Visibility is the key It sure did take me a while to figure it out, but when it comes to kayak fishing (any fishing almost for that matter) line colour really is a big deal. But no, I'm not talking about if said colour may act as an attractant or deterent to the fish. Like most of us, I pretty much always use a reasonably long fluorocarbon leader and as such, the visibility of the main line is rarely seen by the fish anyway. What I have found to be important - for a couple of reasons - is the visibility of the main line to the human eye. The first of these reasons is the visibility to the person using it... especially when it comes to using a lighter line.
Several species of fish are renowned for taking a lure moments after it hits the water as it is slowly sinking to the bottom. During this time there is usually a lot of slack line and unless you can see it pretty clearly, chances are high you won't detect any bites until the line is taught. But by the time you've managed to take in the slack line there's every chance the fish has realised that the funny looking fish-like thing isn't actually what it thought it was, and has spat it out. Bream and Pinkies (or Squire, whatever you want to call juvenile snapper) are strong candidates for this. A lot of pro fishermen will tell you that a great many fish are lost this way and since I've adopted highly visible lines I've started to agree. I've found that when your main line is clearly visible, if there is a tell-tale jerk I am able to detect it and strike immediately.
The other reason I've become a big fan of highly visible lines is that it's much easier for other people to see it as well, and if you're trolling, this can be particularly valuable when others are on the water near you. This is especially true when power-boaters are coming towards you from the side and are planning to pass you on the rear. If they can't see your line, they might not figure out that you're trolling a lure and could very well power right over your line. This has happened to me several times in the past, but not once since adopting easily sighted lines. Of course, this is also of use when kayak fishing near your fellow comrades. Too many times I have inadvertantly paddled over a mates line (usually when I'm moving in to take a photo of them with their landed quarry) and this often results in tangles that otherwise wouldn't have happened.
I've experimented with a few line colours now and so far I've found that the best is the yellow (almost fluorescent in appearance) colours. The photo below doesn't really do the colour justice, because the end of it has faded somewhat. Underneath those initial wraps, it's much brighter and this part is exposed when cast. I've also found pink to be a fairly visible colour as well, but not quite as eye-catching as yellow. My most recent main line colour experiment has been with a bright orange line (pictured below on the Shimano reel) and it's not bad. If the sun catches it, it's actually pretty darn good, but no where near as visible as the yellow under a cover of clouds. Although the orange is better than most colours I have tried, I think I'll stick with fluro yellow from now on.
 My most prized reels on my most prized rods, all spooled with highly visible braid main lines
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