Water Clarity

Question
Hi,
  I live in Southern Maine and I have always wondered how you determine the water clarity? I know muddy would be like the Ohio river but how do you determine the difference between clear and stained? The water here appears to be clear to me but, if you put it in a glass jar it is the color of a light tea.

Answer
Hi Matt,

For fishermen, clarity is all relative I guess.  

Here in Wisconsin, we have clear lakes, murky lakes (lakes with a green algae stain), and tannic stained (rootbeer color)lakes.  Even amongst those there are varying degrees.  To me a "clear' lake is one that I can see the bottom in 10-12 feet of water.  

Now, if you are a limnologist it is all determined by a test which determines the "Secchi Depth".  A Secchi disk is a round black and white disk that is lowered into the water until it can't be seen (or raised again till it can be seen).  That depth is known as the secchi depth.  On murky lakes that may be 1-3 feet.  On clear lakes it could be 12-15 feet or even more.  

If I am going to fish a new lake I try to see if I can get a secchi depth for that lake for the time I am going to fish it.  The local DNR or fisheries biologist for that area may have that on file.  That is better than asking a tackle shop owner whose idea of clear may be much different than mine or yours.  

Getting a date on the secchi reading is also helpful.  Some lakes get an algae bloom on them and are quite different in August than they are in May.  I know one lake in particular that goes from a secchi depth of 10 to about 1 in two months.  Most lakes aren't that radical.

I hope that answers your question.

Good fishing,

Marc