Just was looking at these 2 fish I caught last year and thought I would share something basic that some people may not give thought too. Either way I thought it was a good comparison. I caught both these bass last year. Notice the color. And notice the color of the lakes. The one is very muddy you can't see but maybe 6 inches and the bass is very dull in color, and the other very clear you can see 6 or 7 feet and that bass is very colorful. I also notice this in the crappie I catch in these two lakes. So for the new guys out there if you were ever wondering why your fish are not very colorful lack of sun may very well be it. As you can see here it does make a big difference.

Saw a lot of that ice fishing this past winter. A couple lakes we were on, you could easily see your jig 10+ feet down (pretty cool to watch it get hit through the ice), while one lake in particular had clarity only a foot or so. The color of the BG seemed to be really different in these 2 conditions. Did not catch enough LMB to accurately give an example there...

Hey Omaha,

I didn't really relize how much defference there was till I looked at these to pics side by side. They were both caught in the summer of last year. What I wonder is how clear does a lake / pond have to be before you can still maintain a nice fish color like the second picture? As I said the muddy lake at best you could only see your bait about 8 inches. So if you could see your bait at 2 feet would that be enough to bring back more color to your fish? Do people who fertilize or dye their water see a color difference in their fish versus clear water?

RC, you'll have to ask someone smarter than me, but I think what I've heard tossed around is pond owners prefer clarity of about 3 feet. Could be completely wrong on that though. Won't be the first time. Won't be the last either.

for years i have put the bass i catch in ponds in a big tub of clear water before i take their pictures. no matter how they look when they come out of the pond, they will always be "prettier" in a matter of seconds. seems to work especially well in bright sunny conditions. those are some real nice fish too man. your pond? if so looks like you're raising some whoppers.

All of my bass look that way now. I'll definately try the clear water thing and maybe even get pictures. The only bass in my pond now are just a couple I've transfered from one of my smaller ponds. I'm still planning on stocking about 50 in June. Those are some great fish your raising Jig. I'm looking forward to reading more.

what size are the bass when they start to spawn?

Is it a size thing or an age thing?

good question I have bass 10 to 11" long about a year old

I didn't think they spawned until the second year but I'm probably wrong. It seems to me a 10/11" fish would be plenty big enough. Did you stock them as fingerlings or were they bigger Rick?

Ya I stocked them as fingerling in Sept. feeding fhm by the pound lol I added a few earlier during the summer 5 to 6 there are 12 to 13" now.
and some are starting to hit the feed.

Hey guys my bass are 12 inches and some of them are spawning. But they are older also.

Hey Jig,

No they are not from my pond I WISH!!! They are from a couple of lakes around here I fish quite a bit. The colorful one was 8.5 lbs 24inches. I got her mounted. Thanks for asking.