Muddy Water

jooleyen · 06-16-07, 08:20 AM

Does muddy water refer to the visibility level, or does it refer to the color? My lake is very peanut-buttery. You can see about 5 feet down. Is that muddy? Is it stained? All of the other lakes around here have a green/blue tint and you can usually see anywhere from 10-15'.

Julien

Raul · 06-16-07, 03:18 PM

Ok Jools, muddy means that the water has a high ammount of soil particles ( usually clay particles ) suspended in it, stained means that the water has a certain ammount of dyes dissolved in it.

Suspended and dissolved are not the same thing but both reduce the visibility.

Color of the water is caused by either the color of the particles itself ( in places where the soil is whitish the water will be whitish, in places where the soil is redish the water will have a redish color ), by the color of the dyes ( ever seen that water from cypress swamps ? ), usually the dyes are leached into the water by the vegetation or environment around the lake, mostly humic acids, those turn the water brown, coffe like.

Greenish/ blueish tint is most commonly caused by plankton ( algae ).

You can have a combination of the three elements occurring at te same time, soil particles, dyes and plankton.

Visibility is measured in measure units ( either metrical or english ).

Rebbasser · 06-16-07, 05:39 PM

Thus ends the biology lesson for the day

.

Seriously, that is about the best explanation I have seen. Thanks, Amigo!

JB · 06-16-07, 05:45 PM

When I first started fishing muddy lakes in the spring, I had it in my head that you needed to be tight to structure and using colors that were bright or visible in muddy water. Years later after fishing the ohio river circuit and other bigger lakes in Ohio, I learned from seasoned veterns to watch the mud line and fish it, rather than using something to big to fish through it...fish have seen mudlines since day 1 of their existence, and many times the looks of the mud can be deceiving, it could be muddy on top, but much clearer a few feet deep, still having baitfish and bass nearby..
A good example as everyone can tell you that on Sunday at most big lakes you get to the lake and its stained just right or clearer, then by mid afternoon all the boat traffic and other lake lice will leave a mud line anywhere from a few feet to 20 yards of the bank from all the waves they create and wake.
Many times the bass will get near the mud line to ambush some critter that is cruising along in clearer water.

06-16-07, 08:20 AM	#1
jooleyen BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,509	Muddy Water Does muddy water refer to the visibility level, or does it refer to the color? My lake is very peanut-buttery. You can see about 5 feet down. Is that muddy? Is it stained? All of the other lakes around here have a green/blue tint and you can usually see anywhere from 10-15'. Julien

06-16-07, 05:39 PM	#3
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	Thus ends the biology lesson for the day. Seriously, that is about the best explanation I have seen. Thanks, Amigo! __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

06-16-07, 03:18 PM	#2
Raul BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,030	Ok Jools, muddy means that the water has a high ammount of soil particles ( usually clay particles ) suspended in it, stained means that the water has a certain ammount of dyes dissolved in it. Suspended and dissolved are not the same thing but both reduce the visibility. Color of the water is caused by either the color of the particles itself ( in places where the soil is whitish the water will be whitish, in places where the soil is redish the water will have a redish color ), by the color of the dyes ( ever seen that water from cypress swamps ? ), usually the dyes are leached into the water by the vegetation or environment around the lake, mostly humic acids, those turn the water brown, coffe like. Greenish/ blueish tint is most commonly caused by plankton ( algae ). You can have a combination of the three elements occurring at te same time, soil particles, dyes and plankton. Visibility is measured in measure units ( either metrical or english ).

06-16-07, 05:45 PM	#4
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	When I first started fishing muddy lakes in the spring, I had it in my head that you needed to be tight to structure and using colors that were bright or visible in muddy water. Years later after fishing the ohio river circuit and other bigger lakes in Ohio, I learned from seasoned veterns to watch the mud line and fish it, rather than using something to big to fish through it...fish have seen mudlines since day 1 of their existence, and many times the looks of the mud can be deceiving, it could be muddy on top, but much clearer a few feet deep, still having baitfish and bass nearby.. A good example as everyone can tell you that on Sunday at most big lakes you get to the lake and its stained just right or clearer, then by mid afternoon all the boat traffic and other lake lice will leave a mud line anywhere from a few feet to 20 yards of the bank from all the waves they create and wake. Many times the bass will get near the mud line to ambush some critter that is cruising along in clearer water.

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