Water clrity

[Jack]

How critical is water clarity to swimbait success? Most of the lakes that I fish have less than 3' of clarity. Can I still expect to catch swimbait fish in that clarity? Any type of bait that might be better for this clarity

[Mitchconners1]

Yes confidence. Any bait will produce. Throw it and it will produce

[pstunna]

I think of it like this. The bass are still eating baitfish regardless of water clarity. They'll be able to find your bait

[G3bassin]

Big baits displace a lot of water the fish will know it's there you just might not see many followers.

[dominioncaster]

Anyone have opinions on better baits for less clarity? I would assume that a bait like a Hudd or a Slammer that moves a lot of water would do better than a glide bait that I'm guessing is moving less.

[SWIMBO]

I honestly don't believe clarity affects the swimbait bite much,like said before fish are still eating bait I wouldn't change a thing just my .02

[waynem]

Big swimbaits work well at night- another reduced visibility condition. Your bass will track them down if you toss them out there.

[CarolinaBoy4life]

Water clarity has never really been an issue for me. I fish in NC and the most visibility we have is probably 4ft. Normally it is much less than that. Big baits displace a lot of water. Just as they eat smaller lures and baits they will eat larger lures and baits that move even more water.

[High Power Swimbaits]

Here is best five out of a day of swimbaiting in less than one foot of clarity. Key is putting the bait close to the fish and don't move them too far as they follow or the bait away from them where they lose intrest. These were all suspended fish in a creek channel that hit the bait at the top of the creek channel wall. Where most people make the mistake in dirty water is expecting to do the same things that work in clearwater.

[High Power Swimbaits]

About two feet of clairity in low light conditions cold stained water. Sebile magic swimmer swimming extremely slow over where a small ditch joined the main channel.

[mhartley1994]

I don't see water clarity being a huge problem. Clearer water is usually better but like what was said earlier, Bass don't stop eating just because they don't see the baitfish as well. In dirtier water, I have better success with baits that I can fish slower, but am still able to make them erratic. I have a 6" Bull Shad, that was suppose to be a Floater and was actually a Extra Slow Sink, and I love fishing it in stained water. I can keep it in the strike zone for a long time but still cause the bait to dart and flare, making a lot of commotion. Funny thing is, when I got that Bull Shad, I almost sent it back to Mike because it didn't float. I'm glad I didn't because it's caught me a lot of fish using it like this. Hope this helps!

[Brock]

I definitely would not rule out glide baits as not moving a lot of water. I can't think of another bait that covers such a wide expanse compressing the water around it. Some of the biggest fish caught on my baits have come out of off colored water or on the edges near it. Super slow sink glide baits shine in low vis water, especially in the prespawn when fish start stacking up. Think rip bait cadences with the reel handle varying the pause count, throwing in a long deadstick around key areas. Knowing the angle the fish are pushing on and the bite window is critical, so try and make every cast count.

[Spectrum]

My opinion, based on what I've experienced... If you don't think water clarity makes a difference you're crazy.

 

Fish find food and eat whether it's crystal clear or a mud hole, sure. But hunting down a bait based on feel, versus sensing there's a bait near by, seeing it, getting curious and closing in on it, are very different things. Fishing in the middle of the night in 15ft visibility and 15 inch visibility are not equal either. Just because it's dark out, doesn't mean fish can't see ish.

 

Now can I argue you're going to get 300% more bites in water clarity between 10-15ft compared to 1-3ft? Nope, not with any data that will mean ish to the rest of y'all. I know what I've seen myself, both largemouth and smallmouth, in different types of lakes, and in different states.

[Rogervang]

Definitely don't rule out the glide baits. I remember this one trip when the swaver200 just came out. Me my brother in law and a buddy was fishing this pond about 3ft clarity. And I out fished both of them. Maybe they were interested in glides that day. I don't know. But definitely should've rule out the glide.

[vikingbear8]

I gotta agree with Mike, as having fished both water with 6" vis where I used to live and up to 25ft vis where I live now, there is a huge difference for me. Have I caught big fish in both? Yes, but it's a lot more work, with a lot more skunks in the dirty water. If you spend a lot of time smallie fishing I think this proves to be true even more than for LM. This has also held true for me in 6 different states, I'm not trying to be discouraging or disagree with the guys that have success in dirty water it's just my experiance that clear water is significantly better for me. Trout tend to be more common in clear water too, and that certainly helps.