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Water Clarity alomost never enters the equation for whether to throw a plastic or not. I suggest you get away from this awfully limiting idea that plastics are just for clear water - that's total nonsense! Toss a RageTail Craw or Lobster aty your favorite spot, and see what happens.

I'll often watch tv bass tournaments as well as other fishing shows, which are usually hosted by highly experienced anglers. I am shocked that some (not all) pro anglers still mistreat the bass they land. Some examples I see way too frequently: They will drop them on the boat, hold them up to the camera by the lip at a neck-breaking (horizontal) angle, or "release" them back into the water by tossing the already stressed fish from a height of 8 feet. These acts are much more common among ignorant anglers and kids I've seen on the water while fishing through the years. But most of them have the excuse of ignorance, whereas professional tv hosts and tournament anglers do not. The pro's have supposedly devoted their lives to the study of their target fish...so they should certainly know how to cause minimal damage to bass. Maybe I'm wrong and bass are indeed invincible, but I doubt it. Any thoughts? Am I the only one who cringes whenever it happens? -It's important to mention that I'm not just talking about tournament anglers...By "professional" I'm talking about any angler who has a tv show.

Bass have to live where they are born, they can not pack a suit case & move. The bass have adapted...The angler must adapt as well!

Ok, I´ll have to say it again and excuse me if it bothers somebody´s sensibility. BASS DO NOT NEED TO SEE THE BAIT IN ORDER TO HIT IT Now that I got that out of my chest and hoping, the size and being in bold the message will go through and won´t land on a coat of teflon you can help the fish a little to locate the bait, it´s not absolutely necessary but it ain´t gonna hurt. Make it loud, make it noisy, make it strong vibrating, make it shiny. I have caught thousands of fish with soft plastic baits out of water you could literally plow.

Huh... Sometimes when a simple question is asked you guys get so wound up in your effort to help, the unscientific less educated of us (which may only be me) just has to sit back and admire the education and knowledge some of you have and just keep reading. I've learned a few things reading these 3 pages that I never expected to. OP...I can't add much to the discussion, but to say... Go grab a freakin rod, tie something on, and throw it in the water...You'll know soon enough. Mike

Congrats..with all the jalepeno in there dont forget the eagles tp..

Depends on the water but while wading, my reels often take a dunking. I've never stripped one down afterwards because I've never had a problem.

I think the "depth of light" is twice what the detector shows. Consider this. Let's say that you lose sight of the object at a depth of three feet. That means that the light has to travel through three feet of water to get to the object, and then be reflected back through another three feet of water to be seen. To me, that means that the light, or its source could be seen at a depth of six feet. I could be wrong, but I'm used to that.

Newest Edition - Major Craft Volkey BLC

I guess y'all need to quit fishing cause hooking them hurts their feeling!

You aren't the only one who cringes when they see it. It's been a sore spot with me for decades. Hauling them overboard, slapping them against the side of the boat, holding them down on the carpet with their foot. Squeezing them in the "Alabama death grip", tossing them recklessly into the livewell, holding them up and screaming into their face. I consider it rude and irresponsible behavior from people who should show a little more respect for the animal that their life revolves around. I guess they consider them as a constantly renewable resource.The worst are the TV show guys who hold the fish out of water for a minute or two while they prattle on about just how they caught it. I'd like to grab those same guys by the back of the head & stuff their head underwater for the same amount of time and see how they like it. Good post.

No, no no no no! See a psychologist. Get counsel. Do ANYTHING other than doubt the senko. Please don't share such depressing information again.

I enjoy the Major League Fishing format, The fish landing penalty for the fish hitting the deck shows me that the others who let the fish flop around do it because they can! No more fish are lost because you took a minute to ensure it wasn't abused.

that's a hammer. Nice fish

I appreciate everyone's comments so far.......I mean I kinda knew it wasn'tt user(my) error in casting and I maybe thought it was a nick in my guides or reel, but I think it's gotta be an issue with the flouro pinching down and weakness if I get a backlash........you all have been very helpful and I thank you!!!...FISH ON GUYS!!!! I got this bruiser 2 weeks ago on a LC deep diving jerkbait here in NJ......

I have fished for bass for a long time - One thing I've learned about this subject is that I can only control how I treat the fish.

Sounds like typical Douglas. Last free pass was lastnight boys... I'll be back out there with you next week!!!!!

You're not the first, my friend . Maybe on here, but not on fantasy.

