While most anglers would prefer to fish during low light conditions such as dawn and dusk, this isn’t in the cards for everyone, especially parents. It’s very challenging to get little ones up early to catch fish and so chances are you’ll be spending most of your time trying to catch fish in the middle of the day. Further, it’s not like tournament fishermen can just ignore the bulk of their tournament hours. One way or another you’re going to need to catch fish while the sun’s up.
You can catch a lot of fish in the middle of the day so long as you’re smart about it. While they might not be quite as active as fish in the early or late hours, fish do tend to congregate near cover and structure that produces shade during the day, which can make them easier to find. If you couple this with the right techniques and toss a lure somewhere they can’t refuse, you can still catch many fish during the afternoon. Further, at certain times of year like early spring and late fall, the middle of the day can be the BEST time to catch fish as the water has a chance to warm.
Read on for some tips to help you catch fish in the middle of the afternoon.
Search for Shade When Fishing the Middle of the Day
Many fish prefer to hang out in shady haunts that protect them from the sun. It’s not that they won’t bite in the middle of the day, but they just might be buried deep in shady cover where it’s hard to find them. Boat docks and lily pads can be spectacular places to find bass in the afternoon, as they like to hang out in there with a roof over their head to keep cool and concealed. More than one episode of Major League Fishing has been won by fishing a boat dock pattern.
If you’re going to fish docks, just make sure you’re careful and respectful. While I’ll always tell you that buying a home with a dock and complaining about fishermen is like buying a house next to a school and whining about the bells, you still ought to try and keep the peace. If someone else is enjoying their property, let them. Go fish a dock elsewhere – there are plenty. Also, make sure you don’t actually hit the dock or leave any hooks for them to step on!
You also can find some luck fishing near shore in the middle of the day if there are tall trees along the bank that provide shade. Often, you’ll find the fish stacked up in the relatively darker and cooler water, and the transition point can be a great place to catch them.
Fish Deeper During the Middle of the Day
Some fish such as northern pike are considered “cool” water species. They aren’t going to stay shallow when those waters warm up too much. Bass too often prefer to spend their summers in the depths – at least during mid day. If you’re trying to catch either of these fish in the middle of the day, you’re going to want to fish deeper. Many anglers prefer jigs or deep diving crankbaits for targeting summer bass deep. I’d toss in that the humble drop shot also does a fine job of bringing up bass from the depths.
If you can find a place where there are shallows that sharply transition into a good deep holding ground, the drop off structure can be amazing fishing in the mid day. You’ll catch fish that are transitioning between the two types of habitat. As not all leave at once, this can be productive your entire day.
Fish Slower During the Afternoon
As a general rule the hotter it is outside the slower you should probably fish. Extreme heat does to fish something similar to what it does to humans. It tires them out, gets them planted in certain shady areas, and generally convinces them they shouldn’t be expending too much energy swimming around. If you aren’t catching many fish in the middle of the day with a fast moving lure, try pitching a Senko close to cover and taking things slow. This will allow you to work an area more thoroughly and also fish the thought that they might snatch an easy meal without expending too much energy.
When It’s Cold Out, Mid Day Might Be the Best for Fishing
I don’t rush out to go fishing early in the spring or late in the fall, because fish can be quite lethargic in cold water. I find it sometimes makes for much better fishing if you wait a few hours and go in the afternoon when it’s colder. This gives the sun a chance to warm up the water some and activate the fish. Often, you can find that there’s a temperature change of several degrees throughout the day, which can be the key to producing a bite.
Unexpected Benefits to Fishing in the Afternoon
There can be some unexpected benefits to fishing in the afternoon that can help you catch a ton of fish. Some include:
- Less fishing pressure. Anglers have a lot of company early in the morning. Not only do you have folks who want to get the early bite, but you have to contend with whatever fishing tournaments are going on in the area. On weekends especially, the lake can be an absolute zoo early in the morning. While you will have to contend with more pleasure boaters later in the day, many of the anglers will have pulled out and called it quits or headed back for weigh in.
- Wary fish may “turn on.” Fish aren’t as dumb as they look. They know what the deal is and all the noises that could potentially scare them are blasting early in the day. When the fishing pressure dies off during the afternoon, you may find the fish turn on. Fish who have been sitting by a stump getting bombarded by fishing lures all morning might relax after an hour or so of quiet, and be ripe for the taking with a careful presentation.
- A convenient way to get your wife or girlfriend out there with you. While I don’t want to be sexist, if dating apps are any indication, not every woman appreciates fish pix. Many do, however, enjoy a fun boat ride with tubing and tanning opportunities. Your wife or girlfriend is more likely to go with you if you take them out during a time of day they’re more comfortable. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get them into the hobby.
- Access to the dusk bite. If you start fishing in the afternoon, chances are you might stick around until dusk. Many anglers miss this as they’ve already done their fishing for the day in the morning, and are home watching baseball at night. It’s their loss as fishing at dusk is explosive fun with topwaters.
Are Certain Bass Lures Best for Sunny Days?
There are a few way of approaching which bass lures you should use on a sunny day. If it’s a very hot day and fish are tied close to shady cover, you’re going to need to fish the sorts of lures that will allow you to get your presentation next to them. Soft hollow bodied frogs really come into their own on most lakes by July as bass are able to tell that there is food crawling around on top of their “roof.” Another option are Texas rigged worms or creatures that can penetrate the cover and poke around inside a fish’s home until it bites.
On the exact opposite side of things, you could also take advantage of that sunshine and grab a lure that is super reflective. White spinnerbaits with silver blades are my go to lure when casting or trolling for bass on a sunny day. They glimmer and sparkle as they run through the water and it seems like bass just can’t get enough of them some days.
In that respect, remember the one thing that fishing mid day has going against it (lack of low light conditions) is also something it has going for it. If you have a lure that is designed to reflect (basically anything silver or chrome), then midday is the the time to fish it.
Daytime Bait Fishing
If fish aren’t cooperating in the middle of the day, you can always go to the tried and true way to catch them: live bait. Some of my earlier memories fishing at the lake house were of Dad throwing some live bait off the dock and setting his rod into a holder while he went to mow the lawn. We’d catch catfish, bowfin, carp, bullhead and burbot until our arms would fall off, all in the middle of the day.
Some of these larger “rough” fish cruise quite a bit during the middle of the day. You’ve probably noticed plenty of carp swimming around while you were fishing before. It’s not like they suddenly stop in the afternoon. When the bite slows down, live bait is a great way to catch fish.
It doesn’t even have to be that “live.” Other options you have are corn (where legal) as well as hotdogs, kielbasa, or chicken liver. If you forgot to cook something and it went a little bad, that’s not a big deal to any catfish. In fact, it might be preferred.
Lazily fishing bait during the afternoon can be an extremely fun way to pass the time. You ought to try it sometime.
Conclusions: Keep Your Head High at High Noon!
If the wife, kids, or boss prevents you from fishing early and you have to wet your line mid day, don’t give up. While you might need to change your approach a bit to figure out where the fish likely are at this time of day, if you find them, you can catch them. Ironically, you might find that mid day produces some of your best catches, perhaps because the local fishing pressure is less and fish aren’t as on edge. You also may find you have more and more of the lake to yourself as other anglers call it quits, which is never a bad thing.
I hope this article helped you!
John Paxton
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