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Water Clarity Guide for Bass Fishing [Blueprint Revealed]

How to determine water clarity for fishing | Bass fishing water clarity

Do you want the key to unlock where the bass will be and what bait to use so you can catch bass in record time? We have your answer and it’s all about knowing the water clarity conditions of the lake you’re fishing.  MILLIONS of dollars have been won when anglers know exactly what types of conditions they’re fishing in.

We know it can be frustrating at first (there’s alot to take in) but lucky for you, we took the time to build you an easy to follow blueprint that takes ALL the thinking out of what bait (and color) you need to start out using!  

The amount of sediment in the water is called Turbidity.  Too much sediment (high turbidity) will block the sunlight and will stop the plants and algae to produce oxygen for the bass and other fish that need to survive.  Highly turbid water will also absorb sunlight and could heat the water to an unhealthy level. Each body of water is different, these suggestions have many applications. The best thing about these general guidelines is that more often than not they will quickly put you in the ballpark to be successful.

  • Water Clarity 8 feet or more = Clear Water
  • Water Clarity 4-8 feet = Lightly Stained WaterWater Clarity 2-4 feet = Stained Water
  • Water Clarity 0-2 feet – Muddy Water

Hundreds of thousands of professional anglers know what it’s like to fish on an unfamiliar body of water for a living.  They need find the bass, catch as many as they can, keep that five biggest bass and possibly bring home a winning check. Most successful anglers follow these  handful of basic rules.   It’s going to so easy for you to find bass once you learn the secrets of how water clarity works… and that’s exactly what we’re going to give you in the post below so keep reading…

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Where to locate bass based on water clarity

When it comes to water clarity, it does not matter the time of year. These rules have solidified as being insanely accurate and very trustworthy.

Chart for Locating Bass Based on Water Clarity:  

Water Clarity Location Of Bass
Water clarity 8 feet or more < 55 feet deep. Find the thermocline.
Water clarity 4-to-8-feet < 35 feet deep. Find the thermocline.
Water clarity 2-to-4-feet < 15 feet deep.
Water clarity 2-feet-to-6-inches < 10 feet deep.
Water clarity 6-inches or less < 8 feet deep. Will be pushed tight up against the bank and large structures.

The main reason for finding bass location is water clarity or how stained that water is. The less stained that water is the more a bass will use its eyes to find, track, and attack its prey.

Tips For Fishing Clear Water…

Fishing Water Clarity 8 feet or more…

What is considered clear water for fishing?

Water clarity 8 feet or more is considered clear water conditions.  Bass specifically hunt and feed using their eyesight in these conditions.

Best clear water fishing tips

In gin-clear water any fish is at its most nervous and very cautious. Threat of other predators (such as other fish, bird, or even fisherman) fish are naturally on guard, so you have to modify the way you fish in this situation.  By far, 9-10 anglers will agree it’s very hard to get any bites if the water is clear, if it’s calm and sunny with bluebird skies.

But we have your back. If you take note of the secrets of how to fish in clear water you’ll be catching fish in no time

>>> Use fast moving baits first. If you find yourself fishing in clear water it’s best to first go with a fast moving bait that will often draw aggressive reaction strikes. Many times you’ll be able to pick off a couple of over aggressive fish.

>>> Make the bait look like the real deal. Bass are lazy opportunistic predators, they will often hunt using as little as energy as possible. If the water is clear the bass will hunt by sight. Unfortunately, this gives the bass time to inspect your lure. So you have to choose a color pattern that looks as real as possible.

>>> Downsize everything. This is where finesse fishing really shines. Put down your power fishing rod and pick up your spinning rod. Finesse fishing includes the techniques of drop shot fishing, shaky head, jigging soft plastic tubes, dragging a Mojo rig. Many anglers use fluorocarbon line no more than 8-pound test.

If you decide to fish a crankbait, using a thinner line will also allow the crankbait to dive deeper.

A smaller line will also make the bait look like a living creature which will give you more bites!

>>> Fish into the sun. All fish get spooked when they see any type of shadow. They have to be worried about becoming lunch for an osprey or another predator bird.  So fish into the sun because it places your shadow behind you.

