What do you consider clear water or muddy water

[pawolfman]

We always hear about clear water or we hear it was muddy water. What do you guys consider clear water or muddy water. How many feet down can you see for you to say its clear water. I have my own idea and opinion but I wanted to know what others thinks. I think the answer may be all over the place. Thanks.

[glasseyes]

If I can see more then a couple feet in water I call it clear. If I bring a bait in and can't see it more then a couple inches through water it's muddy. Now that said I live in central Ohio and the water in sorounding lakes will change a lot because most of them are flood control and maybe the fish are just used to that but somehow they will still find that little 1/64 th oz. jig in muddy water if they are shallow.

[CrappiePappy]

To me : (& I'm using a 1/16oz chartreuse jig for depth/sight measuring purposes)

Clear water - over 3ft down & I can still clearly see the jig
Stained water - 1 to 2ft down
Dirty water - less than 1ft down
Muddy water - jig disappears as soon as it goes below the water's surface

Most of the waters I've fished are in the Stained to Dirty category, for the most part of the times I fished them. That would be lakes in KY, East Tenn, middle SC, & NE Ala. I've only experienced "muddy" water, once, and that was a flooded Barkley Lake (Ky). I've only experienced "gin clear" water, once, and that was Lake Cumberland (Ky) ... and you could read a newspaper in 20ft of water

... cp

[pawolfman]

To me : (& I'm using a 1/16oz chartreuse jig for depth/sight measuring purposes)

Clear water - over 3ft down & I can still clearly see the jig
Stained water - 1 to 2ft down
Dirty water - less than 1ft down
Muddy water - jig disappears as soon as it goes below the water's surface

Most of the waters I've fished are in the Stained to Dirty category, for the most part of the times I fished them. That would be lakes in KY, East Tenn, middle SC, & NE Ala. I've only experienced "muddy" water, once, and that was a flooded Barkley Lake (Ky). I've only experienced "gin clear" water, once, and that was Lake Cumberland (Ky) ... and you could read a newspaper in 20ft of water

... cp

I'm pretty close to the same as you. If I can see the jig in 2 or 3 feet of water then that is what I feel is clear water. If I lose sight of the jig in 1 or 2 feet then that is stain water. Anything less than a foot I consider it dirty to muddy water.

[Marcd]

I can't judge depth by looking in to it.
Clear is I can see my trolling motor blade.
Muddy is weak chocolate milk color

[largemouth8]

i live where there is no doubt it is muddy water....it is fed by creeks and a river that are constantly dumping dirt and logs in it. A little wind and it turns chocolate

[skiptomylu]

I base my clear water is if I can see my jig down 3' or more, stained less than 3' to maybe 1' and for sure anything I can't see 6" in is muddy. This is how I decide what color combo I am going to start with.

[ESBguy]

I guess we might have a different perspective here in the frozen north....

Clear = Higgins Lake = 20', no problem. Can count the minnows on the bottom and the perch chasing them. No crappies.
Stained = Houghton Lake (home water) = 8'. LOTS of crappies.
Dirty = Munuscong Bay = 6 inches. Don't know of anyone that targets crappies, but when someone brings one in it's huge.

[feeshrman]

In MS anything with more than 6" visibility is considered clear, unless you are at Bay Springs or Pickwick

[4THETHUMP]

and most of it never gets clear .