Fishing When The Sky Is Overcast

[nickjames1310]

What do you all do on a overcast day. I went today and not a single bite. I used black/chrom rattle trap jerk bait plastics and spinner bait and nothing. Its been around 70-80 the past few days. I feel like its because they're nesting, but what do you all think? I'm bank fishing also.

[Mccallister25]

Do you mean fishing on overcast days? If so, and your throwing spinnerbaits, Id probably go with a darker color. I dont throw spinnerbaits often, so someone who does could probably elaborate more.

I tend to mostly fish bottom contact baits and in low light conditions or murky water I fish darker colors. Black/blue jigs, junebug colored worms, etc.

[jbsoonerfan]

I don't pay attention to the forecast, those guys usually get it wrong anyway. 

[nickjames1310]

lmao.. I ment to say overcast.. How dumb of me.

 

 

**Title has been edited

  -roadwarrior

[gripnrip]

I'd have thrown a topwater all day. Frogs and spooks.

[Bruce424]

Overcast WITH wind... alittle chop and ripple in the water. Targeting visible brush or logs with a squarebill and spinnerbait are some of my favorite ways to fish. A little breeze or wind is key for those lures. But with no wind maybe a football jig or carolina rig. Overcast days are good days for moving lures at a good pace. Especially with warmer water. Trying topwater in the morning or evening. A frog around weeds or brush, buzzbait.or stickbait should be succesful. Personally not really a fan of buzzbaits...haha

[ripinit]

Had a good afternoon. Caught 18 on a dark senko-type bait(Texas rigged weightless). Mostly small males. Everything real shallow in protected coves. Only had 2  over 3 lbs.  Had to soak it for bites, and they just weren't chasing moving baits where I was...

[Mccallister25]

I'd have thrown a topwater all day. Frogs and spooks.

 

This. Dont know why I didnt think to say that in my last post.

[Washout]

I fail miserably with spinners, but the cranks tend to get brighter as the clouds come out for me. I throw the contrasting shiny ones with sunshine, hitting shadows over cover. The rest of the time, I throw firetiger and other bright colors.
I prefer laminate or multi-color soft plastics on cloudy days. As it clears up, I'll switch to junebug and then to pumpkin colors for bluebird skies. This is how I work my waters at home. These are dingy to muddy waters. The most visibility I have seen is 6-7' as an average this lineup of colors works well in the 4' and under of visibility. I'm not considering myself an expert by any means, but this is just my own way of weeding out the hundreds of things I have tried that just didn't work.

[michang5]

Overcast WITH wind... alittle chop and ripple in the water. Targeting visible brush or logs with a squarebill and spinnerbait are some of my favorite ways to fish. A little breeze or wind is key for those lures. But with no wind maybe a football jig or carolina rig. Overcast days are good days for moving lures at a good pace. Especially with warmer water. Trying topwater in the morning or evening. A frog around weeds or brush, buzzbait.or stickbait should be succesful. Personally not really a fan of buzzbaits...haha

 

Interesting... I went out on Saturday with these exact conditions (overcast with wind and ripples). I had originally intended to throw a spook and frog to test the topwater. But a reply in a different thread made it seem like those would be best for glass-smooth water, so I backed off and tied on a wacky senko. Did OK, but now wondering if I should have tried Plan A.

 

I know the fish don't read the books, but I really need to find a cheat sheet on what (wind, sky) conditions are best suited for: spook, frog, jitterbug, squarebill. So much learning still to do...

[bigbill]

I'm going to preach to the choir again it's Father Bill,

Overcast days,

Brighter colors chartreuse is your friend.

Inline spinners, like Joe's fly in firetiger apache

(glo chartreuse)

I would stand there in the pouring warm rain and challenge myself to see what color worked. The vibration of the Joe's fly inline 1/4oz bass inline spinner is perfectly tuned and matched color wise to the low light condition.

I threw the norm out the window when I seen the light. Amen.

Don't forget a shot of bass scent too.

Once the action starts a rainy day can be your best action ever.

I caught 19 bass from shore using the Joe's fly and two weird looking pink and white looking sunfish shaped fish. I have no clue as to what they were.

After the action at my one spot I stopped on the way home at another hot shore fishing spot and caught two 2 1/2/3# smallies and one 3# large mouth. I never caught or seen a smallie caught here locally. That little Joe's fly earned its keep.

I been in touch with Joe of Joe's fly to make a #3 Joe's fly bass size. I know the man is very busy trying to keep with his line up now. His smaller spinfly in blackgnat is a trout killer here.

One more thing to try out of my fishing bible. As the bite is on with Joe's 1/4oz blackgnat and as the light disappears and the bite slows does and the light turns towards dusk try a Joe's fly in fire tiger apache. The basses eyes adjust quicker to the change in the lighting than the baitfishes eyes do making them easy prey. As it turns to dusk then to twilight at this time the chartreuse inline glo spinner will land a few more bass.

Trust me it's a shore fishing trick I've used often.

Ok one more chapter from my fishing bible told. Amen

Remember in the light fish the lure color to the water conditions, as the light conditions changed use brighter colored lures, in the dark it's dark colored lures.

[Bruce424]

Interesting... I went out on Saturday with these exact conditions (overcast with wind and ripples). I had originally intended to throw a spook and frog to test the topwater. But a reply in a different thread made it seem like those would be best for glass-smooth water, so I backed off and tied on a wacky senko. Did OK, but now wondering if I should have tried Plan A.

 

I know the fish don't read the books, but I really need to find a cheat sheet on what (wind, sky) conditions are best suited for: spook, frog, jitterbug, squarebill. So much learning still to do...

Oh yea somtimes fishing topwater with a lil ripple is the way to go. Anything to help coverup what your lure actually is. Cause ripple will actually breakup surface light. Which I think helps disguise the lure.

squarebill are one of my favorite lures and so are spinnerbaits. My goto baits when its a lil too windy for weightless plastics.

[SirSnookalot]

If I paid attention to all of this conventional wisdom, I probably wouldn't catch any more fish.  I use what I want to have fun with for that outing, I don't care about the weather.  I think nothing of putting on a top water lure for a couple of hours in the middle of the day with bluebird skies, just because it's more fun............produces too.

[frogflogger]

As the man says - "think outside the box" - hackneyed phrase but have some fun and throw anything that comes to mind. But on a breezy overcast day I'll be throwing furbits - probably black.