When do freshwater fish bite

All fish are cold-blooded, meaning they can't keep their body temperature at a constant level. So the temperature of their surroundings influences the fish's body temperature and bodily functions. Really high and really low water temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, making fish less active and picky about when and what they eat.

When it comes to finding the best fishing times, a good starting point is to avoid extreme temperatures. For more accurate analysis of the water to find out when the fish are biting, fish finders and water temperature gauges can give anglers up-to-the-minute feedback on temperature. Fish generally prefer early morning and evening sun to the bright midday rays. In midday, the surface temperature of the water is also hotter, forcing the fish to move deeper.

Variable weather conditions can be a big factor in determining the best times to fish. Wind can play a large role in because it pushes water and surface food to the far shore. Storms also affect fishing success, increasing feeding during the hours immediately before a cold front but slowing during and after a storm or front hits. The exception is a warm front, which causes surface water temperatures to increase, putting fish into a feeding frenzy.

Another good opportunity to fish is on cloudy days since overcast skies cause fish to cruise for food more than on bright days. Light rain is also one of the best fishing times, especially because it washes insects and bait into the water, creating a feeding binge for fish. For more exact targeting of the best times to fish, you may want to try a fishing calendar.

Like all animals, fish come out in greater numbers during particular times of year. This will of course vary based on where you live and what sort of fish you hope to catch, but there are some general guidelines to keep in mind.

You will have better luck later in the season, and later in the day, when things get a little warmer. At this time of year winds will push the warmer, food-filled surface water toward the shore, so try to position yourself downwind along the shoreline. The fish will be biting well just before sunup and just after sundown, when food is abundant. Mid-day, when the sun is at its zenith, the fish will retreat to cooler, deeper water.

They will likely not bite much in the morning and early afternoon. Toward the end of the day, however, the water will be warm from hours of sunlight, and the fish will be driven to eat more than usual because of the impending food shortage that winter brings.

Dusk is therefore an excellent time for fishing. Unless you are ice fishing, which is a different thing entirely, you should leave your fishing rod in storage during this season.

Consider the tides. It is best to fish when the tide is rising or falling, as this change causes prey to move en-mass, and thus makes a great time for coastal fish to feed.

Fishing will be much harder during low or high tide, when there is less water movement. If you are fishing during a high tide, look for a shallow area. If you are fishing during a low tide, look for a mud bank near a slough an area with a depression in the bottom. Method 2. Keep an eye out for warm and cold fronts.

Because fish are coldblooded, they are deeply impacted by water temperature. This means their behavior can change quite a bit before and after cold or warm fronts. Thus, fishing after a cold front will rarely be a successful venture. Warm fronts warm the surface water, and increase the amount of feeding fish can do. The difference is most noticeable in cold weather, when fish are usually not out much, and will not be of much use if it is summer, and the temperature was already quite high to begin with.

Keep an eye on the wind. Wind pushes surface water toward the far shore, and small prey fish with it, luring game fish. This makes windy days a good time for fishing. This will make your lure move in the same direction as the rest of the food, which will make it easier to attract game fish. If fishing from a boat, cast toward shore in the same direction as the wind.

Keep an eye out for clouds. Overcast days make fish bolder. They tend to swim further from safe structures when it is a little dim out.

These are good fishing days. Keep an eye out for rain. Rain can be your friend or your enemy, depending on how hard it is. Light rain is excellent fishing weather, especially in warm weather. It blurs the waters surface, making it harder for the fish to see you.

It also washes lots of insects into the water, making it a prime time for fish to eat. Hard rain stirs up mud, and makes it harder for fish to hunt, breathe, and navigate.

Method 3. Research the area where you're fishing to see when other people have caught fish. In order to pack on weight, they will be feeding a ton so fall fishing can be very good. Most species of freshwater gamefish have good reduced light vision allowing them to see much better around dawn and dusk than they prey.

In early fall, the best time of day is early morning from dawn until 3 hours after sunrise and late afternoon from 2 hours before sunrise until dusk. These times of day have the reduced light fish prefer for hunting and also cooler water temperatures and transitional periods when baitfish are moving from shelter to feeding and back making them vulnerable to attack.

In late fall, fishing is typically best in the mid-to-late morning and late afternoon. Early morning tends to be chillier in the water which usually makes for slower fishing. By mid-morning, water temperatures will warm up nice enough to promote good fishing. In the winter, fish will be seeking warming water so early mornings after the freezing-cold night will not be ideal.

Wait until mid-morning to start fishing for the best results. Fishing in the mid-to-late afternoon is usually very good as well. In fact, I have caught more fish in the late afternoon from 3 hours before sunset until dusk than any other time of day during the winter in both ice fishing and open water.

Especially when it comes to ice fishing, I rarely catch any fish midday. Fishing just seems to turn off for those hours around the middle of the day. Night fishing is generally pretty slow in winter but can turn on under certain conditions. Full moon phases can trigger good nighttime bites for certain species as long as you are fishing in lakes without ice or the ice is clear and has no dense snow covering.

Snow covering the ice will completely block out any visible moonlight and render its effects on fish beneath relatively useless. Weather events can dramatically shift the times of day when fish are actively feeding.

Generally speaking, the best time of day to fish on days with rain, snow, or cloud cover is not a specific time but rather right before the weather event occurs and even during the weather event. Most of the time, a weather event represents a change in the overall weather temperature. During the summer, rain and clouds cools the water and blocks out the hot oppressive sun.

During the winter, rain or snow actually brings about warming waters more than likely. Rain and overcast or cloudy days offer some of the best fishing for most freshwater species you can find. Before rain, bass, pike, trout, and other species will actively go about hunting for prey. This makes them more likely to chase your moving lures a further distance. Great fishing will often continue as the rain falls. The fishing will usually slow way down once the rain or weather event has ended. Fish will still bite but they will be sluggish, hold tight to cover and bite a lot more tentatively.

Forget the idea you need to fish at sunrise or sunset, if you see some form of weather event is forecast that day, start fishing about 3 hours before the event for best results. The moon can play a huge role in determining when the best fishing for many species of fish will be. Most fish lack the specialized night vision to hunt effectively most nights but full and nearly full moons allow enough moonlight to illuminate the upper few feet of the water column to enable night feeding.

Now, these fish can still feed on very dark nights but their food pretty much has to swim right to their mouths. But on full moon nights, enough moonlight penetrates the surface of the water to allow really good night feeding near the surface for fish. Some of the best fishing of the day may be during the night.

Because many fish will be feeding all night long on these full moon nights, the following morning which is typically great for fishing can be very slow since big fish may have bellies full from a night of active feeding. It really just depends. On full moon nights when fishing should be good, cloud cover or rain that blocks out some or all the moonlight will render those nights pretty sluggish for bass and trout.

The best time of day to catch bass is early morning from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and late afternoon from 3 hours before sunset until last light at dusk. Bass have very good reduced light vision which allows them to succeed finding and catching food in the early mornings and late afternoons. Now that said, huge bass can sometimes be caught most abundantly during the middle of the day. On days with rain or cloud cover, the best time of day to fish is before and during the rain event.

This is the best time possible for bass fishing from my experience. Often, during hot summer months, the amount of dissolved oxygen in a lake becomes low, making fish inactive. Rain will aerate the surface water and often has a cooling effect, both of which can activate fish. Disturbing the surface of a lake also impairs the ability of a fish to see you. By: Mepps. You probably wonder why….