>>> Find a shady spot. Not every bass will move out to deep water as the sun comes up. Some will find a shady spot and wait to ambush a small fish. So finding an area that that can give the bass vertical cover can be the ticket. Here are some examples of shady locations are: 

  • Docks
  • Bridge pilings
  • Channels beneath bridges
  • Coves with flooded vertical timber
  • Hollow cypress trees
  • Flooded thickets
  • Laydown
  • Large boulders
  • Bluff walls
  • Underwater ledges
  • Marina structures
  • Docked boats
  • Wave breakers surrounding marina

How do you catch bass in deep clear water?

Most of the bass will move to a deeper location as the sun comes up. In ultra-clear lake clarity this could mean the bass are 20+ feet deep!

Keep in mind the light will diminish as you get deeper.  This can give you the opportunity to present some lures that you would not choose to fish in shallow clear water. 

To present your bait to the fish, you’ll want a quick sinking lure that you can cast from a distance. 

Lures such as deep diving crankbaits, swimbaits, jigs, Carolina rigs,  spoons, drop shot rigs, are phenomenal choices. 

You can approach these areas two different ways… 

First, you can make a long cast and work your bait through the strike zone. Deep diving crankbaits, jigs, swimbaits, Carolina Rigs are great for making a long cast and working it back.  

The second way is to vertically jig some of your lures. You’ll need to position your boat over the fish and drop the lure straight down.  Spoons, drop shot lures, tube baits rock when fished vertically.

What exactly is the best lure color for clear water? 

Short answer is:  it depends.

For bait color, try to closely ‘match-the-hatch’. Meaning try to choose lures that closely look like the bass’ primary forage in that body of water that you’re fishing.

Bass will instantly swim in from a long distance away to attack your lure, but if your bait is not the right size, color and sometimes shape, they won’t attack.

Natural colors of browns and greens should be your color of choice if your lake has crawfish, bream, bluegill, or perch fish. 

  • Lure companies will often give their baits these types of names:  watermelon, pumpkin, pumpkinseed, California 420.

White, silver, chrome, blue colors represent bait fish colors such as threadfin shad, gizzard shad, alewife and herring. You’ll often see and hear the term “Shad colors”, and it’s referring to the colors found commonly with bait fish. 

  • Examples of what lure companies name their baitfish colors: Albino, shad, gizzard shad, sexy shad, pro blue, white pearl.

How to find what forage fish lives in your lake?

If you’re not familiar with the lake or river you’re fishing, here are some things you can do to prepare your tackle selection BEFORE your fishing trip:  

Talk to your local tackle shop – Often they can tell you what forage species are found and what colors work the best. Remember, if they tell what is working, do them a solid buy from your local tackle shop. 

Search your state’s natural resources division – Many times they will list what fish are “game-fish” and what other fish are found in your local lakes, streams or rivers.  

Join a local anglers facebook group – This strategy is great because joining a helpful group can really give you the edge on what’s found at the lake.  Member’s may not share the location of the honey-holes but often they’ll give you a helping hand. You may even find a fishing buddy there.

Google search: fish species + your lake or state.  Ex: Georgia + “fish species”

This will take you to various sites that will tell you all about the different species of fish.  

Then perform another google search by copy and paste the name of that species  in Google Images.  

Catch the prey – Take a morning to go to the actual lake you’ll be fishing and try to catch the prey the bass are feeding on.  This is super fun and kids love it.  Bring a shad net, bring some minnow traps or crawdad traps and see what you catch. Make sure to take a ton of pictures in good light. Then head to your local tackle shop.

