Freshwater spearfishing.

[Smartpart]

Whats the lowest vis yall will go spearfishing. My first time i went in about 4ft. The biggest fish i saw was a large perch.

 

[podge]

If I can see the end of my gun plus an extra couple of feet then it’s a go.

 

[Smartpart]

Is 4ft to low to try to start out?

 

[podge]

You saw a large Perch, if you can see it you can shoot it.
But only if you’re going to eat it!
If you feel at ease in 4 foot vis then go for it if not wait for it to clear up a bit.

 

[Pastor]

It is a little low, it will test your skills for sure but like Podge says as long as you can see the end of your gun plus a little bit extra there is no need why you shouldn't try. Try to dive down a few feet to the bottom, the contrast in your vision will be enhanced and make the vis look even better. Try lying on the bottom and looking up as well, fish swimming above you will be even easier to see

 

[Smartpart]

cool thanks. I wasnt wearing a wetsuit, and we were on a power plant lake. It was 87 at the surface. But i think about 8ft it hit at least 70-75 and about 15 it hit 60 smt. It sucked my breath out every thermocline lol.

 

[Agar4Life]

Most material that reduces visibility like plankton, suspended sediment is within the top couple metres of water, so diving down a little is likely to get you to much clearer water.

 

[Smartpart]

er i dove in the lake. Was about 4-5 ft at bottom.

 

[Erik]

It's nice to have 3 metres, but it aint always so. If you're in really bad vis like that, you can hold the gun down along your body and use your thumb on the trigger. I've seen a friend hunt like that, lying on the bottom with his arm stretched all the way down his side, the gun and shaft coming out just off to the side of his head. Takes practice to hit fish like that but he does it.

 

[hyeparis]

if i know the spots in that river I will go even if it is 0.5 meters
water is often murky, so 3 meters is considered to be great viz where I spearfish

 

[hyeparis]

if i know the spots where fish stay in that river I will go if it is 1 meter
3 meters is considered to be great viz where I spearfish

 

[Agar4Life]

Why not just dive in zero viz and use the force?

 

[Amphibious]

the local spot I go here I use a 58cm pneumo. if I stretch out my arm, I can see about halfway down the gun. so viz is 3' ish?

 

[spaghetti]

Try to dive down a few feet to the bottom, the contrast in your vision will be enhanced and make the vis look even better. Try lying on the bottom and looking up as well, fish swimming above you will be even easier to see

This is a very good tip for low viz. You choose a promising spot, lay down on the bottom and look up to the surface brightened by the sky above, so that a counterlight effect will help you recognize the dark shape of fishes passing in between.
But the subsequent question is: where to go? In facts you must know where there's more probability that some fish will be passing by. And this is THE question about spearfishing.
More specifically related to very, very, very low viz. In low viz the fish as well need some familiar point of reference, and they tend to move along a pattern given by recognizable things or objects: they will be likely to pass by rocks bigger than the average, kelp bushes, pieces of pipeline, boat docks, wrecks or any sort of familiar submerged structure. These are the best places to perform the counterlight hunting suggested by Pastor.
But this does not say it all, of course.
From what I have experienced, a fish must always have a good reason to choose a place to stay or to go to instead of another: that's related to period of the year, food chain events, weather/current events, reproduction events, type of bottom chosen by each species as a favourite habitat, and also the perception of "safety" that a fish may have in a place or another. This is so coplicated (there are so many species with different behaviour also in freshwater), and I have absolutely no experience about North-American lakes, that I quit it here and say don't ask me for specific tips.
Just ask yourself some questions: is there any species which is spawning, making eggs or breeding newborns in this period of the year? What's the depth and type of bottom chosen by that species for reproduction? That's where you have to go! It's a bit unfair and slightly cruel to shoot a fish in love or breeding, but many other antagonist species will go there looking for eggs and newborn to eat: reproduction of "enemy" species stirs up the food chain as well as current, weather and tide.
Long post! Hope it's not too boring (it was intended for newbies)

 

[hyeparis]

Why not just dive in zero viz and use the force?

my pal does that - he knows some spots so well - that he catches fish that hole up in little caves with hands
one way to improve viz is look upward from bottom - you can spot siloehettes of fish in upper layers of water that way

 

[Agar4Life]

my pal does that - he knows some spots so well - that he catches fish that hole up in little caves with hands
one way to improve viz is look upward from bottom - you can spot siloehettes of fish in upper layers of water that way

Trivia time:
Some species of fish have chromatophores (light emitters) on their belly that shine light blue light of the same wavelength of that above them to prevent themselves from being seen from below.
This only applies to a select few specialised species.

 

[TOOmas]

i spearfish in north idaho in a huge lake, so unless im not around a bunch of seaweed vis is 10ft+. havnt been out since september though cause its about 20 degrees out...