Attached fish caught 12/13 in Ohio river. Is fish color leaving as water cools?
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Attached fish caught 12/13 in Ohio river. Is fish color leaving as water cools?
The fish I catch here vary in color in relation to the water they are caught in. clear water = fish with darker pronounced colors. Stained water = less color and muddy water = pale colors. Then they are always more colorful in the spring during the spawn.
Welcome aboard. Nice fish. Tony hit the nail on the head .
Tony is right .... and I'd only add one other scenario : Crappie from deep water, from well below the depths of sunlight penetration, will not show much color, either, regardless of water temps. But, they'd have to have been at those depths for awhile. Similar deal to fish from stained to muddy water conditions.
It seems to affect White Crappie more so than Black Crappie, as I've caught Black Crappie from 30ft deep & they still had normal coloration.
It's the lack of light penetration, and not the water temps, that cause the fading of pigmentation. The fish don't need as much "camo" in darker waters :twocents
... cp :kewl
This one came out of seven foot of muddy water yesterday. It was so muddy I had ya dig a hole just ta get it out :biggrinAttachment 223938
That's kinda what I was trying to express. Its all about sunlight penetration
Cold water fish. Make'm taste good also.
I agree with the light penetration thing but have never understood why a crappie or bass that has spent some time in a closed livewell come out much darker than lighter.
Fish from the big rivers will be light colored sometimes. Even the old blue cats will come out almost white at times.That's how people came to think they were two different species and called them Mississippi whites or fulton cats or some other name. Freshwater drum will be the same way at times with hardly any grey coloration.Something with the rivers and it does not always seem to follow a period of high turbidity although real muddy water for a good period will bleach em out. Seems like the fish from the swamp waters around here have the brightest coloration with a lot of tannic acid and whatever else is in there and it seems to last year round.I think it may have something to do with the amount of phytoplankton in the water(sounds good anyway)
I am just rambling as I am inclined to do at times...