Fishing Lure Color Selection Chart - Clear Water Conditions

Time of Day Application Style of Lure Color Pattern Opacity
Morning Topwater Walking baits
Poppers
Wake baits
Shad or minnow (points, midlake or if you see shad boils)Bream/bluegill (in back of coves, near shorelines) Translucent or “ghost”
Around structure or shoreline Jigs
Small creature baits
Soft plastic flukes/jerkbaits
Soft plastic swimbait
Drop shot
Mojo rig
Senko/stick baits
Natural (greens/browns) jigs and small creature baits and drop shot worms
Natural bream or Shad colored soft plastic flukes or swimbaits
Translucent or opaque
Windy = upsize your lure A-Rig/Umbrella rig
Swimbaits
Spinnerbait
Natural bream or Shad Opaque
Afternoon Topwater Frogs
Walking baits
Frogs: White or greenShad or minnow (points, midlake or if you see shad boils)
Bream/bluegill (in back of coves, near shorelines)
Translucent or “ghost”
Around structure or shoreline CrankbaitsJigs
Small creature baits
Soft plastic swimbait
Drop shot
Mojo rig
Senko/stick baits
Natural (greens/browns) jigs and small creature baits and drop shot worms
Natural bream or Shad colored soft plastic flukes or swimbaits
Translucent or opaque
Windy = upsize your lure A-Rig/Umbrella rig
Swimbaits
Spinnerbait
Natural bream or Shad Opaque

Few More Clear Water Fishing Tips…

The clearer the water, you’ll need to increase the distance between yourself and that piece of structure.  Bass are easily spooked and will retreat to deep water at the first sign of danger.

Use give yourself a 5-Minute Rule.  Meaning don’t spend more than 5 minutes fishing a piece of structure. If they don’t bite right away, they’re not going to bite at that time. It doesn’t mean you can’t go back in an hour or two… just don’t waste your time in it.

Wind can be your friend if used correctly.  As a result, the wind will push bass to structure, specifically tall vertical structures (ie bridge or dock pilings, bluff walls or standing timber) or large structures like tall submerged humps or large boulders that can offer shelter.

Wind will also mask your bait because of the broken reflection that will be created by the waves.  This is why spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and shallow running jerkbaits work so well in windy conditions. 

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Tips For Fishing Stained Water

Fishing Water Clarity 2-7 feet…

How to fish stained water?

What is considered stained water?  Remember earlier in the post, “stained water” is a loose term for a body of water that has mild-moderate turbidity.  Algae, suspended tannic acid,  suspended sediment, water mixing all cause the water to look “stained”. 

There are varying degrees of stained water based on how clear it is.

Lightly Stained Water

Water Clarity 4-7 feet is considered lightly stained water conditions.  Bass will still primarily use their eyesight to hunt and feed in these conditions.

‘Matching-the-hatch’ is still very important. Bass fishing stained water you’ll need to choose lures that closely look like the bass’ primary forage is always a smart decision. However, considering using baits with a small amount of bright color in them. 

Colors such as a chartreuse lateral line you’ll find in nearly every “Sexy Shad Pattern” or a small bit of orange or red in a craw pattern.

You’ll quickly notice that bass will still come out of the woodwork to expose themselves and attack your lure!

Heavily Stained or “Dingy” Water

Water Clarity 2-4 feet is considered heavily stained water or is also called “dingy” water. 

Bass will still primarily use a mix of both their lateral line sense and their eyesight to hunt and catch prey. 

Matching-the-hatch’ is not as important. Brighter colored lures in shad or bluegill colored patterns were great in stained water.

The bright colors of Citrus Shad or Fire Tiger are great examples of bright colored patterns when you bass fish stained water.

Choose lures that closely look like the bass’ primary forage is always a smart decision. This is to say, you also need to consider use baits with a small amount of bright color in them. 

Colors such as a chartreuse lateral line you’ll find in nearly every “Sexy Shad Pattern” or a small bit of orange or red in a craw pattern.

Spring is the time of year when most anglers will experience stained waters in their lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.

Below we made a helpful chart to choose what is the best bait to use in stained water?

