport that's awash in variables that can work to keep fish from being caught. Considering how factors like presentation, fly selection, angler position, stealthy approach, and more can all adversely impact fishing success, I think there's plenty of opportunity to correct things that we might be doing wrong before I'd start worrying about a reel's color or finish. K
"Fishing was great, but the catching was only so - so. Probably the glare off my reel spooked the fish." I can always use another excuse........
Don't go soft now Jim-hold their feet to the fire! We all know that using a reel that doubles as a signal mirror is going to put down fish. It' just the price of being fashionable. Ive
I tried a few, platinum club, gold member, red corvette, then I went fat big black and never have gone back...but I accessorize with black...pewter on black, green on black and then...black on black is my all time favortie... What about fly line color...dig the brights? or the dull colors? that would be of more interest to me. Olive Green and Tan are two of my favorites.
I use 3 reels in the summer time Two silver colored Allen Fly reels and one Green Martin Reel. I'm so far away from the fish I don't believe that the fish will see the flash from the sun off the reel.
My reels are all colored in camo pattern, Real Tree for the west side rivers and lakes, and Desert for the east side.
I thought it was a legit question. The last couple years I've spent more time fishing smaller waters. Movement near the water spooks the big fish first. Whatever they detect that spooks them is what I'm trying to avoid. I wore a red shirt one day last summer and noticed fish fleeing sooner than usual. I did better without the red shirt. Now I make sure whatever I'm wearing is a more "natural" color and not bright. You could probably use a reel with a disco ball finish if you're fishing 80 feet out. Oh well.
