The best times to fish for fish that prefer eating to fighting.

When to Fish

Now that you can think like a fish, let’s look at the best times to fish for fish that prefer eating to fighting. The first thing is to make sure its fishing season!

There are many external factors that influence a fish’s appetite. These include tide, wind, and weather. If you want to catch big predators, you need to be aware of their main feeding times. Different species are most active at different times.

Fish are cold-blooded. They can’t maintain their body temperature at a constant level and their temperature is affected by the surroundings. Lower water temperatures slow fish body movements and decrease food intake. Many freshwater fish are at their most active during early morning and late evening. Fish find the reduced light levels during these times more comfortable than bright sun.

Many fish feed by sight in the hours of daylight. The waxing and waning of light at both ends of a day are more or less exact mirror images. However, fish respond differently at dawn and at dusk. TIP: It appears that fish adapt more quickly to it getting light than to it growing dark. Some species of fish feed at night

Early Morning

The feeding period at dawn is shorter and a bit before sunrise. At dusk, it lasts longer, starts before the sun goes below the horizon and continues for some time after. The morning sun warms the shallows, and creates more comfortable water temperatures for fish to feed. Late morning is best when the sun has had more of a chance to warm the shallows.

Early morning is the most consistent time to fish. Fishing often remains good until about 10 a.m., and then it picks up again just before dark. The optimum time is usually between daybreak and ninety minutes after sunrise.

Late Afternoon

At night, many fish stop feeding and take cover from predators. For a brief period, as the light changes, some predators (Large Mouth Bass for example), having large eyes and efficient vision, have an advantage over their prey. The feeding of predatory fish is often concentrated into short periods at dawn and dusk. The best time is the hour between sunset and darkness

Other Prime Times

In the summer, it’s generally best to fish in the early morning and in the evening just before sunset when the sun is low. In the spring and fall, you can often fish any time of the day as the sun warms shallow water near shore, attracting fish. The worst time to fish a lake is in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. More fish are caught per hour in the spring than during any other season. The fish are hungry after the long winter, and the warmer water makes the fish active. When the water heats up, the fish head to deeper waters to find cooler temperatures. Rivers can be good for fishing in hot weather because they have fewer underwater plants and stay cool. Some fish, such as Carp and Catfish prefer warm water and are more likely to bite in the middle of hot days. And they aren’t fussy about the cleanliness of the water. For example the world record Carp was caught in a sewage canal. When the weather cools in September and October, fish start gobbling up food to prepare for winter, and because the water is cooler, they swim closer to shore.
A lunar table, found in fishing publications, will tell the peak fishing hours for any particular day. There is a correlation of feeding activities when the moon is straight overhead or on the opposite side of the earth. Major feeding times last from two to two and a half hours and minor feeding times last from one to one and a half hours. This process will help you determine when the fish are going to be most active on any given day.

The strongest influences are felt at a new or full moon. During a full moon, tides are higher than average and fish tend to feed more. The period between the new moon (when the moon is dark) and the full moon is optimal for catching fish. The moon’s gravity of the moon is greater so the corresponding height of tides will be greater, pushing more water through inlets. Certain species to feed more actively when there's a stronger surge of water, such as during a full moon.