Water Clarity Questions

[The Kangler]

Hello all.   I am a bit confused on the topic of water clarity and its effect on color choice.   From my understanding, the clearer the water, the more lifelike the lures and colors should be, and in murkier water, brighter colors like chartreuse and black become more effective.  Where I get confused is what is considered clear in bass fishing? I hear terms like stained, light stained, heavy stain, and chocolate milk, but I don't know what distance they are referring too.  Could someone explain what clarity distance corresponds to each term, and how you adjust colors accordingly?  Thanks!

[riverbasser]

Depending on the body of water and even where you are in the country you may never see clear water like some of the guys up north. For me here in Alabama clear is visibility of around 6ft. This is not the norm, lightly stained would be 3 to 4 and stained being around 1 and a half to 2. Muddy is less that a foot. 

 

These terms like most others are not set standards and are used loosely. I don't put a while lot of thought into my color choices just make a decision based on what I see that day. If its pretty clear I will use lighter colors. Really muddy I will choose black. Bass are predators though and largemouth especially feed with all of their senses, not just with sight.

 

[RoLo]

 

'Water clarity' is very quick & very easy to appraise without the need for any special device,

which probably lends to its disproportionate preoccupation. Secchi depths can range from

a few inches to depths of more than 18 feet, but regardless of the water transparency,

several other independent factors determine 'available light' and therefore "Underwater Visibility":

 

> SKY CLARITY     (cloudless - partly cloudy - heavy overcast)

> SUN ANGLE       (midday - twilight - midnight)

> WAVE ACTION   (flat calm - rippled - sharp chop)

> LURE DEPTH     (surface - 5-ft - 10-ft)

> SHADE             (open sunlight - stippled shade - under a dock)

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

[riverbasser]

Good point roger

[WRB]

Nothing amongst bass anglers is standard and water clarity falls into a debatable topic.

However there are sceintific methods to measure water clarity or turbidity. A Seechi dish is 1 method and turbidity meter is another tool. 

The Seechi disk is a pie plate size round disk painted half black and half while lowered down into the water until it can't be seen, that is the depth of light under whatever conditions that prevail. 

Turbidity meter measure particulate suspended mater that defuses light that reduces the depth of light. 

Bass anglers use terms like stained and that can be similar to tea colored water that is generally clear with a stained color. Off color can mean nearly anything like greenish looking water from suspended particulates like algae. Muddy water is another confusing term, usually means suspended soil particulates from wind wave action or rain run off.

Whatever the terminology being used bass live in that water and can see very good or good enough to find prey that is trying to hide. Lure colors are more of a trail and error factor that only the bass can determine under what circumstances face them.

The simple truth is we don't know for sure how bass see and process colors or how broad their color spectrum is.

Tom

 

[Deleted account]

I have settled in a window from 6" to 2 feet as being the most important. Anything less than that I go with brighter, louder, larger lure. Anything more I go for more natural, match the forage baits. In the window I'll experiment a tad more. Than being said, I have caught fish in gin clear water with a chart. crank and some in 0 vis with a weightless t-rigged watermelon trick worm (on the fall no less). So always let the fish decide.

[Bluebasser86]

Anything 4-5 feet visibility is clear around here. Go to Table Rock, Beaver, or Bull Shoals a few hours south and that would be considered pretty stained water. All depends on the body of water and region.

 

Also, remember that bass can't read and they don't know the rules, and prey animals don't become brighter or more visible in dirty water. I've had some great days in clear water with bright colors like white, chartreuse, or pink, and I've had great days in dirty water with natural colors like green pumpkin. Don't be afraid to experiment because the book tells you it won't work.