Earliest you have ever been bass fishing.

[Bankc]

Sometimes I try to hit the water an hour before sunrise.  That's mainly just in the summer when it gets really hot during the day.  I don't like having to load or unload in the dark, so I don't mess with anything too early or late.  Also, disrupting my sleep schedule too much gives me a nasty headache.  So getting up too early or staying up too late isn't worth it for me.

[Big Hands]

I have started fishing at just about every hour of the day. Can't do it many places here in California, but when I get to go to Texas to fish, it's not unusual to be sitting around the fire ring at 11:00 p.m. and look at each other and say, "Let's go fish for a while." You don't have to ask me twice. In fact, as soon as someone utters "let's go", I'm raising up to grab my rods. I love fishing in the middle of the night when we're the only ones on the water. I honestly don't know why more people don't do it.

[WVU-SCPA]

The lake between the house and work is closed from 9pm-5am.  I show up at 5 and make it to work by 7 about 2 days a week.

 

If the boat is going I'd prefer to fishing in the twilight hours.

[soflabasser]

Throughout the years I have fished for bass every hour of the day. Sometimes bass bite better in the middle of the night in a place they do not not bite well during day.

[WRB]

When I was working would get home, get everything together, have dinner and drive 150 miles to San Diego, park in line waiting for the gate to open. Fishing all day then drive home a 24 hour day many times.

Also fished from lake opening to night fishing getting home at day light or 24 hours on the water fishing.

Can’t do that anymore, 10 hours is max, usually day break to afternoon now. 

3:30 AM (0’dark 30) is average time get these old bones ready, eat, make lunch and arrive at the about 1 hr drive each way.

Tom

[JustJames]

I can fish all night for bass, as long as no crappie to be found.

Lately for the past few weeks, I have to get up 3:00 in the morning on my day off just to get those crappie bites, so my Bass time was end super early, or none since I spend most of evenings time searching for bluegill.

To be serious, I used to come home from work at midnight, getting my boat ready and fish until the sun come up. 

[Choporoz]

Haven't needed an alarm clock to be on the water well before sunrise for a number of years.  I've been first to ramp at least a half dozen times the last few weeks.....even the 'ungated' ones.  

However, about three weeks ago, I thought I would get to ramp particularly early, as the kayak tournament earliest launch time was 0600.  I rolled up about 4:50 and there was at least a dozen boats ahead of me.

[the reel ess]

I like to be there just after first light, whatever time that is.

[river-rat]

If I'm fishing on my home waters, I get up at 3:30 AM as I have a drive time of 1 to1 1/2 hours to launch my boat. If I'm at Toledo Bend, I can be on the water within minutes of the house so I get up later.

 

On the other hand, if I'm night fishing I like to be on the water no later than 7:30 PM and will fish until after sunrise the next morning. 

 

[DitchPanda]

Does night fishing count? If so then the earliest in the morning I've been out is 12am! My local pond is only about 1 mile from my door and the park is "closed" until 6am but they don't care so much as long as you don't push it. So that said I get up at 5am to get there around 530ish. As far as getting up early to drive somewhere I don't really ever do that. My parents live close to a set of lakes so when I go there I usually drive up the evening before and just get up and fish in the morning.

[GreenPig]

Normally 3:30 - 4am so I can be at my first spot at daylight or earlier. Leaving at 11 pm tonight to fish from 12 am til I get hot. 

[gim]

10 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Does night fishing count?

 

For a decade straight I made a 12:01am start when the walleye season opened.  My brother and I would leave the house at 9:30pm, stop at the casino, play a few hands of black jack, grab a bite to eat, launch at 11:30pm, and be on our spot anchored before the midnight start.  Our lighted bobbers would be in the water right when the season started.  We'd fish until 5am and did really good a few times too.  The problem was the drive home.  It was an hour back to the house pulling a trailer behind and when you've been up for 24 hours straight it takes a toll.  I had to give it up years ago because I simply didn't trust myself to stay awake.

 

About 4:30am is the earliest I've actually gotten up out of bed to head fishing.  That's generally because its a 90 minute drive one way to get there.

 

I'd rather start fishing an hour before sunset and stay out there until 11pm or midnight if I'm going to bass fish at night now.  I had success doing that last season and its something I intend to do again this year.  Especially when its gets warm out in the summer and the lake is full of recreational traffic during daylight hours.

[BigAngus752]

Nothing like being on the water as the sun comes up and then catching on topwater for a hour or more.  I, like many other, typically get up at about 3:30 to get to one of my favorite lakes before the sun comes up.  BUT, this summer I'm going to switch gears and do quite a bit of night fishing once the water is over 80 degrees.  

[papajoe222]

I rarely get up early, but I stay up until well after sunrise on night fishing trips. Today was one of the rare times I headed out in the morning (4:30), but I was off the water by 8:00.

[N Florida Mike]

If Im at home , I get up an hour or so before daylight, get everything ready , then walk the 35 feet or so to the dock and go. I usually leave right as light is just appearing.

Back When I fished more all over N Florida , I would leave in time to be there at sun-up, which means leaving 1-2 hours before sun up for most of thr trips...

[Koz]

Probably 6 or 7 am. But I have gone bank fishing at 10 pm and stayed out there until after two in the morning.

[.ghoti.]

The early bird gets the worm.

 

proof positive the worm should have stayed in bed 

[txchaser]

I kept telling myself to do the things others won't do to get the results they can't get. 

I was getting up early enough to be on the water at daybreak for a while, and then I noticed I wasn't catching much that was interesting in the mornings. But evenings were pretty good, so I quit worrying about getting up early. Maybe different on other waters, but it was pretty consistent where I am.

Sure is pretty in the early morning in Texas in the summer though. 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I love night fishing when I get the chance and have spent all night on the water more than a few times. It's a different ballgame in the dark.