The Curado I 6.3:1 is best if you want to use both on the same setup, but a 7 ratio is better for buzzbaits.

Curado I in 6.3:1

Great question and great responses. I agree with... all of it! There are all kinds of "soft plastics". When I measure such things it's to get some sense of the scale of things out there, rather than as something directly applicable. Values may be helpful as basic limnological/ecological background info on a water body. But in terms of immediate fishing decisions, an actual value doesn't mean anything. Yeah, bass can make good livings in such a wide range of conditions. This does not mean that clarity never factors in. Nice nuanced response. Bass that grew up in low clarity adapt at a developmental level and can be effective hunters in low clarity. This is not an instantaneous process. Waters that are normally very clear that undergo a sudden turbidity change can end up with very skinny bass until it clears. Beyond such extremes, bass in most waters experience a range of visibility conditions and can hunt effectively in a wide range of lighting conditions. Speaking of academics... Not only does this (light travel distance) work as you describe vertically, but horizontally too, although I'm not so sure the 6ft number wouldn't be slightly less due to attenuation at depth. Not sure. Guess we'd have to measure that one. Anyway, the point is that there is more light getting through than we might think when we lower a lure (or secchi disk) down to check visibility. Further, bass are apparently quite light sensitive -more so than some of their common prey like bluegills and shad. Most bass we fish to are well equipped to deal with low visibility conditions.

You should only go in the water if it's safe to do so and your reel should never go underwater and if it does you should tear it down and clean it.

Odds are that when you catch a bass, largemouth or smallmouth, it wasn't alone. Whether or not the others are active or willing to bite after the first one was caught is another story.

You can definitely catch bass on trout swimbaits no matter if trout are present or not. Being in Florida I would throw all sort of swimbaits big and small. This big girl inhaled a 4'' River2Sea swimbait . Landing her was a treat on a flimsy 2 piece travel rod.

6.8 LBS California Largemouth baby. she was skinny too. huge mouth on her. pitching into some tall grass 1/2 oz tungsten sinker , D-Bomb on a 4/0 ROboworm hook ,

The OP ask a simple question; Where do you draw the line? We have answers ranging from plowed dirt, it does't matter and bass don't have a choice where they live. The succchi disk is a universal baseline, not subjective and simply gives the angler a specific depth of light, do with it as you see fit. A spinnerbait angler may use water clarity to select blade colors for example. Bass have exceptional eye sight, you can ignor that fact or take advantage of it. Bass often pack their bags and move out of or into dirty water looking for prey; mud lines, river confluence, rain run off etc. Fishing water color break line is common, the bass may move to that zone to take advantage of their good eye sight. Tom

It's funny becuse I'm often subconciously guilty of the opposite - thinking of clear water lakes as "hard lure" or "moving lure" lakes. It gets stuck in my head that bass can see better, so baits have to be realistic or have a quick retrieve. Totally not true, but goes to show you that any kind of "conventional wisdom" is often a mistake in fishing.

Got the opportunity to fish a Green Lake in Wisconsin for a few hours yesterday afternoon with a couple of guys who have fished it for 20 years. One boat went after fish and I went after big fish. The guy I was with threw back 4 lb smallmouth like they they were dinks. When I hooked that first Lake Trout I thought I had the one I was looking for. The big smallies just were not biting with the weather change.

Hi guys it's Keith. Been lurking around awhile and figured I might as well join up!

NOT the answer I was expecting! You're no friend of mine!!!

Why go in the water when fishing? Expensive lure hung? Wading in the river?

I have that itch to buy more rods, but I'm just waiting for the grad money to come in I ordered last night around midnight Arizona time, and just got the shipping confirmation about a hour ago.

Here is the actual question. My reply was that I treat muddy water like any other situation, and let the fish decide. I do not night fish in cold muddy water after a major rain event, so if you want a line that is one. In cold water I will generally look for the clearest water available in the abovementioned situation to start. I don't really care about trying to quantify how muddy the water is.

ehhh... I'm feeling some interesting comments coming... sticky situation. I'll just sit back and watch this one

I'd let the bass draw the line. My rule of thumb, at least initially, is this: The darker or muddier the water, the darker (or sometimes brighter) the bait I will go to and the slower I will generally fish it. It doesn't always play out that way but that's where I begin.

