Best Time of Day to Catch Bass (Every Season)
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Timing can have a heavy influence on the success you have in catching bass. Knowing the best and worst conditions can have an outsized impact on how many bass you will catch.
The best time to catch bass is when water temperatures are between 60-73° F, clear skies with light wind, on new or full moon days, in early mornings from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
| Time of Day | How Good is the Bass Fishing |
| Night | Good if new or full moon & warm daytime temps. |
| Early Morning (around sunrise) | Excellent most of the year. (Peak fishing time) |
| Mid Day (10 am-4:30 pm) | Slowest most of the year. Good in Winter. |
| Evening (4:30-Dusk) | Excellent most of the year. (Peak fishing time) |
When Each Time of Day is Best
Early mornings are best for bass spring, summer, and fall when daytime air highs reach above 73° F. Dawn until just after sunrise can be especially hot. I recommend selecting natural craw, frog, or “ghost” shad-type colors. If bass are primarily feeding on bluegills, something that looks like a bluegill will also be deadly.
Middle of the day can be really good for big bass in late spring when fishing large Huddleston-type swimbaits under full moon conditions and clear skies. It can also be a great winter timeslot to fish for bass. The rest of the year, the middle of the day is normally the slowest fishing window. Unless you are fishing with a Huddleston-type bait (in that case go natural rainbow trout, kokanee, or shad color), I recommend something in a ghost-baitfish color that puts off a lot of flash like a Jackall Rerange or a MegaBass 110.
Late afternoons are best for bass spring, summer, and fall when daytime air highs reach above 73° F. Sunset until dusk is especially good. I recommend selecting natural craw, frog, or “ghost” shad-type colors. If the bass are primarily feeding on bluegills, something that looks like a bluegill will also be deadly.
Night can be very good especially for big bass on heavily pressured lakes if daytime temps are above 80° F and there is a full or new moon unobstructed by cloud cover. Use black or blue color patterns that will stand out to bass in extremely low light.
For a complete breakdown of the best lure colors for bass lures.
Some Social Proof
Results will vary from angler to angler and across different regions of the nation. So I wanted to get social-proof from serious bass anglers who are on the water a lot.
I wanted to see what their experience has been like to get you the best information possible. I surveyed 121 bass anglers for what time of day they find bass fishing to be best.
I asked groups of serious and recreational anglers on 2 separate online bass fishing communities the following question and got the below results (number of votes: 121):
Q: What time of day do you feel bass bite best regardless of the season?
Late Afternoon: 45 (37%)
Early Morning: 39 (32%)
Midday: 21 (17%)
Early Afternoon: 6 (5%)
Night: 5 (4%)
Late Morning: 5 (4%)
Expert Insight: According to professional bass guide Paul Stringer with JC Bassin’ Guide Service in Texas, morning and late afternoon is the best time of day year-round for big bass and reliable fishing. Bass will bite all day long but the most consistent bite is early morning and late afternoon.
Seasonal Bass Fishing Breakdown
Spring Bass Fishing
Pre-Spawn
This period usually runs from ice out until water temperatures reach about 62° F when bass move from deeper water and start feeding in preparation for the spawn. The best time of day to catch bass during the pre-spawn phase is early morning and late afternoon when the lighting is reduced and fish activity is higher. Nighttime is the worst time of day to target pre-spawn bass.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Pre-Spawn |
| Water Depth Preference | 3-10 feet deep |
| Type of Bottom | Softer bottoms like sand, gravel, or mud |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Shallow bays with feeder streams, drop-offs, points, and creek channels. |
Tip: A square bill crankbait fish dirt shallow will be your best bait for pre-spawn bass. Try silent and rattle (knocker) square bills as fish may prefer one over the other. If the water is clear, choose a natural color like ghost, natural craw, or bluegill. If the water is muddy, go with white, chartreuse, or orange craw for better visibility.
