I suppose some penetration would occur but I don't really know how much. Indeed, fish can see above water, anything bright like skin flash and bright colors will alert fish that something isn't normal and therefore put them on guard, especially in ultra clear water that doesn't see a lot of traffic. I know of several anglers who swear by camo and neutral colored boat hulls such as black, white, grey, and sky blue. They'll only wear camo, tan, green, black, or brown clothing as well. When I was younger I hiked and fished so many creeks it's ridiculous, but it's been so long since then, they all tend to bleed together as far as recognizing terrain, so I'm really not sure where this particular creek is located. But yes indeed, brownies were stocked in some of our area creeks...