Tom, you ate correct the secchi disc is the universal baseline for "human eyesight"! But once again you are trying to apply "science" meant for humans to bass, it does not apply. Bass born in muddy water rely less on their eyesight & more on their lateral line to sense the location of prey. As to "Where Do You Draw The Line?" We can not draw a line & expect to be a successful angler. The OP was given personal experience proving this. Like the bass some of us have to deal with the waters we are forced to fish because we simply can not move to where ideal waters exist!

I'll skip the science. I can tell you "anecdotally" that I have caught plenty of fish on soft plastics and jigs, fishing cover in water with very little visibility. I'd guess they take advantage of the low visibility to ambush prey more easily, so let them ambush your bait. I fish fairly clear water most of the time, and when we do get a little muddy water, it can actually be an opportunity, rather than a bummer. Whatever their motivation, they seem to find a black/blue jig I can't see 12" under water just fine. In your case, they probably see better than you think. The coffee colored water you describe is different from really muddy water from a lot of runoff in the spring or fall. Even in truly muddy water, they'll find it. All I would avoid is a subtle, quiet, moving bait. Either fish tight to cover, or use moving baits that they can locate a little easier.

I guess the key for me would be how long has that water been stained that way? if it is new stained water I tend to agree that soft plastics would be a bit more difficult to fish, or at least have confidence in. For water that is year round like that different story altogether. Post spawn w/ temporary acute coffee water I would go to a different lake until it normalized, personally...

Adding a bead or rattle can make a difference, but it is situational. Sometimes just going bigger will make the difference. A big jig and craw, a big worm, or a big creature bait displaces enough water to be easily found by a hungry bass. Bigger or louder are not the only answer though. I have caught big fish in shallow muddy water on a t-rigged Smallie Beaver and 3/16 oz weight. In other words, as J Franco said, don't let water clarity determine what you fish, let the fish do it.

The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. I like that part of packing bags and leaving´.

And do what with that info? I mean, when communicating water clarity, this *could* be helpful, It's also one of the several measurements we captured when doing environmental studies in college, but what part of knowing that measurement can we apply to fishing? At best it's acedemic, at worst it's just a time waster. The water is dirty or clear, or somewhere in between. I am probably one the best known "measurebaters" on this forum, and inclined to take detail oriented things way too far, but I can't see the practical application here.

I see exactly what you talk about, adult bass and 'gills hanging out together in close proximity (20+ ft visibility). Well, guess what, those bass aren't looking to feed on those 'gills right then and there. (This is my signal to go into finesse mode, which btw doesn't always imply tiny baits and light line). When the bass goes into feeding mode, they won't be cruising near the shoreline, but rather on spots on spots looking to whack a meal. As for swimbaits, some of them are more proven than others, not because they look good to us, but because they have "triggers"- for lack of a better word that makes the bass bite. Be prepared to get skunked, not once, not twice, but for weeks on end. If you are observant and prepared to learn, soon you'll be fishing for the biggest fish in your reservoir instead of hoping for them.

Night time jitterbugging time. dark night in the trees down to some water , calm water, completely silent except for some car noise till this guy. stopped on my way home from Loudon at a little spot i found off the highway thru some trees. A lot -a real lot- of small 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 lb bass this yr. and a lot of aggresive 15 - 20 inch pickerel. This was my first night time , had only about 1/2 hour to fish , was worth the trek thru the trees to get there. a lot of fish so far this year on weightless craw and creature baits. rage craws , bugs , and space monkeys. hitting them after i am twitching them , not during the drop.

Good stuff.

What a difference an extra "t" makes in a story If I went out chasing strippers all night, I'd come home to my stuff laying in the yard I'd much rather be out chasing stripers anyways

Yeah that's what I hered I'm gonna be heading out to montog and hitting the surf this weekend. Nice that's a nice size striper your uncle caught

Almost every time

It's really more about line diameter than breaking test, and more about the cover you fish than the fish you target. I don't perceive 30-lb braid as heavy line, it's only 0.011" in diameter and casts a mile (longer casts I don't need). In Florida, we typically fish in dense vegetation where 30 lb braid might be pushing your luck. The diameter of 30-lb braid is the same as 8 lb mono, so there's not much line material for abrasion-resistance. For this reason, I use 60-lb braid for mat-punching and frogging, which is still a lighter line than 17-lb mono. Roger

What is it that has you worried? Find a good club and everyone will treat you like they've known you all their life. The clubs that treat new guys like outsiders tend to die off because they can't keep new members.