Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 122 is my conversation with Dr. Lori Schweikert, a marine biologist who studies fish vision and is also an avid angler. She marries the lab and the water, drawing research questions from her own fishing. We dig into why tarpon are the superheroes of fish vision, how fish retinas change over a lifetime, why a red lure turns black at depth, and how understanding what fish actually see can make you a better angler.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Dr. Lori Schweikert is a marine biologist with degrees from Florida who studies sensory systems, especially fish vision, and is also an active angler. She is known for connecting her scientific research with real-world fishing, drawing questions from her time on the water and bringing insights back to the lab. Her work spans tarpon, snook, redfish, hogfish, and a broad review of fish vision across species.
Tarpon are a phenomenal example of what fish vision can do. Their scientific name, Megalops atlanticus, means large eye of the Atlantic, and with that big eye and densely packed retinal cells they excel at detecting motion, contrast, and color. Tarpon have around five cone cell types and color vision that far exceeds ours, including into the ultraviolet, plus excellent night vision from rod cells and a reflective eye shine.
Yes. Dr. Schweikert explains that fish have retinal plasticity, meaning they can heal and change the function of their retinas over life to match different environments. She studied tarpon color vision across their life cycle: juveniles in muddy red backwaters have strong color vision in the red end of the spectrum, and as they migrate to coastal and offshore waters their sensitivity shifts toward blue, violet, and green.
Because there is no red light at depth to reflect off it. Red is lower-energy light that filters out quickly in the water column, so a red lure deep down simply appears black, not invisible. Dr. Schweikert notes this can actually make it more visible as a dark silhouette against the lighter background. Maximizing visibility is really about color and brightness contrast against the background.
Dr. Schweikert says there is real science behind lure visibility but warns anglers to separate it from pure marketing. UV-reflective lures, for example, do little good at depth because UV scatters quickly. For bass in murky, red-shifted water, contrast and silhouette may matter more than the specific color. She also fishes purple lures for tarpon because she knows their sensitivity to blue and violet.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 122 with Dr. Lori Schweikert is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
My friend Jeff Arias sat through one of Lori's presentations at a fishing club and texted me two or three times during it telling me I had to get her on the podcast. He was right. What makes her perfect for this show is that she is not just a fish researcher, she is an angler who pulls her research questions straight off the water and then takes what she learns back out fishing. I had a stack of questions about what fish can and cannot see and, honestly, how I could use that to catch more. She delivered.
Press play in the YouTube player above to hear it.
Lori explains that the tarpon's scientific name literally means large eye of the Atlantic, and that big eye plus densely packed retinal cells gives them outstanding resolution, color vision into the UV, and eye shine for hunting at night. We talk through the viral videos of tarpon tracking a baitfish thrown in the air. Hear her break down what is actually happening.
Fish have a plasticity our eyes do not. Lori describes how tarpon shift their color sensitivity from red in muddy juvenile backwaters to blue and violet as they move offshore, and how fish can even heal retinal damage. It reframes how you think about a single species living in wildly different water. Listen to that section.
One of the biggest misconceptions in angling, Lori says, is that red disappears at depth. It does not become invisible, it becomes black, because there is no red light down there to reflect. That can actually make it a more visible silhouette. She explains what that means for picking lures and leaders. Worth hearing in full.
Walk into a bass shop and the wall of colors is overwhelming. Lori separates the real science of contrast, brightness, and size from pure marketing, explains why UV-reflective lures do little at depth, and shares how she uses what she knows to target tarpon. Press play in the player above for the full breakdown.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player above.
What I love about Lori is that she closes the loop between the lab and the water. She studies why fish see what they see, then takes it fishing and lets the fishing send her back with new questions.
If you have ever stared at a wall of lures wondering what the fish actually perceives, this conversation will change how you choose. Listen to the whole thing.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 122 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Dr. Lori Schweikert · tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) · hogfish · snook · redfish · largemouth bass · Jeff Arias · Russell Kleppinger · Robbie's · Tom Rowland (host)
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Dr. Lori Schweikert is a marine biologist with degrees from Florida who studies sensory systems, with a focus on fish vision, and is also an avid angler. Her research spans tarpon, snook, redfish, hogfish, and a wide review of fish vision across species, and she is known for connecting laboratory science with real-world fishing. Her work on retinal plasticity, color vision, and the visual environments fish inhabit offers anglers practical insight into what game fish actually see.
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