My method is to measure SG until the fermentation is about 3/4 complete, then transfer to glass and airlock. Usually takes 4-6 days to get there for my mead.
Waiting for the mead to clear a bit before racking from a bucket is waiting way too long IMO. Buckets are leaky, even ones with tight lids. Mead is expensive, factoring in both honey and time so why chance it? Besides, how you gonna know if the mead is starting to clear when using an opaque bucket?
But the only way to know if your fermentation is over is to take SG readings. once the SG is stable for several days, you know it is done
This is close, but not quite on the mark. Yes, the heavy lifting part of the fermentation is done once SG is stable for a few days. Fermentation can very slowly continue for weeks or even months after that though. You're not done until the SG is stable over several months. Unless of course yours is a dry mead, then a stable SG over a month or so is probably safe to declare "done".