4 Fundamental Ways to Find the Best Times For Fishing
One of the great joys for an angler is the incredible variety of species and environments on which to test your skill. Finding the right fishing spot with high fish activity is important, but timing is perhaps even more important. The time of year or fishing days you choose might have a larger role than expected in your success.
With so many options and opportunities available, it can get a bit confusing to figure out exactly when is the best time for fishing. The “when” of fishing can seriously impact your outing, so getting the best information possible will give you peace of mind about what fishing is all about. In this article, we go deep on the timing of fishing to try and help you figure out how to get the information you need for a successful and relaxing day on the water.
There are many different ways to determine when and where fish will be for a good catch. We have found four of the most popular areas of consideration that most expert anglers talk about regularly. In addition to these guidelines, though, it is important to know that the proper tools of the trade can help navigate these four methods more easily. Tools for temperature, wind, barometric pressure, and even fish finders or radars should all be considered.
The Weather
People naturally discuss the weather often, so it is natural that weather is the most commonly discussed aspect of timing a fishing trip. Interestingly fish seem to care about potential bad or good weather, similar to us in a way. Weather can affect conditions like vision, barometric pressure, food source locations, and oxygen levels.
Rain, as an example, is well known to bring in a nice bite. Storms generally seem to signal to fish that it might be time to grab food while it’s around since something potential disruptive is on the horizon. A light rain before or after a storm seems to be a great time to fish as far as stormy weather is concerned. Sunny or cloudy conditions can affect visibility for fish too. Many species are known to respond to shade and shadows to feed. Taking advantage of all sorts of weather conditions can be a viable option if you pick the right species for the occasion.
Every region for fishing goes through seasons of some sort. Each season is typically associated with some sort of weather phenomenon. For example, during hurricane season, fishing is good in south Florida from the summer to fall months. In other parts of the world, you might have to deal with heat waves, flooding, wind, and tidal shifts because of the weather.
The Time of Day
The next major consideration is the time of day you decide to fish. The time of day can affect everything about fish behavior and movements. The day and night cycle generally brings forth a variety of changes in the environment on a daily basis. Each species is different, too and so understanding the habits what your fishing plays a big part in choosing the time of day
There is some general advice most anglers come across regarding the right time of day to go out. According to most experts, the two best times are dawn and dusk. It is best to be within about 2 hours after sunrise or 2 hours before dusk. These times are best for capturing things like temperature changes, shade changes, and food patterns.
Typically, the middle of the day can be rather slow in most cases. It is important to note that these are just general guidelines. Your research into the matter can get much more specific with species and location data. There are also exceptions to these guidelines as well. For instance, it is possible to have a good bite during the middle of the day if there is light rain or cloud coverage.
The Tides and Temperature
If you are looking to get your personal best, you will want to consider two fundamental aspects: the tides and temperature. The tides and currents dictate how the entire environment for fish moves. These movements are key to bite behavior. Some of the best catches are found when fish move with these tides.
The best times for tidal advantage are typical around one hour before the low tide and high tide changes. One hour after works for both as well, keeping the widow right around that tidal shift when the fish are moving.
Whether or not there is a full moon also has to do with tides and fish feeding activities. This is known as solunar theory and aims to define the relationship between fish behavior, stages of the moon, and feeding times.
Temperature is the other piece of the puzzle when it comes to water environment conditions. How the water moves and how hot or cold it is, are the major environmental factors fish live by.
The basics of temperature for fish are that morning light changes bring in a mix of warming water to the night’s cold water giving them a soft and optimal time to feed. When it is midday, they enjoy cooler, deeper waters outside the heat’s intensity.
No matter what temperature, though, remember that your gear will make a huge difference depending on the conditions and time of day. Having the right gear for the right circumstances can mean the difference between a good catch and a great catch.
For example, a good set of gloves that handles the temperature changes and fishing follies is critical. A set of Fish Monkey Gloves is just one example of a piece of great gear to make your trip and timing easier.
The Fishing Calendar
You might have noticed that all of these areas of interest when trying to figure out the best time for fishing are somewhat intertwined. Temperature is important for the time of day and season and for how the tides move. The tides and weather affect currents, shade, and temperature as well.
These pieces of the puzzle are data points that can be charted out on calendars. Many anglers use fishing calendars to collect data and find the best fishing times, and apps exist for this based on specific species and regions and are just another tool you can use.
Ultimately, you can use any combination of these factors and experience to find the best time for fishing. Sometimes just simply asking around and learning from other fishermen is a great way to involve yourself in the hobby and get the most out of it.