Fishing Lure Color Selection Chart - Stained Water

Time of Day Application Style of Lure Color Pattern Opacity
Morning Topwater Walking baits
Poppers/Chuggers
BuzzbaitsProp baits
Large wake baits
Frogs
Shad or minnow (points, midlake or if you see shad boils)
Bream/bluegill (in back of coves, near shorelines)
White, green, chartreuse colored frogs
Opaque
Around structure or shoreline Jigs
Flipping creature baits
Curly tail worms
Soft plastic swimbait
Drop shot
Shaky head
Senko/stick baits
Natural (greens/browns) jigs and small creature baits and drop shot worms
Natural bream or Shad colored soft plastic flukes or swimbaits
*may get away with using black, chartreuse or even pink colored baits
opaque
Windy = upsize your lure A-Rig/Umbrella rig
Swimbaits
Spinnerbait
Natural bream or Shad Opaque
Afternoon Topwater FrogsWalking baits Frogs: White, green, chartreuse colored frogs
Shad or minnow (points, midlake or if you see shad boils)
Bream/bluegill (in back of coves, near shorelines)
Opaque
Around structure or shoreline CrankbaitsJigs
Flipping creature baits
Punching vegetation mats
Senko/stick baits
Natural greens/browns but with highlights of bright colors
Bream or Shad colors with chartreuse, orange, or red highlights
*may get away with using black, chartreuse or even pink colored baits
opaque
Windy = upsize your lure A-Rig/Umbrella rig
Swimbaits
Spinnerbait
Natural bream or Shad Opaque

Tips For Fishing Muddy Water

Fishing Water Clarity 0-2 feet...

Muddy Water Bass Fishing Tips: Best Bait Colors & Techniques

Fishing muddy water can really throw a novice bass angler off their game if they run into this situation. However, nothing can be farther from the truth.

Even though the bass can’t see very well they use their lateral line to primarily find prey to ambush. Consequently, you need to use baits that are flashy AND put off a lot of sound or vibration!

If your bait doesn’t come with a sound built-in, add it then! There are small rattle chambers you can buy that will attach to a jig or a worm hook.

The steady and slow retrieve is going to be your best bet with fishing muddy water.

Muddy water allows you to position your boat or kayak closer to the structure you’re targeting.  Typically the bass are not as easily scared by something as close as you.

Bass will not chase your bait. They primarily rely on their lateral line to sense your pain, their hearing, and the ambush position relative to the structure.

Since they are not as spooked and will hold tight to the structure…

That means you can make a few repeated casts to the same spot that you’re targeting, especially if you have a good feeling there should be a bass there.

Baits should have very bright color patterns or be very dark.

Fishing Lure Color Selection Chart - Muddy Water

Time of Day Application Style of Lure Color Pattern Opacity
Morning Topwater >> Goal: Make lots of commotion, but don't move your bait very far. Big chuggers
Buzzbaits
Prop baits
Frogs
White, neon green, chartreuse, firetiger or black Opaque
Around structure or shoreline Jigs
Spinnerbait (Colorado blades)
Flipping creature baits
Curly tail worms
White, neon green, chartreuse, firetiger or black opaque
Windy = upsize your lure Same as above Same as above Same as above
Afternoon Topwater Frogs
Walking baits
Frogs: White, green, chartreuse colored frogs
Shad or minnow (points, midlake or if you see shad boils)
Bream/bluegill (in back of coves, near shorelines)
Opaque
Around structure or shoreline Crankbaits
Jigs
Flipping creature baits
Punching vegetation mats
Senko/stick baits
Natural greens/browns but with highlights of bright colors
Bream or Shad colors with chartreuse, orange, or red highlights *may get away with using black, chartreuse or even pink colored baits
opaque
Windy = upsize your lure A-Rig/Umbrella rig
Swimbaits
Spinnerbait
Natural bream or Shad Opaque

How does water clarity affect fish?

How Water Clarity Can Impact Your Day of Fishing

Turbidity or cloudiness, blocks the sunlight plants need to create oxygen for fish and other kinds of water life. Likewise, excess sediment and anything else floating in the water soaks up heat from the sun… 

Then as the water gets hotter, and there’s even less oxygen. This causes water creatures like fish, crawfish, zebra mussels, or clams to suffocate due to lack of oxygen, as well as their gills get full of debris.

Yet, cloudiness due to things like phyto or zooplankton is vital, as other water creatures like fish or waterfowl need them for food. But if there’s too many, it may cause disruptions in the ecosystem and the lake gets dirty, fish die off, and things like swimming aren’t very pleasant.

