Best Time of Day to Fish

Hands down, the best time of day to fish is early morning, as the sun's rising.  The advantages begin before you ever put a hook in the water.  Case in point.

If you take a minute to observe the water, you'll probably notice that it's teaming with activity.  This is especially true in the summer.  Fish are a lot like you and I.  They don't do much when it's hot.

An early morning and some cut sunfish or cut bluegill can yield nice results in the catfish department.  Take a look.

Trip # 1

Trip #2

Trip # 3

You'll notice that all of these are channel catfish.  Channels thoroughly enjoy cut bait.  That said, there's an exception to every rule.  The first and largest fish was actually caught with corn.

All of the catfish were released.  Tight lines!

Hair Rig and Catfish

I geared up this morning the same way I do anytime I fish in town.  One pole had a hair baited with corn for carp.  The other simply had a hook and worm for catfish.

I did catch a couple of carp in the 3 - 4 lbs range, but the catfish were just as interested in the corn as they were in the worms.  That didn't surprise me.  What did catch me off guard is how well the hair rig landed them.  See below.

You'll notice the hair with corn off to one side.  The fish was caught on the bare hook.  Take a closer look below.

I caught a variety of small catfish today using both poles.  They ranged from just over fingerling to just over a pound.  I also caught one bluegill on the hair rig.

Now that it's staying warm, fish of all varieties are biting. Here in town, you need a fishing license if you're under 17.  There's also a two pole limit.

I recommend going at sunrise.  There's lots of feeding activity then.  Also there's this.

Tight lines!