A Quandary

[HarveysMinnow]

QUANDARY : a state of perplexity or uncertainty, especially as to what to do.

I'm certain that many of you have fished in muddy or dingy, stained water more than I have. So let me attempt to present something I find to be a bit perplexing...

If you fish in muddy water, the visibility (for the bass) could be limited to as little as 2.5 - 3 feet, or even less. This means you would have to drag the bait within that distance from his nose (without the extra added attraction of rattles or other vibes) to entice him to strike. In clear water, on the other hand, he might see the bait from a considerably greater distance. With these factors in mind, are you likely to catch more bass in the limited visibility case or the longer range clear water case?

It almost seems to me that muddy water and limited visibility could hold an advantage, because bringing the bait closer might entice a lazy bass to go ahead and scarf up what you are offering, since he will be expending less effort in doing so at this short range. In clear water, he might see your bait from, say 20 feet away, but he ignores it because he just can't get motivated to dart out that far, unless he's really hungry.

What say you...oh great oracles of the Bass Fishing world?

/

[bamabassman]

hahahahaa.great oracles.......dats funny harvey.


MY opion on this is i would rather fish clear water. plain and simple. more bass will se the bait, therefore more chances of ONE of them little dinks hitting my lure.

[lilmule]

Color dont matter if ya can hog call good.Swookie swook swook
Bass see much farther than we do in water so color is not as much factor as it is with us.
2.5 -3 ft is fairly clear not muddy 6 in is muddy,most pros like a 1 ft for a spinnerbait bite
I fish frogs in 1 1/2 ft of water and often cant see the bottom,yet a bass has no trouble finding the frog.
That said I have fished gin clear lakes and found them harder.

[keithdog]

I prefer off colored water to clear. While a bass will see the bait easier in clear water, they are also much more aware of YOU in very clear water. In muddier water, one can get closer to the fishing target. Heavier line is also not a problem in stained water compared to gin clear. Also, remember that bass find their food largely by sense of vibration through their lateral line. They may not see their target initially, but they will be able to quickly zone in on it. Thats why in off colored water I like baits I can get in close with, work slower and that give off food vibrations. Clear water requires one to make much longer casts, use lighter lines, and take extra precautions not to give away your presense. I definately have found clear water fishing to be much tougher to deal with.

[cassidyta]

For me, very stained and muddy waer is less about the bait being seen and more about it being felt. The linear line of the bass will out perform their eye sight in almost every situation. For me muddy water means something that shakes, rattles, or rolls.

[CamG]

I like them both. We have plenty of dirty water up here, so when I travel I like to travel to clear impoundments for a change.

I think it is much, much easier to CATCH them in dirty/muddy water. In those instances, the bass typically relate closely to cover and use their lateral line more than sight. Pitching jigs to heavy cover is my favorite way to fish.

[HarveysMinnow]

Originally Posted by keithdog

I prefer off colored water to clear. While a bass will see the bait easier in clear water, they are also much more aware of YOU in very clear water. In muddier water, one can get closer to the fishing target. Heavier line is also not a problem in stained water compared to gin clear. Also, remember that bass find their food largely by sense of vibration through their lateral line. They may not see their target initially, but they will be able to quickly zone in on it. Thats why in off colored water I like baits I can get in close with, work slower and that give off food vibrations. Clear water requires one to make much longer casts, use lighter lines, and take extra precautions not to give away your presense. I definately have found clear water fishing to be much tougher to deal with.

As usual your comments make a lot of sense, Keith; especially taking care to avoid being seen by the Bass in clear water. I would think this is a primary concern when fishing from a boat. When bank fishing, I've always tried to keep my shadow off the water, especially on calm days when the water is virtually a flat surface.

.

[Embrey]

Originally Posted by CamG

I like them both. We have plenty of dirty water up here, so when I travel I like to travel to clear impoundments for a change.

I think it is much, much easier to CATCH them in dirty/muddy water. In those instances, the bass typically relate closely to cover and use their lateral line more than sight. Pitching jigs to heavy cover is my favorite way to fish.

i could agree if its warm muddy...right now its 45 degree muddy...no luck whatsoever in that for me.