Northwest Fishing Reports

for those of you who have journals... have you caught more bass before the butt crack of dawn, or after?

it seems like common ideals are to be fishing at sunrise or before. and I know my brother and dad had their best day of fishing lake wa at midnight... but my best bass have always come later.

is it worth hitting the the water at 5-6am? any consistency to time of day catching?

and wheres david watkins? i haven't seen him post in a while it seems like

I think morning is the best time. Especially in summer where theres the sunny weather and blue sky days. You can see how active fish are once that first light hits the water. The evening can be good as times, especially once the sun starts setting. I haven't been night fishing for a long time, and never tried it here on Lake Wawa, I think it's a little dangerous.

Keep in mind I mostly fish lm. I get up early a lot in the summer and toss buzzbaits and spooks. But I only do that in the summer, its time lol. I usually fish from like 430 to 630 then go to work. Let me know if you want to get out sometime, the only thing that beats a good jig bite is topwater blowups. Call it bass gymnastics because cartwheels are common.

I have caught bass at all times of the day. Most of the big fish I have caught have been mid to late day...

Any time of day works for me
I catch most fish during and around sun up and down,
But most of size have came far and few between 10am-7pm
At least on the eastside of the mountains.

I guess it just depends on how good you pay your scuba diver to hook them for ya

I fish the morn only to beat the wind. I don't think the fish have a dinner time it all seams to work with the moon and tides. I do catch more fish when the tide is high.

tnj8222 wrote:Keep in mind I mostly fish lm. I get up early a lot in the summer and toss buzzbaits and spooks. But I only do that in the summer, its time lol. I usually fish from like 430 to 630 then go to work. Let me know if you want to get out sometime, the only thing that beats a good jig bite is topwater blowups. Call it bass gymnastics because cartwheels are common.

my wife is from the highlands so those were kinda my stomping grounds in highschool. Where do you fish the early a.m. before work? I don't have to be to work till 8ish, so I would definitely love to get out before hand sometime!

fishnislife wrote:By far the best time to fish is late late late. Middle of the night is the best time for big fish. I have caught more big fish while the moon is out then when the sun is shining. But due to lake restrictions and regulations it can be hard to be on the water at this time. Between sunrise and sunset it is a complete toss up really. Depends on what conditions go along with the day, day before or day after. I have had amazing mornings when that sun just starts hitting the water and the fog begins to clear. But I can also recall many sunsets when the sun began to set and the bite turned on and I didn't want to leave. Between the two times of day, I would guess most people will say mornings because that is when most anglers get out. Besides, a lot of guys are off the water before the lights go out at night anyways for safety reasons.
I fish mornings a lot more often then evenings, so for me numbers come in the morning, but only for that reason. If I could choose the time to fish during any given day it would be in the middle of the night or early, early morning.



fishnislife

thanks for the info. That's really reaffirming to read. Last time my brother and I tried a midnight trip everything that could go wrong did, so we ended up on the dock and got bored and gave up. mostly frustrating boat stuff at the time (dead batteries, forgot the plug for a second, pulled back out to drain, etc, lol) so I'll give it a try again soon.

Well, i still havent caught a bass yet, im still trying every weekend though, but i get most of my bites around 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM on warm sunny days, and around 10:00 AM on cold, overcast days.

Well, lately, to me, it seems that there is a magical hour that is between, about 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Many days I have been out there with out a bite until then, then I hook 2 or 3 or 4 fish just like that, then nothing. There is probably no merit in this other than to me, but to me, I count down to that time of day:)

Arniejl wrote:Well, lately, to me, it seems that there is a magical hour that is between, about 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Many days I have been out there with out a bite until then, then I hook 2 or 3 or 4 fish just like that, then nothing. There is probably no merit in this other than to me, but to me, I count down to that time of day:)

Right now thats when the tides are high.?

OK, this one is a tough question. It kind of depends on the time of year.

For example, last week I hammered the SMB during the middle of the day, with noon to 4 PM the best, when the water was glass smooth. I got a few between 4 and 6.5 lbs, so that is pretty good. Still, the water was hanging at about 58 degrees, so it was cold.

I have a couple of favorite LMB lakes where I do best on fish, all fish, before the sun gets high, or after it drops low in the sky. For these lakes, I want to be on the water 1/2 to 1 hour before sun rise, or fish 1/2 to 1 hour after sun rise (or better yet, both times :cyclopsan ) Still, during the middle of the summer, I can usually turn up some monsters through the thickest pads, and if pad fishing I want the sun high in the sky.

Now, during the dog days of July and August, I find that hitting LMB or SMB during the middle of the night can be awesome. For me, this is trophy fishing, and that means I can leave drop shots, jigs, etc., behind. I will toss the largest spinner baits, swim baits, and buzz baits I have. I don't catch a lot, but I do catch big.

So, what is the answer, other then the best time to fish is when you can get on the water?:cheers:

I believe that Bass can see better then their prey during times of changing light conditions, and that often means day break or sun set. The rest of the time, they are still ambush hunters, and if you place it in front of them, they may hammer it.