Camo or not?

[losthwy]

This a long and dry video but very informative. Watching it only reinforced my belief wearing drab colors or camo, as I do, while trout fishing is useful. It covers a lot of ground. The section on refraction is especially interesting.
The Underwater World of Trout- Part 3

 

[tcorfey]

What no one is fishing in a ghillie suit?

And I mean one of these


Not one of these

 

[losthwy]

Now don't make fun of me because I fishing with a tweed suit and tie. LOL

What no one is fishing in a ghillie suit?

And I mean one of these
View attachment 24902

Not one of these
View attachment 24903

 

[trev]

Now don't make fun of me because I fishing with a tweed suit and tie. LOL

That actually blends pretty well with the sky. I like it.

 

[rmorrison]

No. Your coated fly line (particularly bright colors) or it's shadow is far likelier to spook the fish than what you are wearing. As stated above, what the fish can see is pretty limited. If you're in the stream (much lower than standing on the bank) and casting/swinging/stripping more than 10' or so up or down from you stand you can't be seen regardless of what you have on.

 

[trev]

No. Your coated fly line (particularly bright colors) or it's shadow is far likelier to spook the fish than what you are wearing. As stated above, what the fish can see is pretty limited. If you're in the stream (much lower than standing on the bank) and casting/swinging/stripping more than 10' or so up or down from you stand you can't be seen regardless of what you have on.

Although I agree with your statement over all, I think the fish can see your feet and legs from afar. They have much better vision underwater than they have looking up and there is no refraction as the light is in the same medium. Some wader manufacturer needs to come out with gravel/log/boulder pattern boots laces and waders.
How many of us wear woods camo shirts to blend into a blue sky and forget to use speckled boot laces?

 

[Hayden Creek]

Simms has a camo line of waders.

 

[denver1911]

I said I didn’t wear camo, but I forgot about a camo Simms shirt I had in the closet. Actually I wear it to mow in more than fishing.

The talk about fish seeing underwater and the need for camo reminded me of something. I’m gonna just leave this right here for ya
.
.
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[rmorrison]

Although I agree with your statement over all, I think the fish can see your feet and legs from afar. They have much better vision underwater than they have looking up and there is no refraction as the light is in the same medium. Some wader manufacturer needs to come out with gravel/log/boulder pattern boots laces and waders.
How many of us wear woods camo shirts to blend into a blue sky and forget to use speckled boot laces?

Great point. Thats why it is so important, depending on how ”noisy” the flows are, to wade quiet. Not only can the fish see you splashing around (if you are doing so) but more importantly they can also feel/hear you with their lateral lines if your wading like a clod. Wade quiet, place stream cover between you and your desired spot if able, once you get to a good casting spot just stand quietly for a few minutes before casting to let the fish relax if they did note your approach. The fish are far more concerned with and far more aware of what’s going on in the water than out. You still need to try to stay a safe distance away to cast, but wearing camo does not really do anything for you if you are fishing properly.

 

[trev]

just stand quietly for a few minutes

I used to fish a ''hole'' that could only be reached effectively by first wading right through it and standing on the far side of the run, there was also boulder that always hid a nice trout that was easiest to reach by standing right in the run and casting upstream, over the course of years and many excursions, I found that about ten minute (often less) of standing as still as possible would have the trout back rising within feet of me, often sheltering in my "wake" as though I was just another rock.

I don't know if I have trained my eyes or if it is just a natural thing but when I look at a person wearing standard camo clothing it always stands out against any background, the only clothing more visible at a distance is blue denim, that blue dye is brilliant even when starting to fade. Wool plaid is the hardest normal clothing to see in the woods for me. The stringy ghillie suits do blend in well because there is no continuous surface for light to bounce off of. But and this seems to over looked or ignored, the background we need to match is the sky.

 

[huntschool]

Camo (as in patterns) for me is a hunting thing and even then I have found the muted colors work just fine. As a bow hunter I like wool and/or cotton uppers and whatever bottoms as our weather here in Southernmost Illinois can be pretty warm for the front end of bow season. I really like one particular camo pattern made by an outfit in AR for tree stand hunting as it uses a light grey mixed wit darker grey and brown that does not show up with mixed skyline behind you when in a hardwood situation.

As to fishing, I am an old guy and I learned from older guys who frequently went to the water and the grouse woods wearing an old brown or grey tweed jacket. I followed suit although I morphed into some dull OD greens and the like for tops and similar dark kaki pants. When waders are in play they are grey of course. I really like the old Viet Nam slant pocket cotton BDU tops in OD green as they are light enough for warm wear and have those great breast pockets for fly boxes etc. They are getting harder to find (100% cotton) but I can usually hunt around a bit and find some when I need them. I usually buy a couple of tops when I find them.

My salt water stuff is generally a light to medium blue (sometimes white) long sleeved shirt with kaki or grey quick dry long pants.

I have come to like the new urban camo pattern in the black and grey or the grey and green colors as the seem to break up outline quite well.

 

[goofnoff1]

For the tiny blue lines you follow do you camo? Do you find it makes a difference?

Staying low is more imporatant. On some of these hard pounded streams trout will line up down stream of you like you are a natural current break.