Blackwater: what light survives

Blackwater: the light that survives here peaks at 690 nm, Secchi depth about 80 cm. Which lure colour stands out, computed rather than charted.

Light that survives best here: 690 nm

Secchi ≈ 80 cm

What this water lets through

1 m 3 m 10 m 400450500550600650700
K_d is the diffuse attenuation of the light coming down; c is the beam attenuation along the line of sight. Confusing the two is the classic error in this field.
λ Kd c 1 m 5 m
400 nm 50.611 46.737 0.0% 0.00%
430 nm 30.185 29.115 0.0% 0.00%
460 nm 18.065 18.588 0.0% 0.00%
490 nm 10.845 12.253 0.0% 0.00%
520 nm 6.578 8.453 0.1% 0.00%
550 nm 4.053 6.153 1.7% 0.00%
580 nm 2.581 4.766 7.6% 0.00%
610 nm 1.893 4.058 15.1% 0.01%
640 nm 1.413 3.539 24.3% 0.09%
670 nm 1.244 3.292 28.8% 0.20%
700 nm 1.228 3.182 29.3% 0.22%

K_d is the diffuse attenuation of the light coming down; c is the beam attenuation along the line of sight. Confusing the two is the classic error in this field. Method and sources

Lure table

Ranked by how much each colour stands out to a Peacock bass in these conditions.

Colour Contrast Seen from Fish view
1 White
98
1.8 m Buy now
2 Chartreuse / white Fluorescent finish
96
1.8 m Buy now
3 Glow Glow finish — not modelled
95
1.8 m Buy now
4 Bone
95
1.7 m Buy now
5 Chartreuse Fluorescent finish
94
1.8 m Buy now
6 Silver holographic Metallic finish
93
1.7 m Buy now
7 Pink / white Fluorescent finish
92
1.8 m Buy now
8 Clown
92
1.8 m Buy now
Stands out least
Black / blue
25
99 cm
Purple / black
22
81 cm
Black
0
38 cm
Junebug
0
0 cm

Contrast quoted at 41 cm viewing distance. · Light that survives best here: 690 nm

Affiliate links: we earn a commission from Amazon, at no extra cost to you. The ranking above is not for sale.

Target species

Peacock bass Cichla spp.

Open the calculator

Gear this page implies

Affiliate links: we earn a commission from Amazon, at no extra cost to you.