Water Color?

[CiMo]

How do you determine what color the water is of where fishing, greenis an obvious color or more so to me than anything else, bust most all waters when looking from shore have a blue or dark look to them. Just wondering if there is a specfic way to tell exact cor of the waters your fishing. Thanks.

[jhoffman]

Color or Visibility

 

I fish lakes that range from red when theyre mud to lakes that are so tannic they are almost black.

[WRB]

Water color and clarity is subjective.

When you look at the sky, it looks blue due to the moisture content, same with water at an angle to sunlight.

You make a secchi disk to objectively determine water clarity or depth of light.

Tom

[GoTakeANap]

On 4/25/2013 at 5:23 AM, CiMo said:

How do you determine what color the water is of where fishing, greenis an obvious color or more so to me than anything else, bust most all waters when looking from shore have a blue or dark look to them. Just wondering if there is a specfic way to tell exact cor of the waters your fishing. Thanks.

 

 

This video bassresource (Glenn) made will also help choose the correct colors. He has alot of helpful videos on his youtube page. Check it out. 

 

[CiMo]

Awesome explanation and technique for checking color of the water. Thank you G.T.A.N!!!

[gr8outdoorz]

I was taught:

 - if you can see your prop then its clear water

 - if you can see the lower unit but not the prop then its stained water.

 - if you can't see the lower unit then its muddy water.

[GoTakeANap]

I was taught:

 - if you can see your prop then its clear water

 - if you can see the lower unit but not the prop then its stained water.

 - if you can't see the lower unit then its muddy water.

 

 

That's pretty good. ill have to try that and compare the 2 and see how it turns out.

[WRB]

It's a mistake to generalize the affects of water color verses water clarity and then make a leap to select lure colors based on subjective water clarity.

As I mentioned a secchi disk is scientific and standards exits, however not in the bass fishing world where subjectivity rules. As bass anglers we all collectively have very different experiences on what lure color works under specific circumstances, however we can't agree on the circumstances.

Someday we will understand more about how bass actually see their underwater world, today few knowledgeable fishery experts agree. What is known is bass are sight feeders and see better underwater then we can above water and in very low light. Bass use this exceptional vision to their advantage over the prey they eat. The bass also uses their sense of vibration and sound detection along with a lesser sense of smell.

Tom

[Fishes in trees]

I made a secchi disc this winter and I keep it in my boat all the time.  I've only been out a couple of times this year, so I am not all that experienced using it.  So far I have found out that wind can make a difference in how easy it is to deploy.  Sun makes a difference, as you get a slightly different reading depending on if you drop it over the sunny side or the shady side of the boat.  Some times there has been so much glare on the sunward side of the boat that I lose sight of the disc as soon as it hits the water.  Then the shady side of the boat is your only option.  As time goes on I will get better at using it and I think that the measurements will mean more to me.   It has always bugged me when guys refer to "clear" or "stained" or "muddy" water.   My question has always been "How clear? or How muddy?"   The secchi disc is a tool that will put a number on that question.   I have always wanted one and now I got one.