Does anyone ever carry a PH meter for the bodies of water they fish? Any success or advantages?

Yes. I wont put my line in the water until all my calculations are done, and chemicals are added to correct whatever problem there may be..........But seriously, no.

No.

pH is the negative log of the molar concentration of hydronium ions in the water. They can be misleading.

A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral. Anything less than 7.0 is acidic.

pH factors for largemouth bass near freezing to 97* is 4 to 10.

Preferred range would be a water temperature of 80* to 90* and from 7.4 to 8.1.

You need to invest in Dr. Keith Jones' book, Knowing Bass, The Seientific Approach to Catching More Fish. You can find it on Amazon. com

Don't be concerened about the pH factor of the water. Be more concerned with the oxygen level and water temperature.

Will get to your article. Looks like it is very good.

Back in the early 80's I believe the same company that made the Color-C-Lector made a PH Meter that like very similiar to the Color-C-Lector. You were suspose to be abgle to find the breakline in the ph of the water. I had one but did not get to use it much as I had just started my residency.

I still think that the pH makes a difference in the depth the fish hold. Check on E-Bay and you may find an old one for sale. Sam is right the temp and O2 content probably have more to do with it but pH of the water has some effect.

The PH range for the sunfish family, including bass is about 5.5 to 8.5, a wide range. The more acidic the water the lower the PH, the more alkaline the higher the PH and as noted 7 PH is neutral.

The vast majority of water storage reservoirs will have a PH close to 7, small ponds and natural lakes with a lot of weed cover may get down to 5, deep rocky structure lakes on the Colorado river may reach a PH of 8. Some Florida natural lakes have a PH of 6.5, not considered ideal, but the Bass manage to grow well.

If there are bluegill or other sunfish present in the water, the PH supports bass. The presence of baitfish is the key to locating bass, not the ideal PH levels.

Today's bass anglers rely on sonar to locate bait fish and bass; PH, DO, water temperature are important factors, however seeing the bait fish and bass confirms where the bass are located.

Tom

I think the real concern, from a fisherman's point of view, is whether high or low PH has a negative or positive affect on a fish's activity level. I know low oxygen levels do and high pH and low oxygen levels often go hand in hand.

Some waters, as noted, have a naturally high or low pH and I believe that unless it fluctuates dramatically, pH by itself is of little concern.

As always, BassResource has articles, yes even on that:

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/ph-lakes-fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/ph_levels.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/phosphorus.html

A real test for the PH meter is just around the corner for most deep structured bass lakes; the fall turn over.

You don't really need a PH meter to see floating bottom decayed debris a usually can smell the order, but the PH will definitely show a drastic chance. What you do with this this information is really the crux of how usefull a PH meter is to a bass angler. You can survey the lake looking for neutral PHmor do why I do....change lakes for about 2 weeks until the water settles down and the bass feel better.

Tom