Best Time of Day to Catch Smallmouth Bass (All Four Seasons)

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Locating smallmouth bass and predicting the best times of day to catch them can seem like a challenge if you don’t understand basic predatory fish behavior. There are times of the day when smallmouth bass fishing is red hot and other times when you couldn’t catch a cold let alone a big bronzeback.

What is the best time of day to catch smallmouth bass? The best time of day to catch smallmouth bass most of the year under normal conditions is early morning from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and in the late afternoon from 3 hours before sunset until last light at dusk. Rain, cloud cover, and extremes in temperatures can alter these general rules.

The purpose of this article will be to teach you the best time of day to catch big bronzebacks when they are the most active feeding. Keep in mind that everything in this article will be what I have experienced and what conclusion my research has led me to.

I have caught numerous smallmouth bass in life and also fished during the wrong times of day got skunked more times than I’d care to admit. I have also read a ton of fishing advice from other bass fishermen on the topic.

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Best Times for Smallmouth Bass

What Conditions are Ideal for Smallmouth Bass Feeding?

Smallmouth bass have very good color vision in low light and also depth perception. When combined, it gives smallmouth bass very good reduced-light color and perception vision.

Oftentimes, they have much better reduced-light vision than the prey they readily prefer including crayfish, shad, shiners, insects, and frogs. The ideal conditions for smallmouth bass to feed are cooler water temperatures with reduced overhead sunlight and even rain or heavy cloud cover.

These conditions are ideal because they allow bass to emerge from protective cover where they seek relief from the bright sunlight in the shade.

Because bass aren’t bound to cover, they can freely roam and hunt smaller prey items more comfortably in the cooler, dimmer conditions. The reduced overhead sunlight also creates long shadows and allows smallmouth bass to sneak into position on prey for an ambush without being seen.

Heavy cloud cover or rain can further enhance this by stirring up baitfish and other prey items and making them more vulnerable to being ambushed.

The truth is smallmouth bass feed all day long when food is available but these are simply the conditions when smallmouth bass will tend to be most active hunting and feeding.

Best Time of Day

The best time of day for smallmouth bass fishing is either first thing in the morning from dawn until a few hours past sunrise or in the late afternoon a few hours before sunrise until dusk.

The true definitive choice is flexible and widely disagreed upon by most smallmouth anglers for various reasons. Smallmouth bass have very good reduced light vision which gives them a tactical advantage over their prey in most situations.

This means in the early morning and late evening when water temperatures are cooler and light is a lot dimmer, bass can leave the shaded cover and roam around hunting for prey. It also affords them the ability to close-in with the prey and position themselves without being seen as ideal ambush sites.

During the first and last few hours of daylight, smallmouth bass will more aggressively bite moving baits like crankbaits, spoons, and topwater than they will during the middle of the day when they’ll be more tightly associated with prominent shade.

During the middle of the day, you can still catch bass but you will need to be a lot more deliberate with your casts and slow down as bass will be less likely to chase down moving baits.

Selecting the right gear and bait for smallmouth bass is vital. For a comprehensive breakdown of the best rods, reels, electronics, line, and baits for both largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing, check out my recommended bass fishing gear list.

Always be the most prepared and equipped angler on the water. To learn the best time of day to catch largemouth bass, please check out this helpful article.

Morning vs. Evening Bite

When it comes to smallmouth bass fishing, there is debate among serious anglers whether the early morning or the late afternoon is best.

My personal opinion is that early morning is consistently the best for me. I definitely have done well in the late afternoon around sunset but I find the morning bite more consistent and reliable. In the early morning, baitfish are beginning to emerge from their shelters they spent the night and start to venture out.

It is in this transitional period when baitfish and other prey items seem to make mistakes and make themselves vulnerable to attack. Another reason why I think the morning is the best is because smallmouth bass usually don’t feed much after dark.

On full moon nights with plenty of moonlight, they will definitely feed but on most nights, their eyes cannot absorb enough light for them to see prey.

As a result, on most mornings, smallies will be hungry from a solid 8 nighttime hours of not feeding and will be eager to change that status.

During the day, smallmouth bass feed less than they will in the morning and evening but they are still able to find and catch food. They simply won’t be as hungry in the evening as they will be in the mornings on most days.

For my money, fish smallmouth bass in the early morning if you need to pick. I have also found fewer anglers are on the water chasing bass in the early morning so that’s a perk too.

Slowest Fishing Time of Day

Smallmouth bass feed all day and potentially all night long so I can’t say there’s ever a time of day when smallies stop feeding altogether. That said, there are definitely times during the day when the bite slows way down and bass become very hard to catch.

In particular, I’m referring to the middle of the day and nighttime. The slowest time for catching smallmouth bass is the nighttime in my opinion.

This is based on experience and reading reports from a number of other successful bass fishermen on the topic. Smallmouth bass have very good reduced light vision which gives them a tactical advantage over prey in the first and last hours of daylight around sunrise and sunset.

While they are very well-equipped for reduced light, they are not designed to perform in the darkness of the night.

On most nights with less than a 3/4 moon, there isn’t enough moonlight to illuminate the upper levels of the water column for bass to see prey in the darkness.

As a result, most smallmouth bass won’t feed at night unless prey swims right to them. This can make for extremely slow fishing conditions and a slow bite in general. Now on full moon or near-full moon nights, the upper layer of the water can be illuminated by the moonlight which can result in pretty topwater and shallow-water smallmouth fishing.

