How to Locate Fish on Any Given Day

Finding fish is one of the biggest problems anglers have.  It doesn’t have to be such a huge issue, though, because I’ve learned over the years that there are certain things to look out for when you’re trying to figure out what the fish are doing underneath the water and you don’t have a fish finder to tell you what’s going on.  You need to pay attention to what the sun is, or isn’t doing in order to find them.

Mornings: In the morning fish are going to be very active.  Coming off of the darkness from the night before, fish will be able to see what they are chasing and go after it more aggressively.  The sun is not blasting down on them from above so they feel much more secure when they’re moving around.  You can typically spot fish hitting the top of the water during the mornings.  The general rule in the morning is that fish are going to be actively moving around in search for food.

Sunny Days: This is when it gets somewhat difficult to locate fish.  When the sun is blasting down from overhead the fish are going to be in a weary mood because larger predators are able to spot them when they move around.  On days like this you are going to want to look for structure that will cast shadows down into the water and start looking for fish there.

Cloudy Days: Cloudy days give fish a big advantage for staying cloaked and hidden underneath the water.  They are going to act in the same ways that they do whenever the morning sun has yet to hit the water’s surface.  Cloudy days make the fish more aggressive and they will be moving around searching for a meal without worrying about larger predators spotting them and putting themselves in danger.

Dusk: Dusk is an excellent time to fish because the sun has left the water, but the water’s temperature is still warm enough to be comfortable for them.  Much like in the morning and on cloudy days, you will be able to see fish cruising around looking for a meal, even busting the top of the water when they want to trap something.

Night: Night time is a bit more difficult, but not nearly as hard as finding fish when the sun is beating down onto the water.  At night you will have some fish cruising around while others are sitting around their favorite piece of structure.  You will want to try to get out before the sun has completely set so that you can find some structure to fish once night time hits.  Another method for catching fish at night is to patrol the banks (quietly), casting out parallel to the bank and retrieving back to you.

Keep a tight line!

Ron