Water Color

Water color changes are due to several factors.  Algae is one of them.  A sudden growth explosion is called an “algae bloom”.   These blooms can have devastating effects on the lake and fish. 

Blue-green algae, also called Cyanobacteria grows fast if it has the right environment. Cyanobacteria algae bloom creates a green colored water, which leads to less light penetration, less oxygen in the water, gives off a foul odor and produces a toxin that kills fish.

Other types of sudden algae blooms can make the water turn orange or brown in the summertime. 

On the other hand for instance, in the Great Lakes, some folks think the water is so clear due to the invasion of zebra mussels, which have eaten the plankton. 

That may have caused several issues such as more rooted water plants, as the sun now can reach further.

Other bodies of water, like a bog, take on a brown/ coffee-and-cream color. That means there’s tannic acid that leaked from the soil into the lake or pond.  

Light can’t get through it, so there are less plants due to less sun getting down into this water. 

Water color may also change depending on the time of year.

Debris

Floating or suspended debris makes water cloudy. 

This makes it hard for the fish to find food, plus it can damage their gills. 

Floating debris can also block sunlight and inhibit photosynthesis. That in turn reduces the amount of plants, which reduces the amount of microscopic organisms the bait fish eat.  And if there is less forage fish then the bass and other predator fish population will suffer and start to die off. .

Blending and Stratification

The quality of lake water and if fish can live in it is dependent on how the water is blended. Blending quality depends on the lake’s size, shape and depth, however, plants, climate, stream inflow, and lakeshore topography matter too.

The density of water tops at 39°F, and is lighter at temperatures which are warmer and cooler. Differences in density due to varying temps may keep warm and cool water from blending. Once the ice melts in springtime, density and temps end up comparable from bottom to top.

Water density creates a “blending effect”, and so it recharges the water at the bottom with oxygen and brings nutrients to the top. This blending is known as spring overturn. 

Warm surface water loses density. The warm water is only able to circulate between twenty and thirty feet deep, anything underneath isn’t blended. But if a lake is shallow enough it might remain blended the entire summer.

In the summertime, shallow lakes undergoing stratification layering. Dependent on the shape, a shallow lake experiences this even if lower than twenty feet in depth. Bigger ones could be mixed continuously by the wind, down to thirty or more feet. 

“Shallow lakes don’t produce layers, but the deep spots could stratify”. 

In the summer, the stratification separates lakes into 3 zones: epilimnion (the warm surface layer), thermocline or metalimnion (a transition zone in-between warm and cool water), and hypolimnion (cool water on bottom). 

Stratification holds nutrients freed from bottom debris trapped in the hypolimnion.

In Autumn, the surface cools down and the water temp balances out all over. That lets the blending happen again, which is called fall overturn. Sometimes algae blooms happen in the fall if the nutrients come up to the surface. 

Winter stratification (temps variance of merely seven degrees F between bottom of lake and under an ice covering, stay balanced as ice keeps the water from being blended.

A lake’s location regarding predominant winds may affect the total blending. If the lake is small and deep, it might not totally blend depending on the wind movement. 

Blending taking place in bays in big lakes looks more like small lakes if an uneven shoreline stops the wind. 

Blending dispenses oxygen all through lakes, so if it doesn’t occur the fish could die, as some kinds of fish need lake stratification. 

Cooler water in the hypolimnion has more oxygen than the epilmnion’s warm water so delivers a hiding place for fish that like cold water like trout.  

But if there’s too much algae, and it decays, the lake’s oxygen content depletes because the abrupt temperature rise in the metalimnion stops the oxygenated surface to go to the bottom.

Other Cloudiness Causes

Water Levels – This fluctuates naturally via a 13 year cycle. Other things which affect water levels include weather, dry and wet times, changes in climate or human interference. 

Waves created by the wind, sun’s position, or cloud cover – Waves from the wind or boat wake can mix up debris if the water is shallow. An unprotected shoreline may erode, which puts debris into the lake. These issues make cloudiness worse and may block the sun and harm photosynthesis.

