I'm sure this will be in one of the 101 meetings (maybe the first?), but I can't wait, and want to know right now!
It seems everybody goes at dawn (or earlier). But in the Farmer's Almanac, it says any twilight time is good... so sunset counts. I've heard this only a couple other random sources too.
Which IS better? Dawn or dusk? I'd sooo rather fish at dusk, partly to end my day nicely, and partly cuz I'm just not a morning person and would rather stay in nice warm blankets than be out in the dark and cold.
P.S. It seems Farmer's Almanac is 95% ads now, rather than good information! What a waste of $6. Next time, I'll look at the whole 3 pages of stuff I want while waiting in the check-out line!
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You may want to re-phrase your question, because it depends on what species you are fishing for. Which are you asking about?
I am not too sure, but I do believe that the Farmer's Almanac basis its predictions on the Moon phases. I have asked on BFT about this, and have researched it extensively on other sources. From what I gather, the Moon does not really play a big role for most species. Of course there are exceptions, but I would not iclude Farmer's Almanac in a fisher's tackle box of essential knowledge.
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Time of day does impact quite a bit whether or not the fish will bite, what they will bite and where they are at, among other things. I am always up early for trout fishing, but fishing the hour before sunset is also a good time. It's a little after 4am right now and I'm headed to Huntington. Want to be there early to get those early morning risers. You also have to consider that you are fishing from the bank so your access is more limited so earlier in the morning the trout tend to be closer to shore and that is most often where you are going to have your most success. Catfishing is good at night but also at other times of the day. Bass often don't get up to early
early in the morning, they are kind of lazy [
]. It all just depends on what you are fishing for. Gotta go catch some fish.
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[:p][#0000ff]Forget the Farmer's Almanac. All they can provide is broad generalities. There is no way any of their information is universally applicable to all waters, all species or all areas of the country.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, your question...about which is better...early or late? There is no standard answer there either, and it is very subjective. Every angler will have their own opinions...and some of them may be close to being right.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I usually prefer to fish early mornings, for several reasons. First, many predators feed at first light, especially during warmer weather when their metabolism is higher. They have digested the food they ate the day before...during the night...and they are hungry. And, since even predatory species usually have other predators to worry about, they like to "hit and run"...feed up and then go deeper or hide in structure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Plenty of fish also feed in the low light condtions just before nightfall. Same thing. They feel more comfortable feeding when they themselves are less vulnerable to attack from above by fish eating birds or animals. And some have sensitive vision that keeps them deeper and quiet during the day.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are a bajillion variables that can affect best fishing times from one day to the next. The timing of fronts moving through, a vaiation in temperature during spring and fall transitional times, wind conditions, etc. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a general rule, fish that like warmer temperatures will feed more actively during the late afternoon during the spring, when daytime sunshine warms the water a few degrees. On the flip side, fish that like cooler water will feed at night or in the early morning during the hot summer periods.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]One of the reasons I prefer to fish early in the day is because I fish mostly from a float tube. And, on most Utah Lakes, the calmest time of day is early morning. Some lakes have defined patterns. Light breezes from one direction early in the morning, then a calm period and then heavy winds from another direction in the afternoon. If you know the drill, you can ride the calm morning breezes, fishing as you go, and then troll back to your vehicle when the winds turn around and blow harder from the other direction.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Watching the weather is a big part of my fishing strategy. The forecast for winds higher than about 7 MPH early in the morning is usually enough to keep me from making the drive...especially at today's gas prices. And, depending upon the lake and the part of the lake I plan to fish, wind direction can be important. Even when fishing from the shore, you need to be aware of what the wind is going to be doing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, the different species all have different moods and preferences...which change constantly. If I didn't know better, I would suspect that all fish were female. Oops. Sorry. I forgot your gender for a moment.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So, keep listening to opinions and doing research. But, whatever you think you learn, put it to the test on the waters. If you haven't already done so, start a fishing log book. On every trip, keep track of the meteorological conditions, water temperatures and clarity, air temps, water depths that were most productive, fish activity, etc. Over time, you will develop your own opinions, based upon a combination of research and experience. [/#0000ff]
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Dawn,
At your level of expertise, the best time to fish is when ever you can.
Like TD said, it changes all the time. Now in the spring, some fish like to warm up a bit and the fishing for them may be better in the afternoon in the shallow warmer water. In the summer, the ideal temprature may be at daybreak for those same fish.
I prefer to let the water warm a bit in the spring, in the summer, daybreak, mostly to beat the power squadron onto the water. To many boats ripping around can move the fish out fast in the summer.
Again, my advise to you is to fish when ever you can. You need practice casting, tying new knots, learning different rigging methods for diferent places. Fish when ever you can.
I fished Holmes Creek yesterday and was thinking of you, you are very lucky to have a pond like that so close. Kaysville and Farmington pond too. In just a 1.5 gallon loop, you can fish 3 good places. That would be a better way to spend your $6.
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Wow.. I got a lot more help than I expected. I was thinking one or two sentences from a couple people... but this is way better!
As for my target species... er, I dunno. Anything I can eat! I still don't quite understand how you guys go after certain kinds - I just figured you get whatever takes your hook
*shrug*. Maybe I'll learn that detail later. But for now, I just want dinner! The catch and release thing is good, I guess, especially if the fish are small, and you want them to go out and grow...but my opinion is, if you do all that work to get a fish, might as well put it to good use [
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And I know Farmer's Almanac is general, I just figured it might be a good source...never can have too many, yeah? Yes, it had moon charts for the fishing too. And it also said April was going to be a few degrees warmer than usual this year... riiiight.
I think I will stick to the ponds for a while, for now (I'll go out on the lakes for activities like the CatFest, though!). Partly because they aren't so deep as lakes, and I might have more luck with them. I did go to Farmington the other day, but that was just to find out how to get there - didn't actually get any fishing done, because it was on the way to a doctor appointment. I want to try Kaysville, even though my sister says it's bad because all the fish are "bad and icky"...whatever that means.
*chuckles and shakes my head at TDs jibe*
Yer silly!
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From DUSK till DAWN...[cool]
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