Best Time To Fish

[Ratherbfishing]

Biggest bass?  I'm afraid I don't catch enough really big bass to identify a strong trend.  Most bass?  In the spring, usually around 2 or 3 after the water's had a chance to warm up.  In the summer months, usually early morning or late afternoon/evening.

[Bankbeater]

I have caught them before the sun has risen, at noon, and at night.

[Hyrule Bass]

also, some of my best fish, not just bass, have been caught at Smith Mtn Lake on saturday nights between 10pm-12am while listening to Dee Sniders House of Hair radio show...dont know why, but the fish must love that 80s hair metal lol

[joetomlee]

Middle of the day...when you're least expecting it.

 

 

I'm with you. I always hear people telling me morning and night time hours are best but I've personally had most success in the early afternoon. Strange thing that happens a lot to me is I seem to get bit a lot more when I am daydreaming. Totally not thinking about what I am doing at all. When I sit and concentrate on my presentation is when I get skunked.

[wisconsin heat]

May-October is all i get

[BassThumb]

The high catch rates of bass often come at dawn and dusk -- that's no mystery -- but the big ones seem randomly spread out over the day. For me, the best fish of the year is often caught on days where I'm catching very few bass. It seems very random to me.

[bassman31783]

My two largest bass have come right at sunrise and right at sunset. 

 

Although I will say that the largest bass I have ever hooked into was

right around 12 noon on a calm, insanely hot June day.  That one still

hurts.  Ha.

[WRB]

First and foremost it is important to understand that adult size over 4 pounds have lived long enough to prey on critters they prefer to eat; high protein and easy to catch. It is also important to remember that largemouth bass are primarily sight feeders and this can lead some anglers to think that bass have eyes that work similar to ours....big mistake! LMB do not need good light penetration to see their prey, their prey needs good light penetration to see the predator! Low light gives the LMB a big advantage over prey and this is the time the biggest bass are active feeding.

When the sun is about 30 degrees above the horizon, morning and evening, the sunlight penetration starts to improve as the sun is higher above the horizon, where low light is no longer an advantage to LMB, prey can see the bass equally. This is one reason bass tend to use shadows during mid day and wave action to defuse light.

This doesn't mean the occasional mid day bite doesn't occur, it does when activity levels peak during that time period, just not often.

The only seasonal period that mid day big bass are caught in good numbers is during the spawn. The reason is noon time the sun is over head and light penetration is at it's maximum; good for the sight fisherman, bad for the bed bass, who will not abandon their spawning just because anglers are trying to catch them.

Every big bass over 15 lbs that I have been blessed to catch were caught in January, February and March, between sun rise and 10A, none after that time period. I have caught a lot 10 lb+ LMB throughout the day and night, very few at mid day.

Prime weather for me has been light rain between the hours of 7A to 10A, all 5 of the bass over 17 lbs (17.4, 17.4, 17.6, 18.6, 19.3) were caught under those conditions during that time period on jigs, none were bed fish to the best of my knowledge, due to the depth being 12' to 20' and were pre spawner's.

Tom

PS; when you read through this thread a few facts jump out, random PB bass caught mid day, general good catch rates of bass during low light periods, but few PB at that time, except my catches that have been consistant over decades.

Why? I believe most anglers fish at the wrong locations during low light periods and only fish deeper water where the big bass locate as a last resort instead of their first choice. This may be a result of tournament anglers who want 5 bass in the live well before trying to catch that kicker later. Active bass are easier to catch then inactive bass.

[BassinB]

To me it has always seemed that the best times to catch a lot of fish are different than the best times to catch big fish. The big fish are big because they are different, even if just slightly.

[iceman11]

Right before the sun goes down. It sure seems like that is when the big ones come to play. Just my experiences 

[Grizzn N Bassin]

feeding right now in the past 4 days its be crazy the big girls turned on around 530pm-7 and alil in the am around 9am-10 am then the next to it was around 11-3.. but today I fished all day and was there at the right times I guess..well see about tomorrow!

 

but most of the time its 10-3 then 5ish to 7..ive caught some lunkers really early like 5am-7am.. and late at night on topwater during the summer 10pm-2am.. top water I like popers and jitters.. am spinner/ buzzers.. most of the time that's what I use during these times

[ColdSVT]

the best time to fish is whenever my dad can go with me...which isnt nearly as much as I would like

[tugsandpulls]

On my home water, daybreak, between 12-2 during high skies, and during the crappiest of weather.

x2 the crappiest weather i slay them