When thinking about the prototypical and perfect Northwoods smallmouth bass fishery and setting, crystal clear water clarity comes to mind first. Then you’ll imagine it being full of immaculate rock and boulder formations that fish will use like a playground. Just think of seeing smallmouths on that playground, 15 feet below the surface, and meandering around boulders larger than the boat. Naturally, that’s an aquarium-like scene and setting we want to observe too. But you’ll be shooting yourselves in the foot - the fish see you too and aren’t very catchable now. Everything that we’ve been taught about smallmouth bass habitats and fishing likely hasn’t included a complete lesson on water clarity, taking advantage of those clarities, and the adaptability and tolerance smallmouths can have on underwater visibility. Of course, smallmouths are sight feeders and primary visual predators. Clean environments on our clear lakes enable them to target and track preyfish, pelagics, and crayfish from greater distances. While high visibility is a trigger for growth and it correlates too with expanding fisheries and populations like we’ve seen across the Grea