cloudy water

[Balmie]

does any one have a good explaination why some lakes are cloudy one year and clear the next? I've heard some say it is from the wind before freeze up but I have a hard time believing that since often a lake only a few miles from there is clear. It seems that they eventually clear up but if it were just sediment in the water why does it sometimes take two or three weeks to settle out?

[waterbound]

I think cloudy lakes are usually due to wind. The reason some lakes are cloudy but only a few miles away a lake will be clear could be due to the direction the wind was blowing and how it blew across the lake.

[duckhuntr21]

As I was reminded earlier today, rough fish can have a big effect on water clarity too.

[merkman]

Currents and springs will cloud up the water also.

If you are ever lucky enough to be right on the edge of cloudy and clear water you should do good fishing or spearing.

[Gordie]

I think there are several factors to this wind,rain,temp,current and typical lake turn over. This year it was one of the warmest we've had in avery long time.I know the lake I'm on the longer it takes to freeze up the clearer it is. I think it took longer for most lakes to turn over, creating a cloudy more murky water on most lakes. I know of two lakes that are typicalyy clear as a bell and are cloudy and my lake is ussally cloudy and this year crystal clear.I know when there is a big warm up and lots of run off my lake will cloud up quickly and I think the same holds true for lakes before freeze up if you get a bunch of rain the run off will cloud up some lakes and may not clear up until late ice. Wind will do the same thing.

I was talking about this very subject over the past weekend with some guys and they were saying that there lakes were cloudy but not last year and this year my lake is crystal clear and last year it was cloudy and from previous post its kinda the same Funny that last year alot of lake that were clear are cloudy and this year its kinda the oppisite.

[Balmie]

Thanks guys. Just can't help but wonder about that one.

[mnspearingguider]

One other factor I run into is Algie, with the warmer than normal (late)summer some of the shallow lakes got a big boom of the stuff. After the snow gets on the lake the algie dies off turning brown, the stuff floats usually within a foot or 2 from the top, there have been years where I could take a spear and stir up the water like a mixing bowl, it would clear out and return after some time. Also Agree with the others on the wind and how fast the water turned in late fall.