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I’ve seen people head out to the lake in the middle of a hot summer day, catch zero fish, and wonder why. The time of day really does make a difference and in this post, I’m going to be talking about the best time of day for fishing each species.
The absolute best time to go fishing throughout the year is in the evening (6:30 pm-sunset). The second best time to go fishing is in the morning (sunrise-10:00 am). These are normally when the fish are more active and more likely to bite. This isn’t the case for every single type of fish out there but it is for the majority.
You still can catch fish between sunset and sunrise and you can still catch them during the day. You’ll just have the best luck in the morning and evening because this is when fish normally feed. They’ll go to deeper waters during the day so you might have a tougher time finding them. Again, all species are different so let’s jump into the best time to catch each of them.
What time of day is best for crappie fishing?
The best time of day to catch crappie is after sunset. This is when they like to feed and is when they’re most active. Another good time to catch crappie is an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. This seems to be the case throughout the year but crappie are one of the easiest fish to catch and you should have no issues finding them throughout the day.
Worst time of day to catch crappie: In the warmer months, fishing for crappie won’t be as productive during the middle of the day. You still can catch them but they prefer to stay away from the sun and will be hiding around cover. They’ll be a lot more active mid-day during the winter because the sun will give them a bit of warmth.
Best months to catch crappie: The best months would be late spring to early fall. They seem to be the most active during these periods and will want to eat as much as they can before winter.
Worst months to catch crappie: There really isn’t a bad time to go crappie fishing but things definitely slow down in the winter. Almost all fish will get less active and not want to chase things around as much. You still can catch a lot of crappie ice fishing though,
Best baits to catch crappie: You can catch them with pretty much anything but my favorite would have to be minnows or worms.
What time of day is best for salmon fishing?
The best time of day to fish for salmon would be the first 90 minutes of light and the last 90 minutes of light. There are a number of factors that go into catching fish but these are my favorites. There have been times when I’ve been out in the evening and then the next morning and caught nothing but things really picked up during the day. A lot of it’s based on weather, season, and a number of other factors.
Worst time of day to catch salmon: The worst time of day to catch salmon would be mid-day. You still can catch them but things generally slow down from 11:30 am until about 4:00 pm.
Best months to catch salmon: The best months to catch salmon are May through September.
Worst months to catch salmon: The worst months to catch salmon would be November through February.
Best baits to catch salmon: There are a number of different baits/lures you can use but my favorite would have to be a flasher with a hoochie.
What time of day is best for bass fishing?
The best time of day to catch bass would be before 11 am and after 6 pm. You can catch bass throughout the day but they’re more active when the sun isn’t too bright. If it’s cloudy out then they’ll be active all day long but they’ll be hiding out in cover if it’s bright out.
Worst time of day to catch bass: The worst time of day to catch bass would be between 11 am and 6 pm on bright sunny days. If it’s cloudy then you’ll still be able to find them around the shores.
Best months to catch bass: The absolute best months to catch bass is in the spring when they’re spawning.
Worst months to catch bass: The worst months to catch bass would be the winter when they don’t move around too much.
Best baits to catch bass: My favorite thing to use to catch bass would be a soft plastic worm. It’s incredibly versatile, you can fish it a bunch of different ways, and you can cut them down to use in cold weather. Here are some of our favorites.
What time of day is best for trout fishing?
The best time of day to catch trout is when there’s a lot of bugs flying around. The best time to go out would be after 6 pm but you can also go out before 11 am and have some good success. Again, you can catch trout throughout the day but they don’t seem to be as aggressive.
Worst time of day to catch trout: The worst time of day to catch trout is when there aren’t any bugs flying around. This is normally during the day.
Best months to catch trout: The best months to catch trout would be in the spring and fall when water temperatures warm-up or cool down.
Worst months to catch trout: You can catch trout all year long but the slowest months would be when the water gets too hot or too cold. This is obviously the middle of summer and winter.
Best baits to catch trout: Trout will eat pretty much anything you put in front of them but my favorite would have to be flies and worms. Here are some of our favorites.
What time of day is best for pike fishing?
The best time to catch pike would be right before sunrise and right before the sunset. They don’t seem to be all that active throughout the day but you can sometimes find them in deeper water or in the weed beds. They don’t feed at night because they can’t see very well so the morning is when they’ll be the hungriest. Thigs will slow down at around 11 am.
Worst time of day to catch pike: The worst time to catch pike would be in the middle of the night or during the day. They don’t like the sun too much so they’ll most likely be hiding.
Best months to catch pike: The best months to catch pike would be mid to late spring. This is when they’ve finished spawning and are ready to focus on eating again.
Worst months to catch pike: Pike can be caught all year long but things will slow down in the winter (can catch monsters though) and early spring when they’re spawning.
Best baits to catch pike: They’ll eat pretty much anything you put in front of them but my favorite would have to be a Rooster Tail Spinner (see on Amazon). I’ll normally use at least a 1/4 oz lure in Fire Tiger or Chrome Whitetail.
What time of day is best for carp fishing?
The best time to fish for carp is a bit different than everything else and will generally be the best during the late afternoon. In the spring and summer, you’ll normally have good luck in the morning as well. Any other time of the year, you’ll have the best results in the later hours of the afternoon.
Worst time of day to catch carp: There really isn’t a bad time to fish for carp. The slowest time would have to be late morning and early afternoon.
Best months to catch carp: The best months to catch carp would be in the spring. You can catch them year-round though.
Worst months to catch carp: The slowest months to catch carp would be in the winter. You can still catch them if you’re in the right spot.
Best baits to catch carp: The best thing I’ve used to catch carp would be corn.
What time of day is best for walleye fishing?
The best time of day to catch walleye would be 30 minutes before and after sunrise/sunset. A lot of people will fish for walleye from dusk to dawn but things tend to slow down during the day when the sun is out.
Worst time of day to catch walleye: The worst time of day to catch walleye would be mid-day when the sun is out.
Best months to catch walleye: The best months to catch walleye are in the spring during and after the spawn. Fishing is normally good from spring to early winter though.
Worst months to catch walleye: The slowest months to catch walleye would be mid-winter. You can still catch them but it’s not quite as good as the rest of the year.
Best baits to catch walleye: The best bait to catch walleye (in my opinion) would be a live worm or minnow.
Until next time, happy fishing. If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks.
Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!
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