Line Watching

Am I losing fish because I have a tendency to not watch my line but go mostly by feel?

Probably. Plenty of times I have seen the line move and felt nothing. Especially if they pick it up and move towards you.

With that being said I will be fishing a tourney soon and obviously want to increase my odds and will be tossing in and around lily pads, cypress roots. Should I use a hi vis braid with a flouro leader or all braid? I will be froggin on top and pitching into the pockets.

When I throw a weightless wacky presentation using one of those Reins 4 legged cross worms, I rarely feel a bite even when I have dropped the thing directly off the side of my kayak with very little line out. What I almost always see is the line start to move and straighten out. If I don't see the line move and a bass gets on, I end up having to dig the hook out of their tummies.

For top water frogs? Just keep an eye on your lure. When a bass comes up for it, you'll almost always see it, hear it. I don't think line watching would help as much as in other presentations. I'd throw straight braid, no leader.

Brad

There's times your line will pop and you won't feel it. Still shouldn't cause you to miss out. Even if you don't see it, you'll fill it when you pick rod tip up. But it's better to get the hook set as soon as possible. Fish swims off behind or around a limb or even swallow the hook. If you're tossing in a "prime" spot you should be paying attention for that second or two anyways. Long cast or bare banks it's easy to drift off into la la land.

Main two reasons I don't like night or fishing into the sun; hard to see the line.

90% of the time on each cast the Bass is going to pick up the bait just before it touches the bottom in shallow water. I watch the line when I can; but not important to me. I never feel for the bite as the bait is falling. I want it to drop in on slack line so it falls straight down with no pressure for the fish to feel. This is another reason to use scent in heavy shallow cover. They will hold on to the bait giving you time to pick up the slack and feel for the pressure of the fish. You learn quickly that it only takes a 3/8 oz. Trig to touch down in 5 ft. of water in 2 seconds. In three seconds I am feeling for pressure and setting the hook.

I never watch my line and don't believe it's affected my catch ratio. I go by feel and rarely loose contact with my bait. So much wind here in W Texas it's tough to watch line because it's always jumping around some due to wind.

Watch line sometimes but that strange additional weight gets my attention real fast .

I am terrible about this. I am always scouting where I want my next few casts to go instead of watching my line. Not sure I have missed that many fish because of it, but who knows. It is part of my lifelong ADD to do multiple things at once.

always watch line
i like power pro hi vis colors red and yellow
my friends laugh and say i look like fly fisherman when wacky fishing -- i like a very slack presentation -- let em laugh cause i usually wear en out on a wacky
also like hi vis on punching rig !