Abstract: Lake water is the case Ⅱ water,whose water color is influenced by three major components,namely,phytoplankton pigment,suspended sediment and yellow substance. So the optical properties,including apparent optical properties (AOPs)and the inherent optical properties(IOPs),of lake waters are more complex than ones of case Ⅰ water. One of the key solutions is under investigation and measurement. One of the ways to interpret the lake color is the empirical regression, and another is semi-analytical,i.e. bio-optical model method. The latter,concerned with the atmosphere,the water-body and the relationship between the two,is better for remote sensing of lake the water quality. It is the key technique for improving the precision of inversing the lake color to correct the atmosphere influence,and the methods are reviewed. And the water-leaving radiance is analyzed from its contents and algorithms. Then how to acquire IOPs is analyzed in detail. Subsequently, the methods and steps to implement the former model and inverse it are summarized. Finally,the key problems concerned with remote sensing of lake water color in China are put forward.