The scientific way to determine water clarity – Use a Secchi Disk or Secci tube.

Both the Secchi disk and secchi tube are used to scientifically determine water clarity.

About the size of a dinner plate, it’s divided into four quarters. Two black and two white. OR you can easily make one using a paint can lid. Simply paint it and drill and mount a screw in the eye to the center. Attach a line and mark it in one-foot increments.

When it disappears that will tell you the visibility of the water.

Secchi Disk – Water Clarity Tool For Fishing

Step 1: From your boat or kayak, allow the Secchi disk to sink until it completely disappears.

Step 2: Pull up the secchi disk as slow as you can until you visualize it again.

Step 3: Take a note where the surface level of the water crosses the marked line.

Step 4: Bring up the secchi disk all the way in, holding the line where the water and the line intersect.

Step 5: Determine the length from the secchi disk to where the water and the line intersected by totaling up the distance markings.

The final calculation is the depth of water clarity.

***Pick up your own Secchi Disk here!

How to use a Secchi tube?

secchi tube – photo cred @karyamitramulia

Step 1: Fill the Secci tube with lake or river water.

Step 2: Then look down into the tube as you lower a string until the disc is no longer seen.

Step 3: Take a note where the disc disappears and record the water clarity result.

A Secchi tube reading that is considered “high” means it’s better water clarity.   

BUDGET WAY – Use Your Own Gear

I was taught this easy to follow trick:  

Step 1)  Tie on a bright white bait (I like to use white spinnerbaits) and slowly let the line go allowing the bait to fall.

Step 2)  Engage the reel once you cannot see your bait any longer.

Step 3)  Lift the bait out the water.

If the distance from the bait to tip of your rod is longer than the wingspan of your arms fingertip to fingertip then water clarity is > ~6 feet.  

How far do fish see underwater?

Anatomy Of An Assassin – A bass has two primary ways that it locates its prey.  First is with its eyes and the second is with its lateral line.

Bass has eyesight that sees 5X better than a human’s eye underwater.  Talk about sharp vision!

Under normal circumstances, a bass will use it’s phenomenal vision to find and kill its prey when the water clarity is greater than 2- to 4 feet deep.

When bass use their lateral line to attack their prey you can expect to find them hunting in water < 2 feet visibility.

Adapting to Different Situations

Putting water clarity aside for just a moment, don’t forget your lure color also depends on the time of year, weather pattern, and available forage.

For example, in the southern part of the U.S. during pre-spawn crawfish are one of the staples of the bass’ diet.  So choosing a lure that is brown with some orange or red in it has a high probability of getting bit.

On the other hand, some northern states may have small perch the bass feed on so choosing a bait that looks like the fire tiger pattern may be exactly what the bass are keyed in on.

Two important situations you need to recognize are when you’re fishing at night and or early morning topwater conditions most professional anglers will use very dark colored lures no matter what the forage is present.

If you think about it, the dark black or blue lure gives the bass a great silhouette to focus on against the light background.

This makes it so much easier to see! 

FAQ

What colors do bass see?

According to Current Zoology, researchers from University of Illinois and Cornell University in New York collected in “northern strain” bass from Illinois and Florida strain bass from the Florida everglades.  Their findings were surprising. Bass will respond/ and can “see” in two different colors: Red and Green. They cannot discern between two similar colors (like chartreuse and white), but they will also respond to varying degrees of color hues. 

Can bass see in the dark?

Yes, bass can see in the dark.  Bass have the ability to pick out silhouettes against the water surface

Do bass see ultraviolet light?

Dr. Keith Jones, director of research at the Berkley Fish Research Center in Spirit Lake, Iowa and author of “Knowing Bass, The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish” stated in an interview with Bixxel Media stated, “The bass retina contains only two types of color cones: a red and a green.  

He continues, [bass] do not possess a blue cone, and certainly not a UV cone.  Moreover, assuming bass follow the pattern of other centrarchids, their ocular media (the fluid in their eyes) strongly absorb light with wavelengths shorter than 450nm, meaning that very little UV light would ever reach their retina anyway.  So, no.  Bass do not see UV light.” 

