As judged by the amount of brain tissue they devote to visual stimuli, vision may be their dominant sense. Estimates of how far bass can see under water vary. Most vision experts cite about 50 feet as the maximum. Of course, the size of the visual target makes a big difference. Bass probably see full grown bluegills a lot further off than they see baby minnows.
Size matters because larger objects cast larger images on the retina at the back of the bass' eye.
Larger images, in turn, stimulate a greater number of optic nerve cells, sending a stronger nerve message to the brain. Some objects are so small they fail to register on the retina and hence are too tiny to be seen. Although smaller prey can escape bass detection, bass lures lie above the minimum size limit. We know this from watching how bass react to lures. Whether they see these same lures from even greater distances is a matter of speculation.