Seasonal Considerations

Spring
In the springtime, smallmouth bass will be emerging from deep water where they spent the majority of the winter. Deeper water is warmer during the winter and smallmouth bass rest in deep holes along with many other species.

It is believed that the metabolism of smallmouth bass slows during the winter since food is often limited reducing the bass’s appetite. As a result, smallmouth bass don’t feed a ton over the winter and come springtime, they are very hungry.

Smallmouth bass will head to shallow bays with weeds or rocks where they can hunt prey. For much of the spring, the best time of day for fishing is mid-morning and late afternoon right until dusk. But since these bass are eager to feed, they may continue feeding all day long as long as they can find food in good supply.

Nighttime is usually pretty slow in the spring but on full moon nights, you can catch smallmouth bass in the shallow water near the surface fishing shallow-diving crankbaits and topwater lures. If you want to have the most success catching smallmouth bass in quantity and quality, fish for them in the morning and later in the afternoon.

Summer
In summer, smallmouth bass head for deeper timber and rocky areas in search of shad and crayfish. During the day, smallmouth bass are most active first thing in the morning from dawn until mid-morning and in the late afternoon from 3 hours prior to sunrise until dusk.

These reduced light periods afford bass a tactical advantage over prey like shad and crayfish which don’t see as well during these time windows. As a result, bass can maneuver and get closer to prey without being seen.

This allows them to position behind a rock or log and wait for prey to swim by and be ambushed. The middle of the day is usually pretty slow in the summer since the hot temperatures and oppressive sunlight force bass tight to cover and shade.

However, on overcast, cloudy, or rainy days, the middle of the day can be some of the best bass fishing you can have.

In the hours before a rain event, bass fishing can be some of the hottest you can find. Smallmouth bass will continue to bite well during a steady rain but as soon as the rain stops, they will often hold back tight to cover and become docile.

Fall
During the fall, the best time of day to catch smallmouth bass is the mid-morning and late afternoon.

During this season, smallmouth bass will be trying to gorge themselves on shad and other schooling baitfish in preparation for the winter when their feeding will slow down. They will feed on crayfish too in order to supplement their diet but fish will be their chief food.

While I stated that the morning and late afternoons are the best time for fall bass, the middle of the day can be good fishing too.

This is because smallies will be following schools of baitfish closely and will attack the fish all day long in order to pack on weight. This means while the morning and late afternoon are best, there shouldn’t be a huge dropoff during the middle of the day.

Winter
During the winter, smallmouth bass seem to slow their feeding efforts way down. This is especially true with lakes becomes covered in ice in northern waters. Bass will have gorged themselves in preparation for winter during the fall.

You can still catch wintertime smallmouth bass but the bite will be a good deal slower. Focus on fishing in deep wintering holes with warmer water.

I have found the best time of day for these winter bass is the mid-morning and mid-to-late afternoon. The early morning and midday seem to be pretty slow. Don’t bother trying to catch winter smallmouth bass at night.

Moon Phases & Best Times for Smallmouth

Smallmouth bass don’t have great night vision under dark conditions. Therefore, most nights of the month with less than a 3/4 moon won’t offer very good bass fishing. In fact, most nights I’ve tried fishing has resulted in very little if any bites and action.

The moon phase can play a big role in determining when bass feed. A full moon can provide enough moonlight as to illuminate the upper few feet of the water column to silhouette prey against the night sky and allow for some nighttime feeding to occur.

On full moon nights, some bass may feed off and on all night long. With bellies full of shad, frogs, and other bait, the bass may be very docile and uninterested in food the following morning.

Even though I feel the morning is the best time of day for smallmouth bass to be caught under most conditions, mornings immediately following the full moon can actually be quite slow as a lot of the bass won’t be hungry.

If you really want to catch bass on these mornings, fish with smaller baits and move your baits very slowly. Even full fish will be interested in an easy-to-catch dessert item. This is the same as us wanting a piece of cake after a huge turkey dinner.

Weather & Best Times for Smallmouth

Bass fishing can be awesome on days with overcast or cloudy conditions because the reduced light means bass won’t be as restricted to cover and the shade it provides.

Cloudy conditions also mean baitfish like shad as well as crayfish will be out and about which is what bass love feeding on.

The reduced light from cloud cover also makes it harder for prey to spot bass approaching. Rain does a great job stirring up bass activity as well.

Not only does it reduce the amount of overhead sunlight and drop water temperatures, but it also stirs up dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the water which attracts prey.

Before the rain, smallmouth bass will be much more likely to chase and hit topwater baits and moving baits like spoons and crankbaits.

The best time to catch bass around rain events is in the hours before the rain and right up through the 1^st half of the rain event. Once the rain stops, smallmouth bass usually slow way down as well and become docile.

Concluding Thoughts

Smallmouth bass can feed all day and all night long as long as there is a good supply of food that is easy for them to catch and consume. That said, the best time of day for fishing bronzebacks is early in the morning from dawn until 2 hours after sunrise and in the late afternoon from 3 hours prior to sunset until last light at dusk.

That is because these bass have good reduced light vision which gives them a distinct visual advantage over their prey during these time windows and the cooler temperatures and reduced overhead lighting makes bass more aggressive and willing to roam for food.

The nighttime is usually pretty slow for bass fishing since smallies have a hard time seeing in the complete darkness but full moon nights can provide enough moonlight to allow them to hunt successfully in the water near the surface.

The middle of the day can also be pretty slow for smallmouth bass fishing except on days with cloud cover or rain. In that event, the middle of the day can be the best time to catch them.