Example: I fished a small reservoir near Fresno called Kaweah Lake which has a nice bass population but it really gets blown out in early spring with muddy water from the snowmelt in nearby mountains. The best luck I had on that lake was fish medium-sized single knocker square bills in craw or ghost color dirt shallow. I’m talking about each cast almost landing out of the water and bouncing those baits off rocks, sticks, and anything else in the water. Bass would almost always grab it as it deflected off rock.
Spawn
The bass spawn occurs once water temperatures consistently remain above 62° F in spring with the spawn water temperature ranging from 60-75° F. Bass will be found in shallow bays 1-10 feet deep with hard or firm bottoms some of which contain gravel flats, rocky banks, weeds, lily pads, or submerged logs. The best times to fish during the spawn is early mornings and late afternoons until dusk. Midday and night are the slowest fishing times.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Spawn |
| Water Depth Preference | 1-10 feet deep |
| Type of Bottom | Harder bottoms like gravel with rocky banks |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Shallow flats with access to deep water, points, and coves. |
Tip: Harass bedding bass with bluegill, crayfish, or lizard imitation baits. The more aggressive males will defend the nest but eventually, you can coax the bigger females into biting.
Post-Spawn
After the spawn, bass will move deeper into water 8-15 feet with firmer bottoms consisting of clay or gravel in deeper channels, humps, points, underwater ledges, drop-offs, or structure such as weed edges or timber. Deeper rock piles can also be good spots. The best time to catch bass during the post-spawn is early morning and later afternoon until sunset.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Post-Spawn |
| Water Depth Preference | 8-15 feet deep |
| Type of Bottom | Harder bottoms with gravel or clay |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Deeper water on ledges, points, drop-offs, and humps |
Tip: After spawning, bass will be seeking big prey to replenish their energy stores. Big shad, bluegill, shiners, trout, and perch will be the focus. Match your pattern to these baits but upsize your lure presentation to a larger lure. Big swimbaits and swimjigs are a great option.
Summer Bass Fishing
Early Summer
During early summer, bass will branch off into categories: deep bass and shallow bass. Some bass will stay shallow all summer long along weed edges, lily pads, near coves, and inflows, and rock edges where they feed on bluegill, shiners, and frogs. Other bass will school up and head deep after schooling baitfish such as shad and shiners. The best time of day to fish for early summer bass is early mornings and late afternoons.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Early Summer |
| Water Depth Preference | Shallow bass: 3-10 feet; deep bass: 20+ feet |
| Type of Bottom | Hard or soft bottoms depending on availability of food. |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Main lake points, basins, underwater ledges, & drop-offs. |
Tip: Early summer is peak frog season. Shallow bass will hammer frogs any time of the day. Yellow, green, and black frogs work well but I love black frogs. Remember to use a stiff rod (your jig rod will work) and really hammer home that hookset. Once the bass grabs the frog, wait a full second before setting the hook to get better hookup ratios.
Example: I caught two 8-pound bass at Lake Berryessa tossing black frogs along the weed lines of a main lake point. I had missed a number of fish earlier in the day because my hookset was too quick. Rember when the bass grabs the frog, wait for One-Mississippi, then really send those hooks home. I think you’ll get a lot better hookup ratio.
Late Summer
Late summer is very similar to early summer where half the bass head deep and the other half stay shallow. Some bass will stay shallow all summer long along weed edges, lily pads, near coves, and inflows, and rock edges where they feed on bluegill, shiners, and frogs. Other bass will school up and head deep after schooling baitfish such as shad and shiners. The best time of day to fish for late summer bass is early mornings and late afternoons.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Late Summer |
| Water Depth Preference | Shallow bass: 3-10 feet; deep bass: 20+ feet |
| Type of Bottom | Hard or soft bottoms depending on availability of food. |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Main lake points, basins, underwater ledges, & drop-offs. |
Tip: Punching heavy soft plastics into the thickest reeds and vegetation can land you big fish in late summer. You will need very heavy gear and a very hard hookset but you can catch bass deep in the nastiest stuff other anglers wouldn’t even consider.
