By Richard Ziert
We know fish use shadow and other positions in diminishing light for concealment and foraging. “Diminishing” is all about penetration, scattering, and refraction.
Light refracts in the atmosphere with air density.
( Clouds – Humidity – Pollution Index – Early & Late in the day – Seasonal Angle of the Sun ),
Light refracts at the waters surface because of the boundary of air to water and the surface temperature difference from the atmosphere.
( Spring – Summer – Fall – Winter )
Light scatters again with wind stirred water surface chop.
( None – Mild – Medium – Heavy ).
Then light scatters off of particles in the water column.
( Clear – Stained – Heavy Stain )
Light refracts with the density and quality of water.
( Gradually, as water deepens – pH Changes )
But light refracts still again at the boundary of two distinct temperatures beneath the surface.
(Heavily Shaded Areas - Over hangs – Weed Beds – Strategically Located Bluff Walls - Docks – Lay Downs – Rock Piles - Drop Offs - etc. )
Thermoclines are just such differences; explaining why not much light gets through all those layers and areas of water.
This same difference occurs with any similar water temperature change.
( Incoming Streams, Heavily Shaded Areas, Underwater Springs, and even Rainfall, mixing with lake water).
Adding these “fractions of refraction” together at any given time on any given day can give fisherman a better handle on how deep or shallow to present baits and where their greatest success will be triggered. The more the degree of these factors come into play, the shallower the average bite. Couple this with presentation speed and bait characteristics (less Light – slower/greater contrast/larger profile/noisier ) and you will give yourself a giant leg up over the majority of fisherman on the lake.
Comments