The choice of tint for fishing is complicated by many factors that affect color in water. Let’s explore some of them.
Water Depth and Distance in Water
As light travels in water, its composition of wavelengths (and hence, colors) changes… regardless of what direction it travels: up, down, or sideways. Longer wavelengths get absorbed (filtered out) first, causing red colors to appear black first. Shorter wavelengths, such as blue, travel the farthest in water, but these wavelengths will also appear black eventually. See Figure 2.
Consequently, as light travels towards an object in water, it is changing. When this light strikes an object, certain wavelengths are reflected (if present) and absorbed (if present). The composition of the light reflected by the object continues to change as it travels in water towards the observer. In this way, a fish 20 meters below the water requires the light to travel 40 meters in water (there and back) to be seen.
This means that the colors of the same fish or the same area underwater can appear different with changes in viewing angles or water depth (due to tides).
Time of Day
At sunrise and sunset, the skies appear red. The dominance of longer wavelengths illuminating the water means colors in the water will change with time of day.
Furthermore, as the sun rises and the light hits the surface of the water more perpendicularly, more light enters the water (instead of getting reflected).
In this way, the same object in the same depth of water will appear differently with respect to color over the course of the day.
Turbidity of Water
The ability of different wavelengths of light to penetrate water also depends on the suspension of sediment, nutrients, and organic material. Higher turbidity prevents all light in the visible spectrum from penetrating water as much as in conditions with lower turbidity. For these reason, deeper and cleaner waters tend to appear blue… even though water is clear. But this means that the optimal tint for ocean fishing and coastal fishing might be different.
Weather
Weather can affect colors in several different ways. Clouds can alter the amount of light reaching the water. They can also cast shadows. Moreover, when temperatures are warmer, algae growth may increase, increasing turbidity and causing the water color to change.
Similarly, barometric pressure can also affect the amount of dissolved gases (like oxygen) in water, affecting biological processes such as algal blooms (and thus, turbidity).
Wind can also disrupt the surface affecting the amount of light being reflected.
You
A few years ago, Chris ordered sunglasses with a specific tint for a saltwater fishing trip. He told me that the guides recommended it. “Oh,” I replied. Then, I asked, “How old are the guides?”
There is a structure inside our eyes called the crystalline lens. As we age, it continues to acquire a new layer on top of the last one. As the crystalline lens thickens, its clarity decreases, scattering (and reducing) light passing through it. Halos and glare that you may experience while driving at night are typical manifestations of this change.
Another change that occurs as the crystalline lens grows is that it absorbs more blue light. In essence, the crystalline lens acts as a tint.
These normal changes in the crystalline lens are called, cataracts.
Although all of us will develop cataracts (if we live long enough), the timing of cataract surgery is not the same for each person – or for each eye. People age at different rates. Body parts age at different rates. However, anyone who has had cataract surgery knows that colors are so much more vivid after the procedure.
So, a tint that works to isolate fish for one person may not work as well for another person… especially if there is a big difference in age. And what worked for one person at a certain age, does not necessarily mean that a particular tint will work for you once you reach that age.
Due to ever-changing conditions and circumstances, a single (universal) tint that can make certain colors standout is virtually impossible.
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