Best times to fish?

[JohnMG]

I am coming up next week. I usually fish from 1st light to about 1130. Then break till 330. Then 330-dark. If weather looks ideal I will cut down on the break. I don't night fish. Given that, is this a good routine or should I alter it? I always appreciate the feedback!

[Mark Benson]

Personally, it is really tough for me to get up that early, but considering you are fishing the flowage, those are probably better times than after dark. If your fishing is not producing, you might want to fish that 11:30 to 3:30 at some point after the second or third day so you don't find out you are missing something for the rest of the week...

Beside the natural weather thing you might want to consider the natural moon thing if either is rise or set is during that time especially if you have front weather moving in. A sammy in da boat sometimes is the thing to do!!!

Mark

[Dave Hardy]

It looks like a good routine to me--focusing on the low light periods. However, as Mark says, switch it up and hit that midday period if nothing is happening in the AM or PM. I was recently up there and fished early and late and did not do any good--save for a small one and some lazy follows. However, my brother is up there right now and has been moving some really nice fish.

On another, more analytical note, I subscribe to the Rick Taylor, Prime Time fishing PC-based data. If you don't know about it, here is a blurb from their website

While "moon tables" consider only one or two lunar aspects, PrimeTimes factors in all the important cycles of both the sun and moon. It rates each day on a scale of 0 to 100 (view sample), and clearly shows you how each day's solar periods stack up against its lunar periods (view sample). As a result, PrimeTimes is considered the best fish and game activity forecaster by far, with millions of followers world-wide.

I input GPS coords for the middle of the Flowage next week beginning on 8/9, water temps from 70-75, fishing for muskie in the shallows, stable weather pattern, slight breeze, etc. The output was dusk is the best time (7:39P-8:54P), dawn is the second best (5:35A-8:05A) and noon is third best (11:42A-2:48P). The software also rates each day and says 8/9 is the best day and slides down from there until the 19th. So, take it for what it is worth.

Please let us know how you do and good luck.

[Ty Sennett]

I can tell you that it is changing daily as to when the fish are going. we had three in about ten minutes go after bait a couple days ago. That was at sundown. we also had three go after baits about four or five days ago and that was late morning with no moon phase at all. I'd say the last month has been the toughest I've ever seen for patterning fish. Basically there is no pattern. Most fish that are being caught are random fish. Seeing more than three fish in a day is almost unheard of right now. tough to make a any patterns when it's like that.

[Mark Benson]

Dave:

I subscribed to Taylor's thing for a season and was really impressed with his tables... Just haven't found the where with all to stay current when I can get mostly the same info from my Lowrance or from Bucher's Moon Charts... I would suspect that the 9th is the best as we are just leaving the New moon date.

It has been tough sledding over here as Saric was just here fishing/filming last week and the boys from Badfish Outdoors were scratching their heads after their day yesterday. Both groups moved fish, just weren't able to get any to the net... Lots of water fluctuations, water warming, to the point of almost too hot, etc., making the pattern as Ty said difficult to distinguish. On a positive note I see Tanner has been doing reasonable, so has Manthie. A couple of more weeks and more seasonable weather will start and hopefully the already good season will just get better and better!!!

Mark

[Dave Hardy]

Mark,
Yeah, I have used Taylor's stuff over the years, but only when I ran across the pocket calendar in a friend's truck. In the past I never subscribed or paid for it. However, the doubt of complete saturation of info always hung around my thoughts. In other words, what don't I know that I know exists--just had not spent the time educating myself.

I seemed adept at retrieving a bucktail and surface bait, can control the boat fairly well, have good landing and release skills and never found it too touch to find a boat partner. So, what did I not know/do well? This is what lead me to Taylor's PrimeTimes. This is the first year I am paying for it and we will see. My outing on The Chip from 7/5-10 was very discouraging--as I previously posted on this site. I have two more trips planned and we will see.

Ultimately, I think the information is incredibly insightful. However, as you mentioned, they are insights you can get by piecing together from a few different "free" sources. So, I will assess the ROI on this year's investment and let the group here know what I think.

Good fishing to all.

[Snizz]

On another, more analytical note, I subscribe to the Rick Taylor, Prime Time fishing PC-based data.

I went and checked this out...very cool stuff...with some great information...I prefer analytical to my "gut feeling" :P