Fall Bass Fishing
Early Fall
Early fall is arguably the best time of the year to catch a lot of bass and big ones. You will find them schooling up as they feed voraciously on big schools of shad, alewives, shiners, perch, or whatever the main forage base of your lake is. Fish on secondary points, underwater ledges, and coves. Bass will be shallower in the mornings and evenings and move deeper in midday. The best time to catch early fall bass is early morning and late evening when baitfish schools are closest to shore.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Late Summer |
| Water Depth Preference | 5-20 feet of water: find the big baitfish schools |
| Type of Bottom | Hard or soft bottoms depending on availability of food. |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | New growth vegetation, stumps, logs, and brush piles |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Secondary lake points, underwater ledges, & coves. |
Tip: Cast your baits into the schools of baitfish trying your best to mimic the size and color of what they are feeding on. Flutter spoons, Keitech swimbaits with an underspin, Keitech swimbaits without blades, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits are all fantastic options. A Senko presents a very natural dying baitfish presentation too.
Example: I enjoyed some of the most fun I’d had fishing targeting striped bass in the California Aqueduct near Fresno for freshwater striped bass. Annually around the last week of September/1st week of October, the sunrise bite of stripers is unreal. It only lasts for a few days but when they are schooling up exploding on shad, it cannot be beaten. I was using 3.3″ Keitech Fat Swing Impacts and Easy Shiners in electric blue chartreuse and pro blue red pearl.
Late Fall
In late fall, bass start to transition into their winter pattern and feeding starts slowing down. Late fall water temperatures are usually between 45-63° F depending on the region. Bass will often be shallow in the warmest parts of the day but be out deeper early morning and late afternoon. Look for hard or soft bottoms like rocky areas, submerged logs, primary points, underwater ledges, and drop-offs. Inflows of creeks can be a great spot to check as well. Fish early mornings and late evenings for the best action.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Late Summer |
| Water Depth Preference | 10-20 feet |
| Type of Bottom | Hard or soft bottoms depending on availability of food. |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | Stumps, logs, rocks, and gravel bottoms. |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Primary points, underwater ledges, drop-offs, & inflows. |
Tip: Slow your presentation way down. Try finese techniques using a 7’9 spinning rod with 8 lb. test fluorocarbon and a ned rig or a wacky-rigged Senko. A drop shot can be a great technique as well.
Winter Fishing
Winter
Winter is the toughest season to catch bass for many anglers, myself included. Bass move to deeper water with more stable environmental conditions. Their feeding metabolism drops though they will still eat. Look for bass near rocks. If you find rock deeper than 20 feet, you will find bass. Submerged logs can also be good spots. Inflows from creek mouths after rain can also attract bass to the warm incoming water. The best time to catch bass winter is the middle of the day when the water is warmest followed by the evening.
| Factor | Where Bass will Congregate: Late Summer |
| Water Depth Preference | 20-30 feet |
| Type of Bottom | Find deep rock of any kind |
| Cover/Vegetation Preference | Logs are nice but bass prefer rock in winter. |
| Lake Features to Focus On | Primary points, underwater ledges, drop-offs, & inflows. |
Tip: Find rock or concrete 20-30 feet in depth for winter bass. This can be rock piles, large boulders, or the dam of your reservoir. Bass will gravitate to hard rock in winter as this will be slightly warmer than the surrounding water and attract a lot of baitfish.
Example: I fished Lake Berryesa in January with a friend and we caught a ton of small and medium-sized largemouth bass on small 1/2-ounce blade baits. We were just popping them off the bottom and letting them flutter back down. The bass almost always grabbed the baits on the fall. I was using a bluegill pattern and my friend was using a “ghost” pattern with some good flash.
