How far can a fish see?

[cognito]

What distance can a fish seeand smell bait ? Im sure some see better than others.assume the water is clear.

[zamboni]

I know Walleyes have special eyes that help them see better than most fish at night, the range of their sight however, I have no idea.

[stumper]

Apparently they can see pretty dang far or else guys wouldnt sread tip ups so far apart

[cognito]

Apparently they can see pretty dang far or else guys wouldnt sread tip ups so far apart

LOL, good point.

[zamboni]

Whats a "tip-up"?   

[stumper]

Whats a "tip-up"?   

Its an object that fisherman often place around the lake to be used as pilons for racing snowmobiles and ATV's

[JAZII]

What distance can a fish seeand smell bait ? Im sure some see better than others.assume the water is clear.

It depends on water and species.
Get this. A lake I fish for perch, when the perch are on will start to shoot off the bottom from 40'-45' when my lure is only down 10'-15' from the surface. Also I have tried to use a Aqua-view and the visibility with the camera is no greater then 2'-3'.
JAZII

[pikemaster789]

Its an object that fisherman often place around the lake to be used as pilons for racing snowmobiles and ATV's

ahh yes, now I understand

[HuntCast]

Fish have fixed pupils....... they can't adjust their focus between near objects and far. A foot or two and their whole world starts to go blurry. They can hear and feel vibrations MUCH better.
Smell/Taste?? REAL good.

[JAZII]

Fish have fixed pupils....... they can't adjust their focus between near objects and far. A foot or two and their whole world starts to go blurry. They can hear and feel vibrations MUCH better.
Smell/Taste?? REAL good.

I do not agree!
Ever fish a jerkbait in any of the great lakes? Smallies come out of nowhere and will take a jerkbait floating on the surface over 30'-40' of water. Not much sound, vibration, or smell with this tactic. I think fish can see better than most people give them credit for. Until you can get a fish to talk, we can only make semi-educated guesses.
JAZII

[HuntCast]

I do not agree!

With what part? That fish have a fixed iris and the pupil is stuck open? Look it up, lol.

Ever fish a jerkbait in any of the great lakes? Smallies come out of nowhere and will take a jerkbait floating on the surface over 30'-40' of water. Not much sound, vibration, or smell with this tactic.

LOL, look at my profile. But yes, I've seen fish do things like that too. It could also be that they are seeing the silhouette of something blocking the light, like a shadow. I also think you are not giving the fish enough credit for it's other senses. If they can find a dying shad in the pitch black night from a distance, then I bet that you could find smallies that can do that, even on a moonless night.

[deadsmelthead]

You hit the silhouette thing right on, and its a huge factor on bright days. The eyes staying at one focus point is true about fish but some have them fixed distances to suit the enviroment they prefer, which is why you see Bass come shooting out from god knows where sometimes, and why Brown trout will turn away after getting to within inches of striking. But like someone said until we get the little buggers to start talking we can all only make a guess from our experiences and others.

[JAZII]

With what part? That fish have a fixed iris and the pupil is stuck open? Look it up, lol.
LOL, look at my profile. But yes, I've seen fish do things like that too. It could also be that they are seeing the silhouette of something blocking the light, like a shadow. I also think you are not giving the fish enough credit for it's other senses. If they can find a dying shad in the pitch black night from a distance, then I bet that you could find smallies that can do that, even on a moonless night.

I could carless about your profile.
I know that they have a fixed iris and open pupil. How do you know that their site is focused for only 2 feet? Maybe they can see very well out far and let all their other senses take over at close range.
Everyone has their own oppinion.
Like I said it's all an educated guess until you can get a fish to talk.
The part about blurry after 2 feet.
Question for your opinion. If it was the silhouette or shadow, why would color make a difference in pulling them up off the bottom to even take a look at the motionless floating lure?
I did not say that their other senses were lacking. I know 1st hand how well they can sense sound, vibration, and taste.

If fish did everything by the book and followed all the rules set by science, anybody could just read about fish and win every fish tournament that they chose to enter. Catch my drift?
Everyone should have their own opinion based on their own experiences, not what someone else tells you they should do.
JAZII

[HuntCast]

Whoa....... don't take it personal. I said look at the profile because Lake Superior is outside my window, lol, so yes I have fished the clear water in the Great Lakes Sorry if you mis-understood where I was coming from. I'm not arguing, because there are lots of guys here who know more about this stuff than I do.

As for my opinion...... I think there is no such thing as opinion in science. Doesn't matter what my or anyone elses OPINION is, because it doesn't effect the science of the question one iota.
As far as the two foot part?? Well, I've been reading it for years in Bass Mater, and there are several mentions of it in previous articles posted on the internet. I'll take the people who study fish for a living at their word on this.
Also, I didn't say they couldn't see past two feet. I said past that is where they start to lose their ability to focus. What I meant is this. Look at your hand two feet in front of you. Can you still see the other side of the room? Absolutely.
As for the rest?? Who knows why fish do the idiotic things they do, lol. I will have to take the word of any biologists who happen to be reading the thread, lol.

[JAZII]

I didn't take it personal, and I didn't mean anything personal to you.

I summed-up my last post by the last few remarks.
JAZII

[RLWagner]

Trout can see 20+ feet beyond the water surface!

[Luffy]

http://http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/lure.html

This is a link I found regarding what fish see, colors, distance, lighting, etc..

[Luffy]

http://http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/lure.html

[stumper]

http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/lure.html