The Best Time to Fish

Keep your eyes to the skies and ear to the weather forecast to maximize your fishing success on the water

By Joe Cermele

The most successful time to fish usually coincides within a window of opportunity. We may not even realize what’s creating the window or why it’s open when we’re catching fish after fish, but you can rest assured that something in the environment is making those fish chew. It could be as simple as a bump in water height from the day before or as complex as the wind being just strong enough to blow grasshoppers into the water in the exact stretch of river you’re fishing. On the flip side, when we’re struggling to get even a little tap out of a fish, there’s a reason why the window is closed.

Good fishing—whether you’re a saltwater angler wanting to go redfish fishing or a beginner fresh-water angler who wants to learn how to catch crappie—ultimately boils down to good timing. In many cases, we can’t predict the catalyst that’s going to make the bite fire. We simply get lucky and show up at the right time. There are, however, certain indicators we can track and monitor to put the odds in our favor. If you’re looking to nail down the best time to fish, this breakdown will help—though I urge you to take the final piece of timing advice to heart.

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