Do you wonder what the color of water effects are on fishing? There are five main colors of water relevant to fishing. Some are helpful and a couple makes it tougher to catch fish.
Inexperienced anglers think clear water is good for fishing. Water that is clear makes fishing harder. Water with brown tinting is tough also. The sandy colors and yellow-green are the best for fishing. The color has variations from light to dark. This is the color not the clarity of the water.
Water clarity is a different element of visibility in a waterway. Water clarity is affected by sediment, algae, and other suspending particles. These can make changes in the color of the water at times. Look at color as water with dye in it. Clarity is affected by something in the water.
The color of water often is specific in regions. Plus the color has effects on weed growth. The different colors filter out sunlight. Plants need sunlight to grow and few water types block sunlight and prevent weeds from growing.
In clear water, weeds will grow easily in water at depths of 20 feet. The yellow-green water allows plant growth in 10-12 feet of water. Brown cypress limits growth to 4-5 feet. The red and white sandy waters prevent plant growth.
What the Colors of Water Do to Fishing
The color of the water makes fish behave differently. What works catching and finding fish is different for each color. The amount of light penetrating the water makes fish locate at different depths. Fish dislike sunlight and prefer dusky light conditions.
When too much light enters the water, fish go deeper in the water or cover. They avoid the light. This has an effect on lure color choices. This is why you need different colors for each waterway that you fish.
Clear Water Color Effects on Fishing
In clearer waters, the fish head into deeper water or heavier cover. As an angler both make catching fish harder. Fish seek the deepest habitat in the waterway. The fish will locate along deep weed edges and dropoffs.
If deep water is not present. The fish go into heavy cover or undercuts along the shoreline. The fish are avoiding the sunlight. Prey is seen easily in clear water during daylight hours. These fish will hide from predators. As a result, the predators follow the prey. These are the hardest fishing conditions due to water clarity and color.
Weeds in clear water grow in 20-25 feet of water. The fish will seek the lowest weeds edges in this water. You have to fish deeper in this color of the water. This water has algae blooms. Fishing is better when you have a bloom on the lake. Fish move into shallower water.
Brown Cypress Water Color
Water with a heavy brown tint seems like a good choice to block the sunlight. The problem is brown blocks little of the sunlight. Colors matter a lot for light penetration. Brown is a deep color, this means it remains visible in deeper water. It allows a lot of sunlight to penetrate the depths.
The result is fish hide to escape the sunlight. Plus lure colors disappear fast unless a darker color. You need to account for the light penetration to show the lure’s color.
Bright lures sound like a good choice. But colors rely on light to be seen. Color is a reflection of one of the wavelengths in the sunlight. Some wavelengths of color do not go very deep. These tend to be bright or lighter colors. This color of the water is tough to fish also. But not quite as hard as clear.
Weeds grow in depths up to 4 feet. The color blocks the light enough to reduce weed growth. The fish experience it differently. The light allows good vision at greater depths.
Yellow Green Water Color Effects on Fishing
The yellow-green color of the water is the most common type. You find it in streams, rivers, and most northern lakes. The amount of coloration varies a lot also. The variation makes the fish move to different depths and in different habitats.
If the color is darker, fish will go to shallower water. If a light coloring is present the fish tend to be deeper. What is helpful is that lure colors show better. You will find a lot of colors will work. The exception is red and oranges in water over 10 feet of depth.
In shallow or lighter colored waters, use bright or lighter colors. As you fish in deeper water go darker with lure color choices. Fish see a silhouette most of the time and not the actual color. In deeper water, a darker lure provides a better silhouette.
Weeds grow in 10-12 feet of water in the yellow-green color of the water. You will find fish in the weeds often. This water tends to algae blooms. The fish move into shallows during the bloom. It blocks sunlight penetration.
White Sandy Color Effects on Fishing
You will find white sandy lakes in the southern reservoirs. These are considered the second best color of the water. The color reduces the sunlight penetration more than the previous colors.
Fish will be in shallower waters than in the previous examples also. You will find fish in 6-10 feet of water during good weather conditions. In cold fronts, they will move as deep as 30-40 if possible. In general, the fish are in areas easier to fish.
Fish stay more active in waters with less light penetration. You do have to find the cover as weeds do not grow in this color of the water. The fish will be located at drop-offs, fall downs, and rock piles. Plus other features that provide protection.
Red Sandy Water Color Effects on Fishing
The chances of finding a red sandy lake are rare. They are in the south but are few in number. They offer the best fishing. The red tinge to the water blocks the most sunlight. Fish will be in the shallows a lot during stable weather conditions. The weed growth will be non-existent.
Find the structure and cover to catch fish. Once you have located the spots. Record these locations. You will find fish in them almost every time you go out. It is worth traveling an hour or two to fish this type of water if a lake is close. This water type is loaded with so-called honey holes.
Water Clarity
Water clarity is different from color. Color does reduce your vision into the water. Fish see better underwater than you. When the clarity is reduced it affects the fish. You need to learn what is color and clarity.
Clarity is affected by sediment, plankton, and other particles suspended in the water. These particles have color staining the water’s appearance. This has little change in the effect on light penetration as much as many believe.
If the water is churning up mud it matters. An algae bloom is another example of particles blocking the sunlight. But the typical trace amount of sediment is not going to change fish behaviors. They will hide from the sunlight.
Conclusion
Understanding the color of the water helps find the fish. Fish move into deeper water with more sunlight penetrating. Learn the water types in your region. Try to avoid clear types of water. Instead, seek out waters where fish will stay shallower.