I am frequently asked about the visual abilities of largemouth bass.  Most often, the questions involve some aspect of color vision (i.e., Do bass see colors? - Do bass interpret shades of colors the same way that we do?).  Unfortunately, bass vision has not been a highly researched topic.  Most practical fisheries research has focused on enhancing fishing quality either by maximizing numbers of catchable bass or increasing trophy catch potential.  However, enough is known about the eyesight of bass or closely related species to provide a brief summary.

Although largemouth bass do not have eyelids, other major components of the eye are similar to ours (i.e., the cornea, pupil, and retina).  We also know bass use the same type of light-sensitive cells that we do (rods and cones).  However, since bass have eyes on each side of their body, their visual field is much wider than ours with blind spots only limited to directly above, below, and behind their bodies.  But this increased visual field affects their depth perception, which is highly dependent on binocular vision (viewing a single image with both eyes).  Since bass only have binocular vision directly in front of them, we speculate that a bass is more successful attacking prey directly ahead when compared to reflex strikes to its left or right (monocular vision only).

Research has also indicated that bass do not have the ability to quickly adjust their pupil to varying levels of light, taking 20 minutes or longer for bass to adjust from changing light conditions at dawn and dusk.  However, most of the smaller baitfish species take even longer to adjust to changing light, which may explain why fishing is typically good early and late.  Due to the difference in adjustment times, bass would seem to have a sight advantage over their prey at dawn and dusk, increasing their aggressiveness and feeding efficiency.  Additional evidence indicates that the eyesight of bass increases with fish size, which could partially explain the increased difficulty of catching trophy bass on artificial baits.

However, the characteristics of the underwater environment in which they live hinder the quality of images available to bass.  Due to the increased density of water when compared to air, light is both highly absorbed and scattered under water.  The degree of absorption and scattering increases with depth, causing images to be blurry and unclear and limits the distance of vision.  In the clearest of water, bass can see an object at a distance of approximately 50 feet, but focus best at a distance of 10 inches.  Of course, most freshwater lakes range from slightly off-color to muddy, which severely limits the maximum sight distance.

We know that the characteristics of water increase the difficulty of interpreting images, but are bass able to distinguish different colors of light?  Evidence does suggest that bass do have color vision.  Cone cells are responsible for color vision, although biologists believe that an animal must have at least two different kinds of these cells to perceive color.  Humans have three cone types.  It is unknown how many cone types bass have, but similar freshwater fish are known to have two cone types.  This fact, coupled by some recent studies on bass, suggest that bass identify all of the colors we do, with the possible exception of blues and violets.  This research also indicates that bass seem to see shades of green, yellow, and orange exceptionally well.

However, even if bass have the ability to recognize many different colors, water clarity and suspended matter affect the distance that different colors of light penetrate into water.  For example, in clear unfertile lakes blue light penetrates the deepest and shades of orange and red are absorbed quickly.  In this case, orange and red fishing lures will only appear as such close to the water surface.  In deep water, these orange and red baits will appear gray or black to bass.  In fertile lakes like Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, green and yellow light tend to penetrate deeper, due to the presence of suspended algae and zooplankton, but again, orange and red colors are quickly absorbed.  In extremely muddy water, however, all colors are absorbed quickly, but oranges and reds are the most visible under water.

Hopefully, this article sheds some light on the visual abilities of bass, but much more information can be found in “Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish”, a book by Dr. Keith Jones, lead researcher for the Berkley Fish Research Center.  If you have questions or concerns about area fisheries, please stop by the Inland Fisheries office at the Jasper State Fish Hatchery or contact us by phone (409-384-9572) or email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).  Good luck and good fishing!

Todd Driscoll is a district fisheries management biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he has worked for 10 years.  He received a B.S. in Fisheries Biology from Kansas State University and a M.S. in Fisheries Management from Mississippi State University.  His primary responsibilities include fisheries management of Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend reservoirs in Southeast Texas.  Todd is an avid bass angler and participates in approximately 25-30 local and regional bass tournaments per year.  He also represents Lowrance Electronics as a Technical Pro Staffer, working tournament support and service at BASS, FLW, and owner’s tournaments across the country.