5/16/2008

Before the Crack of Dawn

Intrepid anglers must be out the door and on the way to the water long before the first light of day

Timothy Kusherets

Here I am standing in some blistering cold about an hour-and-a-half before daylight when the onset of snow just starts to fall. It took me over four hours to get to the water during this winter day. Taking the time to incorporate travel time meant that I had to roll out of bed before 2:00am and that’s only because the area I wanted to fish was more like an expedition rather than a typical fishing trip. The temperature was well below 32 degrees but was stable so barometric pressure wasn’t a problem and the biting fish during those first wee hours proved it. Since the distance was truly daunting it was critical for me to figure out how long it would take under normal driving conditions and then factor in the weather; the freezing temperatures greatly added to the amount to time it took to get to the water before light, and that’s when some of the best fishing can be had regardless of weather conditions.

One of the most consistent times for hooking into fish is “before” the crack of dawn. In most cases that means that the bite will remain on from the first sliver of light until about nine in the morning. There are many variables that come along with figuring out some of the best times to fish but the first part of the day is very reliable; however, that means that intrepid anglers must be out the door and on the way to the water long before the first light of day. There are sometimes when the best fishing happens to be the farthest away from home, depending on the time of year and species of fish, which is why it’s important to do elements of geographical research before considering “where” to fish. Once you know where figuring out how long it will take to get there is fairly easy and that quickly identifies the best times to leave so as to be on the water before crepuscular rays.
If you want more detail about the scientific aspects of why fish tend to bite at that time you can check out my book, but for the most part the easiest way to recall “when” to fish is to understand that even if fish are pressured off the bite from the previous day you can bet that by the time an entire evening has elapsed that they’ll be back on the bite since almost all fishing is done during daylight hours and not night. Fishing pressure is one of the single most destructive reasons why fish go off the bite, so the longer you wait to fish during the day, especially if other anglers beat you to the water, the more chances that fish will have lock-jaw. This premise works anytime of the year, but as the seasons move into warmer months of the year the earlier an angler has to think about hitting the water. Ironically, since there are many areas that have smaller runs of springer and summer run fish there tend to be fewer fishermen willing to beat the early morning hours…this makes it much easier to keep the pressure off fish and that means more hookups.
I’ve always said “hit the water when fish tell you to”. That means that while it’s possible to fish banker’s hours it’s not an ideal way to be productive. No, to hit into fish consistently then we have to do it when the pressure is off and that means beating feet long before birds begin to chirp.
This is but one very simple way of explaining why fish tend to bite during early dawn and morning.