Brett Ware, owner of Tightlines UV Bait Company says his company states his company has performed specific feild tested with bait with UV infused color. He claims his UV-infused bait out performs the non-UV bait every time. 

What color line for bass fishing?

It is still unknown if bass can see different color lines. It is known that bass do pick up shades of red, green, and grey.  Some lines like the green braided line will blend into the environment if it’s used in an area that holds vegetation. 

However, it will stick out like a sore thumb if it’s used in clear water conditions. Fluorocarbon line will actually absorb sunlight and therefore render itself invisible.  

Unfortunately, if the line gets any nicks or scrapes the fish will easily see the imperfection and could be spooked.   Monofilament lines can appear shiny underwater and reflect the sunlight.  It’s generally not recommended when you need a stealthy delivery.

Read more: 21 Tips To Choose The Best Bass Fishing Line

Does unused fishing line go bad?

Yes it does.  Braided line can last years because of its thread-like construction.  However, fluorocarbon and monofilament should be changed every year because they will dry out, become brittle, lose knot strength, and will be prone to breaking.   If you’re going to store your line it’s best if you store it indoors in a dark environment.

Read more: Bass Fishing Line Tips To Catch You More Fish – FAST!

What rods to use for bass fishing?

In bass fishing there really is only a couple of styles of rods: casting or spinning rods. Each has its specific niche they fill and perform the best at.  Each style of rod requires its corresponding reel. Meaning casting rods, need to be paired with a casting reel and a spinning rod needs to be paired with a spinning reel.

Read more: What Rods To Use For Bass Fishing

How to choose the best rod for bass fishing?

One of the most important factors for you to be successful on the water is being able to place your bait in the exact location without scaring away and fish or giving away your position.

If you use the wrong rod your cast will lack accuracy, blunted sensitivity, and you’ll end up missing bits.

Read more: Avoid These Mistakes When Choosing a Bass Fishing Rod

What makes a good bass fishing reel?

It really comes down to three main components that make up a good fishing reel for bass fishing. Those are the drag, the bearings, internal gearing, and designated use.

If you want to protect your investment buy the right gear and it will last you years to come.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg! There are other factors you must know to choose a good bass fishing reel based on the technique you’re planning to use it on. Luckily I wrote an in-depth report on all the different styles of reels, what applications they perform the best in and what should be avoided.

Read more: How To Choose A Reel For Bass Fishing [2020]

What baits are best for bass fishing?

The best baits should cover these three applications of bass fishing: topwater, tight-line (fast) applications, and slack-line (slow) applications. If you make sure you have at least some baits that cover those key areas of bass fishing you should be fine.

You may be asking yourself what are some good lures that I could use year-round? Fortunately, I created a report that addresses that specifically. Click the link below to learn the secrets.

 Read more: What Are The Top 5 Bass Lures?

Which is better? tacklebox or tackle bag?

In the beginning, fishermen were forced to use tackle boxes that were heavy, uncomfortable to transport, but we’re also prone to tipping over on uneven surfaces, resulting in spilled tackle all over the ground.

Then tackle bags hit the scene, with thousands of anglers every year quickly realizing the benefits of owning a tackle bag.  

The perfect tackle bag gives the fishermen a portable and effective organizational system that creates a complete balance between efficiency, mobility, and comfort.

Read more: Best Tackle Bag for Fishing [Test & Review Guide]

In Summary

It’s important for all anglers to realize there are no rules that are “set in stone” because of all of the possible variables that you may encounter.

Newbie bass anglers must put forth time on the water to gain experience and confidence in what works for the lakes and rivers they fish.

It’s highly recommended to stock your tackle box with a variety of lures that will work in the most common water clarity you’ll likely encounter.  Look up local angler reports and other social media outlets. Many anglers will quickly answer questions on local water clarity and conditions.

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    References

    1. Seeing red: color vision in the largemouth bass. [source]
    2. Effects of Turbidity and Cover on Prey Selectivity of Adult Smallmouth Bass.  [source]
    3. What can a bass see? [source]