Best Time of Day & Season to Catch Muskies

Muskies are one of the hardest fish in North America to catch but there are certain times of day when you can maximize your chances. I did a ton of research for this article to really dive into the best times of day and seasons to catch muskies from the real expert muskies out there. For the most part, the best times do mirror most other freshwater gamefish but there are important considerations that specifically impact musky fishing success.

What is the best time of day to catch musky? The best time of day to catch muskies will be early morning and late afternoon during warmer months and early-to-late afternoon in colder months. You can also catch muskies at night but you really need to slow down your approach or use live bait like ciscos, yellow perch, or suckers. The truth is you can catch musky all day but these are the best times for most anglers.

To learn what water temperatures are best for musky fishing, check out this complete guide I wrote.

Muskie Daily Feeding Activity

Muskies are primarily visual predators. Just like trout, bass, pike, and to a lesser extent, walleye, muskies rely heavily on their sense of sight to move and find food. Fish that rely so heavily on vision will be the most active feeding during the day when they are able to see food.

Contrast that with fish like carp and catfish that rely very heavily on their sense of smell and feel to locate food, those fish are often most active at night when they really don’t care if they can see well or not. Back to muskies here.

Muskies will hunt when they can use their sharp eyes and ambush-style attacks to have a tactical advantage over prey. Muskies can see really well in reduced light conditions associated with early morning and late afternoon.

These are often the best time to fish for them but they can be caught during the middle of the day too. If you want to catch midday muskies, you will need to fish tight to prominent cover where muskies can seek shade relief from the sun.

For a complete breakdown of the ice fishing for chain pickerel, check out this helpful guide.

Best Time of Day

The best time of day to catch muskies is around dawn and dusk during the warmer months and around mid-afternoon during the winter. You can catch muskies during the day and even at night but the fishing will usually be a lot slower.

The best overall time to catch muskies is often right before a storm or cold front arrives as these fish will be aggressively feeding. Cloudy and overcast days can be really good too.

Morning vs. Evening

Generally speaking, for much of the year, the early morning and late afternoon windows will have the best opportunity for muskie success.

That is because the air and water temperatures will be cooler in the morning and raised in the late afternoon which both lend themselves to increased baitfish activity.

Furthermore, the reduced light of this time allows muskies to roam free of shaded cover to track down food. They have a decided tactical advantage over baitfish that can’t see as well as them in the darker water.

This allows them to seek out prey and launch ambushes as they find suitable food. I think that late afternoon will offer the best musky fishing but early can be awesome as well. It really depends on the lake or river you are on and when baitfish are at their most vulnerable.

Midday

You can catch musky during the day but you will need to fish much tighter to cover like weeds, logs, and drop-offs. Muskies seek out shade on bright sunny days. Now that can all change if you are fishing on overcast or cloudy days.

On these days, muskies won’t be as reliant upon cover and shade. Still, fishing during the middle of the day will often be slow. Be patient and be persistent. Also, seek out deeper water near current for these midday fish.

Muskie Fishing at Night

Muskies will hunt at night if prey is available and if muskies can locate food. On full moon nights with clear skies, muskies will find prey fairly easily near the surface of the water. But generally speaking, you will want to fish a lot slower at night for big fish.

It will take muskies longer to find food. I recommend fishing with live bait or dead baitfish like shad, ciscos, or suckers. One thing you can do that could draw in muskies at night is fish over underwater fishing lights.

Weather Effects

The weather can play a huge role in musky activity. During bright sunny days, muskies will be associated strongly with deeper water or the shade of cover in shallow water near current. On cloudy days, fish will be able to venture away from shade and hunt for food more liberally.

Rain can be a big driver of activity as hunting activity spikes before rain or a cold front arrives. Once the rain stops or the cold front settles in, muskies will settle way down and become lethargic until at least 2 days afterwards and the air temperatures rise.

Seasonal Guide: Best Time

Winter

During the winter, fishing can be really slow. Some folks are able to catch muskies through the ice but they are notoriously slow wintertime biters. If you have access to rivers, you can have some success fishing for these cold fish.

The best time of day will be in the late afternoon when air and water temperatures are at their peak. Fish slow and live bait will work better than lures.

Spring

In early spring, muskies among other fish will push into the shallows chasing down schools of bait. They will be eager to feed after a slow winter and in preparation for spring.

Fish early spring in the late afternoon when water is warmest. In later spring, fish early morning and late afternoon as weather conditions will more closely mirror summer. Early spring is one of the best times of the year for good musky action.

Summer

Summer time is when most musky anglers are on the water and it can be really good on certain days. Fish early morning from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and late afternoon from a few hours before sunset right up until very last light. Night fishing can be ok but you will need to slow way down.

Fall

During fall, musky will be aggressively packing on weight for winter. Once that first frost of autumn hits, musky start getting serious. The easy days of summer are over and the mean winter is fast approaching.

Musky will target schools of baitfish and big suckers this time of year. If you want a shot at your trophy musky, early to mid-fall and early spring will be your best bets. These are also the best times of year for the best musky action of all sized fish.

Best Season for Musky Fishing

Most serious musky anglers agree that the fall is the best season for big musky action. That is because muskies are literally in crunch time to pack on serious weight and nutrients before the very lean winter months settle in.

Muskies readily feed all summer long but the first couple cold days of autumn really put muskies into feeding mode.

They know their time is running out and it is time to start really stocking up for winter. Most anglers will agree that the best musky fishing of the year is during this crunch time.

Best Time to Bank Fish for Musky

Musky can be really hard to pattern for bank fishermen. Musky are big fish that seek out prey rich areas with solid structure and deeper drop-offs nearby. These locations aren’t usually within easy casting distance of most bank fishing spots.

Furthermore, muskies are very observant of their surroundings which is why they are so hard to catch. That said, if you are fishing rivers, I recommend fishing after a heavy rain when the rivers are swollen and the water is muddied up.

Muskies will often push up into the shallows to hunt prey is the slightly clearer water near the banks. This will put them within easy casting range of shore.

But be prepared to make a lot of casts and remember you are still fishing for muskies. You probably won’t get any bites even if they are there.