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Thread: Clear water
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06-28-2016, 02:39 PM #1
Clear water
Tried fishing the war buoy for perch last sat morning, which was futile. Anyway, I would follow the anchor line down into the water with my eyes. As I did this in 30 ft of water, I kept getting the strangest sensation that I was seeing the bottom clearly. In 43 years I don't think this has ever happened. Could have been an illusion I guess? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
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06-28-2016, 04:46 PM #2
Somewhere around 1969 still foggy on that, but I did notice Most water east of Kellys to Lorain was clear like Iv'e not seen in years! It almost looked Lk Mi.
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07-03-2016, 08:54 PM #3
Fishhead315 is correct. The two main factors influencing water clarity, rain and wind, have been pretty slight so far this season. Cooler weather might curb the algae also.
As for the perch fishing, I did a scuba dive a few years back when we were anchored perch fishing. I was going to try and get some underwater video. What I discovered is the typical perch rigs, weighted spreaders, stir up the silt and clay off the bottom from hitting it so often. There is a cloud of low visibility water that forms. You can't see your hand in front of your face in the middle of it. This cloud moves with the bottom current. On one side of the boat the cloud was only about 10 feet out from the side (remember the boat will move back and forth using one anchor), after that the vis was the normal for that day. On the other side of the boat the cloud was much thicker. That was the bottom current direction. After you fish for a while you form a long bottom cloud of low vis water that moves with the current, like the wind does with a smokestack. My guess is the perch see this cloud and swim into it, searching for what is causing it which often means the bottom is being disturbed, stirring up food sources. They come in from that direction and find the spreaders on that side of the boat first. Or maybe it's the opposite. Just my theory after seeing it firsthand.Last edited by West Basin; 07-03-2016 at 08:55 PM. Reason: spelling
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07-03-2016, 09:16 PM #4
Well that makes sense also. It also seems they like the shaded side of the boat and the bite will move with the boat shadow as the sun moves changing the boats shadow profile as the day progresses.
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07-04-2016, 07:17 AM #5
WestBasin, very interesting observation about the cloud from stirring up the bottom! Makes sense. Maybe the perch are reluctant to enter the cloud for fear of larger predators being inside, so they hang on the outside or up current side?
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06-28-2016, 07:51 PM #6
You are probably not seeing the bottom out that far in probably 30+ depth water. I’ve been scuba diving Lake Erie for 25+ years so I am very versed in the Lake’s water clarity. I know the illusion you mention. It could be bottom if you were in less than 20 feet or so of extremely clear for Lake Erie water, but barely visible. Even in the best clarity I’ve ever seen diving the Lake, which was almost clear due to few particulates in the water and in 15 foot of depth (crib reef area), the visibility maximum was about 25-30 feet to see an object, but without detail. It’s possible but extremely unlikely.
It’s also not uncommon for the bottom area to be more turbid than the rest of the water column, especially in a mud/silt/sand bottom location. So surface visibility may be almost clear but farther down it could be less.
If anyone reading this would like to know more about this, help me deploy some underwater cameras in the Lake this season while fishing (takes 15 minutes), please send me a private message. I’d be very appreciative.
West
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06-28-2016, 08:10 PM #7
West basin, sounds right up my alley, txt or call if you'd like. 419 516 7325, thanks, Teddy
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07-04-2016, 09:20 PM #8
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07-05-2016, 10:59 AM #9
I couldn't get over how clean the water was around Kelley's this weekend. I really wished that I had snorkeling equipment to check out Kelleys Shoal, Gull Island Shoal, and even just the east side of Kelleys. Pretty awesome feeling to be going 30mph and look down and clearly see the bottom in 15+ FOW.
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06-28-2016, 08:44 PM #10
There has been several times over the past 3 summers where I could watch my anchor hit bottom in 30ft of water North of West Sister. Know for sure as I saw the dirt cloud when it hit bottom.
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