Beautiful Sunlight

[Mitch f]

After I read the post about the new record spotted Bass, which mentioned it was caught on a beautiful "Blue Bird day", I started thinking about the subject of sunlight and catching big fish. When I look back on all my biggest fish, I remember always having to spin the boat around with the trolling motor so I could face the sun and make the picture come out right. It seems I always catch my biggest fish on sunny days, not cloudy days.

I remember back in the 90's when I duck hunted quite a bit, we always hoped for a sunny, windy day, which is against conventional wisdom about hunting ducks on a rainy, cloudy day. We would always find a bank on Truman Lake and set up with the sun and wind at our back, that way the circling ducks would always be blinded in one eye. I'm sure the same holds true with fish. The one constant in fishing is the element of surprise being a high percentage way to catch fish. I've got a good friend and excellent fisherman who disagrees with me 100% on the sunlight equals good fishing theory....What are your thoughts?

By the way, I've included a clip from one of my favorite movies of all time, where Josey Wales uses the sun to his advantage.

[blue79]

All my biggest bass have been on bright days.My best catfishing is cloudy with storms coming in.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Nice clip. Been a while since I've watched that one, might have to revisit.

I got a theory to match your theory. Most of my big fish have come in the early spring, and yes, it seems like they were sunny days, though not all of them. I think the sun is a good thing when it is warming cold water, which we all know a degree or two or three increase this time of year can trigger a feeding spree, particularly from the bigger fish. In the same way, a warm rain can raise the water temps, which would contradict the sunny theory. I think temperature increase is the common denominator to your theory, and not just the fact that it may be sunny.

[Flysmallie]

I know that a lot of my biggest have came on cloudy days. Sure there's a few that came on sunny days as well.

Two of the best days I have ever had came when it was sleeting heavily.

[Guest]

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[moguy1973]

I just finished watching the latest episodes of Major League Fishing. The morning rounds were all pretty much cloudy and or foggy. Once the sun comes out they really started hammering them. It does really play a big part I think.

[Hog Wally]

I've been in construction for 15 years and the only time I usually can hunt or fish is in inclement weather. Otherwise I'm working. I have grown quite fond of the dreary weather pattern 90% of the walleye we catch on the rivers are early morn late evening or in the rain all day. The smallies are climbing up on the banks right now in the sunshine for real. It's a very good conversation to have. I always said bluebird skies bluegill fishing. Seemed like the predatory fish left em alone on those days

[Hog Wally]

Oh yeah-( pay me when you see me Josie Wales , pay me when you see me. I feel pert as a rutting buck now!

[Wayne SW/MO]

I know that a lot of my biggest have came on cloudy days. Sure there's a few that came on sunny days as well.

Same here. Maybe some people tend to fish deeper on bright days where bigger fish tend to lie or in the spring maybe nesting fish don't see well and attack with more gusto?

[Al Agnew]

River walleye fishing is usually better on dark days. River bass...give me sunny days all year long. I've caught good bass out in bright sunshine, middle of the day, cruising in 2 feet of clear water. I've NEVER noticed the sunny days to bother them. Yes, they'll often be positioned in the shade, or under overhead cover, but that doesn't mean they won't come out into the sun to play if so inclined. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, fishing is almost always better on sunny days. In the later spring through summer, I've actually had some of my worst days on the rare occasions when it was dark and cloudy all day and I thought it would be great. Many of my biggest fish have come on those typical summer days when it's clear in the morning but hazy all day and with big cumulus clouds building up in the afternoon with maybe a small thundershower. Only in the early fall have I found cloudy days to be consistently better than sunny ones.