Check out this link here to view my complete bass fishing gear recommendation list, including rods, reels, baits, gear, etc. I have field tested a lot of bass gear and these are my recommendations.
Factors that Affect the Best Time to Catch Bass
Each of the following factors I believe has a big impact on when the best times to fish for bass is.
Water Temperature: Water temperature under 55° F will have bass feeding lethargically or not at all. The prime water temperature for bass is between 60-73° F. If your water temperature is below that ideal range, fish in the warmest part of the day. If the water temperature is much warmer than 75° F, fish early morning or at night.
Weather Conditions: The best weather for bass is no weather. Clear skies, mild breeze, no rain. If it’s comfortable for you, it’s probably nice for the bass too. Fishing before rain can be a great opportunity but during and after rain will offer very slow success.
Location: Location can have a pretty impact also at certain times of the year. Do not fish for bass in a deep main lake basin during the spawn when bass will be protecting shallow spawn beds. Likewise, fishing at the back of a bay at the mouth of a feeder stream in winter right after a steady warm rain will be the best spot on the lake by a mile.
Lure Selection: The type of bait you use will always dictate when to fish. Each bait has its best and worst times. Frogs for example work awesome during summer but are terrible baits in winter. Big swimbaits in trout patterns work amazing for big bass in early spring and again in late spring but will not be great in late fall.
Bass Species Timing Breakdown
Largemouth Bass
Spring: The best time to fish for largemouth bass in spring is when the water temperature is between 55-68° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Summer: The best time to fish for largemouth bass in summer is under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Fall: The best time to fish for largemouth bass in fall is bass are “wolf packing” schooled up baitfish, the water temperature is between 55-70° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Winter: The best time to fish for largemouth bass in winter is when the water temperature is at its highest daily or weekly temperature, under clear skies with a light breeze, and under full or new moon days. Another great time is after a steady rain when warmer water is flowing into creek mouths.
Smallmouth Bass
Spring: The best time to fish for smallmouth bass in spring is when the water temperature is between 50-62° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Summer: The best time to fish for smallmouth bass in summer is under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Fall: The best time to fish for smallmouth bass in fall is when bass are “wolf packing” schooled up baitfish or crayfish, the water temperature is between 50-65° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Winter: The best time to fish for smallmouth bass in winter is when the water temperature is at its highest daily or weekly temperature, under clear skies with a light breeze, and under full or new moon days. Another great time is after a steady rain when warmer water is flowing into creek mouths.
Spotted Bass
Spring: The best time to fish for spotted bass in spring is when the water temperature is between 50-62° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Summer: The best time to fish for spotted bass in summer is under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Fall: The best time to fish for spotted bass in fall is when bass are “wolf packing” schooled up baitfish or crayfish, the water temperature is between 55-70° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Winter: The best time to fish for spotted bass in winter is when the water temperature is at its highest daily or weekly temperature, under clear skies with a light breeze, and under full or new moon days. Another great time is after a steady rain when warmer water is flowing into creek mouths.
Freshwater Striped Bass
Spring: The best time to fish for stripers in spring is when the water temperature is between 50-62° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Summer: The best time to fish for stripers in summer is under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, and at night during the alewife, cisco, or shad spawns.
Fall: The best time to fish for stripers in fall is when bass are “wolf packing” schooled up baitfish, the water temperature is between 50-65° F, under clear skies with a light breeze, full or new moon days, early mornings from dawn til 2 hours after sunrise, and late afternoons from 3 hours before sunset until dusk.
Winter: The best time to fish for striped bass in winter is when the water temperature is at its highest daily or weekly temperature, under clear skies with a light breeze, and under full or new moon days. Another great time is after a steady rain when warmer water is flowing into creek mouths.
Concluding Thoughts
In general, if the weather and daytime conditions are comfortable, bass will also feel comfortable and be more likely to eat. Likewise, if the weather is crappy and cold, seek out the nicest hour of the day or of the week and you’ll do really well. Good luck and tight lines.
