How Murky Water Can Cause Your Fish Light To Look Dim

Have you noticed that your fish light might look a little dim? Well, there’s a reason for that. Throughout the year, the water in your canal or waterway can become murky. Murky water can be caused by many things. For our Southwest Florida residents, murky water in your canal could be caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Discharges from Lake Okeechobee aren’t the only cause of murky water. For the rest of our customers around the globe, seasonal changes have been known to cause the water clarity to diminish a bit. There are many different seasonal changes that affect water clarity, but the most prominent one is heavy rainfall. Rainfall causes runoff from surrounding land into waterways, increasing the amount of sediment in the water. Also, during heavy rainfall and storm conditions, the water can move with a higher velocity than normal, stirring up the natural sediment at the bottom, and causing the water to get murkier.

Increased sediment in the water can cause the water to become murky, and blocks more of the light in the water, causing your fish light to look dim. The important thing to note is there is nothing WRONG with your fish light. The murky water is just keeping it from shining as bright as it normally does. One thing to remember about our fish lights is the bulb itself will never dim. On the very rare occasion of a defective bulb, the light is designed to turn off to indicate an issue. So, if you notice your light has gone dim, be sure to check the water clarity in your waterway.

Which Lights Are Best For Murky Water?

For customers interested in purchasing our 175W Classic Natural Green lights, the ideal water clarity is in between crystal clear and mid-clarity water. The bulbs on these systems are 175-watt bulbs that illuminate a clear/white color. This white color then reflects off the particles in the water, showing a green color on the surface. These small particles attract the baitfish in the area, which in turn attract the predator fish (snook, tarpon northern pike, etc.). Because these lights illuminate white, they do not cut through murky water very well. That is why they are ideal for up to mid-clarity water. In ideal water, the Natural Green series will shine a 10-foot circle on the surface of the water.

For some people, murky water is a year-round occurrence. For those customers, we suggest the 250W Vibrant Green light systems, which are designed to cut through murky water. The Vibrant Green light systems have 250-watt bulbs which illuminate green, allowing it to cut through murky water and be more successful for customers in rivers, lakes, bayous, and any other location that has dark water. Even though the lights illuminate green, they still reflect off small particles in the water to attract the baitfish and predator fish. This light system will give a 15-foot diameter circle on average in waterways.