What Time Do You Start Fishing?

[MCS]

I live in a coastal area, I'm 15 minutes from saltwater, there by 4-5 AM, depending on tide, wind and weather. I'm home about 10 am most days, take a nap, have lunch and then bass fish for a few hours in the afternoon.

that sounds like the life right there. Lol

[loodkop]

My tournament usually run from 6-4. I try to do my "social" fishing at the same times as it is no ise to me figuring out after dark patterns. Some of my waters are shared with hippos. This means that only a fool will run a boat in the dark. More life are lost to hippo a year than all of the Big 5 combined.

[Team9nine]

If all the big fish bit at a certain hour, there'd be no need to fish any other time If I make it to the lake by noon, I'm doing good and ahead of schedule. Around here, all the tourney guys eat up the dawn til 3 time frame. I've got no interest in "fighting" them on the lake or at the ramp. I like to sleep in, launch after lunch, see where the pressure is at, and then fish as late as I feel like. Most bass guys that start really early are off the water by 3 or 4. Kind of surprising how quiet the lake can get after that. Plus, the evening topwater bite right at or before dark can be nearly as good as the morning bite. Works for me.

-T9

[riskkid 2]

Since I don't own a boat I start whenever the person that invited me to fish with them wants to.

[.Paxamus.]

Whenever my wife says I can!

[K_Mac]

While I am not by nature a morning person, being on the water and fishing at first light is as good as it gets for me. There is something about being on the water at that time of day that makes me glad to be alive. I am not always able to do it for many reasons. I like fishing the mid day hours also, but if I have to choose I'll take daybreak every time, even if that slightly reduces my chance at the biggest fish in the lake.

[jslacker]

I'm retired. I do not fish tournaments. I fish for pleasure. I am not a morning person. 9:00 AM suits me just fine. According to Doug Hannon "The Bass Professor," the majority of big bass are caught between the hours of 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. That said, my PB was caught at around 7:00 AM. That's the fish in my Avatar.

The bass in my avatar is my PB as well. I too fish for pleasure.... Is this forum a good split or mostly tournament fishers would you say?

[jslacker]

Whenever my wife says I can!

LOL I can relate, that's why I can only fish on Tuesdays while she's working LOL

[00 mod]

I would say the majority of the people here are pleasure fishermen/women. While there are some that are tournament anglers, and some like myself who are pleasure fishermen first and only fish charity tournaments!

Jeff

[aclark609]

I really like to be out on the water as the sun is rising. Especially in the warmer months.

[Hi Salenity]

One of my local lakes that I fish on , I fish from sunrise to 9-10am and then I come back for the last 2 hours of daylight.

[SouthrnMisnomer]

i don't have a specific start time, as the variables change constantly

[scrutch]

I fish when the wakemakers are not playing. If I want to fish in the middle of the day, I go to an electric only lake.

[earlbrwstr]

I enjoy fishing as soon as i get off work 7:30 am is a perfect time and i dont make it home till after 12. Its very rare I get off work in time to see the sunrise.

[Bankbeater]

I usually get on the water sometime between 5 and 6 AM. Sometimes the bass are awake then and sometimes they aren't.

[Diablos]

I love fishing when the sun is coming up. For guys who fish early mornings, there is no better feeling then getting to a lake at the crack of dawn with a light fog on the flat calm water. You can hear a fish break 100yds away.

I have no patience for boat ramp shenanigans so I like to beat the crowd too. For those who fish tourneys, you know that 12-15 tourney boats can can easily tie up a boat ramp for an hour. Just the other day I asked to launch before they started and I was met with a little resistance. I was about to make a stink but decided to use what little charm I have and it worked awkwardly. I basically cracked an unfunny joke and I think the tourney director felt bad for me.

[AK-Jax86]

When I go early morning I seem to get nice size fish from 3 to 4# around 7. Last week I caught 4 all in a row, 3.8, 3.10, 4.4, and 4.7 from 7am to 7.20am... that was the best 20min stretch in my life. I usually go everyday when I get home around 5:30pm and catch a good amount. My personal best came between the hours of 11am and 2.

So those are usually the times I go out in my backyard and cast out if I am home. I just started using top water lures and frogs but haven't really had any luck so far.

[Basspastor]

Growing up fishing on a clear water lake I learned the importance of getting out early. Now I prefer the fish in the evening. Maybe I will get back to some morning fishing this year for more than just tournaments.

[BASSHUNTER1961]

I'm generally out by 6:00 when in my canoe, but if fishing from shore not till 8:00 or 9:00...... My Personal best was caught at 8:00PM in fading light on a weightless Wave Worm (Tiki Stick) from my canoe on a cranberry bog reservoir .....

[Sam]

Day to Myself - About 15 minutes before sunrise.

Tournament - Blast offs are usually 6AM so start to fish ASAP after blast off.

Work Day - 3 or 4 PM when I skip out of the office.

[Wildbillb]

I like to be out as early as possible. If I can be there at 6 am all the better. That gets me a good 4-5 hours before all the jetski, pleasure boaters, water skiers come out and stir up the lake. Plus it is faster getting in the water at the ramp.

[Fish Chris]

Well, since I've caught the VAST majority of my double digit bass, towards the middle of the day, with the hour of 12 noon to 1pm being what I call "The magic hour", I often start at around 9 or 10am.

Besides being on the water during the best hours, and with a good, full night of sleep, another great thing is that SOOO many anglers think they have to be there before the sun rises, then often, between noon and 2pm, most of them are wimping out and going home, leaving me with the entire lake to myself See ya' ! Drive safe LOL

Of course I will then usually fish until it's too dark to see.

Peace,

Fish

[Hyrule Bass]

Well, since I've caught the VAST majority of my double digit bass, towards the middle of the day, with the hour of 12 noon to 1pm being what I call "The magic hour", I often start at around 9 or 10am.

Besides being on the water during the best hours, another great thing is that SOOO many anglers think they have to be there before the sun rises, then often, between noon and 2pm, most of them are wimping out and going home, leaving me with the entire lake to myself See ya' ! Drive safe LOL

Of course I will then usually fish until it's too dark to see.

Peace,

Fish

i dont know about those Cali lakes, but if you waited that late on Smith Mtn Lake you would be going out just when the majority of other boat/jet ski traffic is starting up. If you want calm on the water at SML then its best to go out early or late, especially on a weekend...

[Fish Chris]

Hey Red, most of my best bass lakes don't allow skiing or jet skis And again, most of the trout guys (the majority) are done by noon to 2pm....

However, even as much as I despise jet skis and ski boats, even on the lakes that allow them (and yes, they are thickest in the middle of the day) I still catch most of my biggest bass during this time.

Fish

[NBR]

IMHO I think the reason most large bass have been caught during the middle of the day is the same as most of my catches come on soft plastics. There are more people fishing during midday times and in my case I use soft plastics a lot more often. I am not sure that pleasure boat activity puts the fish down but I am sure that it makes boat control more difficult.