Always Consider Water Clarity

Anglers often blast off to their favorite fishing hole and begin rippin' the surface with a million casts. They use the same bait in the same area with the same presentation regardless of whether the water looks like tap water or a chocolate milkshake.

At the end of the day, these anglers often return to the boat ramp tired, frustrated and with an empty livewell. Therefore, it's important to understand the role water clarity plays in the fish's environment. Once you understand this, you're on your way to catching more bass, no matter where you decide to fish.

I hear fishermen say, “How do you define clear, stained or muddy water?” Or, “How clear is clear?” Well, this may be a little confusing, but here's what I use to judge clarity. If I can see a light-colored lure down a minimum of 4 feet or deeper, I consider the water clear. However, if I can only see the lure between 2 to 4 feet deep, I'll call it stained. If the lure is only visible in 2 feet of water or less, I consider it muddy. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Quality Board measure water clarity in a very similar manner.

One reason water clarity is so important is because bass will adjust their feeding instincts to match the existing water clarity. For example, they will feed by sight in a lake that has super-clear water. However, fish living in a muddy-water environment don't use sight nearly as much and will primarily rely on their ability to detect vibrations and their sense of smell.

Largemouth bass use their lateral line, which extends from their gills down through the tail. This lateral line detects tiny vibrations emitted from a school of baitfish or a crawfish flipping its tail amongst a rockpile. The lateral line is very accurate and will bring the bass precisely to the area where the sound originates.

It's important to remember that fish are tied to their environment and will react accordingly. Fish can see very well in clear water, and they naturally depend on their vision to locate and catch baitfish or other forms of forage. Sunlight penetrates down to deeper depths in clear water and promotes aquatic vegetation growth. Since clear-water lakes often have vegetation available at deeper depths, bass can be caught deeper. Bass will feed more aggressively during low-light periods and during days with cloud cover. Early morning and late evening fishing trips are normally productive when fishing a clear-water lake, since the midday sun is too bright and drives bass to cover.

Clear-water bass are also more spooky and can become very persnickety and hard to catch. They'll school up and move around more, and should chase your lure farther compared to fish living in a muddy-water lake.

In muddy water, fish can't see as well and depend heavily on smell and sound. Also, light penetration isn't nearly as good, and the oxygen content is much lower at deeper depths. The lack of light penetration at deeper depths hampers aquatic growth, which is primarily restricted to the shallows. This is one reason why some of the biggest bass are caught from the shallows in muddy-water lakes.

In addition, muddy-water fish feed more throughout the day and will remain aggressive at high noon when the sun is shining bright. Since their vision is restricted in muddy water, they often become very object oriented. However, bass in muddy water won't chase a bait very far, so fish slow-moving lures with rattles.

Before you tie on any old lure, take time to analyze the current water conditions. Determine if the water is muddy, stained or clear. Once you figure out the precise water clarity, you'll be able to pick the right lure, use the right presentation and fish at a depth and location likely to hold the best concentrations of fish.

I know I've found and caught a lot more bass once I understood how water clarity affects the bass's behavior. I'll bet it will help you, too.