the dreaded green water
 

I know a lot of people check things like surf reports weather and tides but how do you tell what the waters gonna look like other than reading reports on fishing sites or dive sites like divebums? What causes the water to change from crystal clear to green and filled with particles? and why does the bite usually shut down in these conditions is it because the fish cant see shit? I know I ask a lot but it seems pretty complicated compared to freshwater the answer is usually just rain.

The green water is typically caused by phytoplankton and nutrients which are stirred up because of the upwelling. Ocean currents push up deep nutrient rich cold water and kick off the entire foodchain. Zooplankton feed on the phytoplankton, small fish feed on the zooplankton and so on up the chain.

It doesn't necessarily slow down the bite. Sometimes quite the opposite. More important than the color of the water is the strength of the current. Just remember that even though the water on the surface is green, down deep it can be super clean.

http://www.tempbreak.com/

This is a good free source for temp and chlorophyll readings.