''Accepted doctrine's''

I suspect most of us at some point in our angling lives will have held certain beliefs, with regard to the ''optimum'' time to fish for certain species.

For example, Pike are best fished for in Winter, and at first light. Tench on Summer mornings at first light. Barbel were often considered best approached during the hours of darkness, as were Carp. I no longer subscribe to these beliefs, in fact haven't done so for many years.

What's your stance on this?

I think it more of finding the feeding times that fish are active on certain venues

differernt waters can see the same species feed at different times - also weather conditions and temperature play a part

First light was always when I needed to be on the bank, it was as you say the accepted time for fish to be feeding although that could just have been that I was on the bank putting feed in and it could weather permitting have been any time of the day.

I think that the thinking that winter was the best time to fish for Pike was more to do with bye laws and tradition and the fact that most anglers fished for other species during the warmer months.

When I say needed to be on the bank it was because that time of day has always been for me the best time to be out however that was during my younger days now it takes me to long to get going in the morning to be there at first light. Now I tend to get there when I can.

My stance is just fish when ever you want for what ever you want and you will catch them. A lot of these Ideas are buried in the mists of time.
Never have understood that pike are best in winter, I would much rather catch them in the summer when they are at their fittest

Catfish are renowned for being night time feeders , on clear gravel pits I have found this to be true , but on other cloudy water venues I have caught plenty in the hours of daylight. In Spain on the rivers they can be caught any time of the day.
As for pike on my local river , I always thought that a couple of hours into the morning was a more productive time than first thing , but I have caught them at all times of the day to be honest.

I would pretty much tend to side with you Derek on this topic.

If we go back 20 to 40 years then many of those old doctrine's appeared to be truisms, when in actuality they were simply untested . . . . . over a period of time.

These days, and more so with the popularity of commercial venues, F1 types et al, many of those old doctrines are no longer valid at all.
On most commercials you can catch a good net of F1's, or proper Carp, at more or less any time of the day.

In fact on many venues the fish actually seem to know when if is "all out" time as they instinctively then shoal around the margins knowing there will be a free supply of "safe" food being thrown in . . . so maybe that becomes a new doctrine?

However, on our rivers some of the older doctrines still have a ring of truth about then, particularly those surrounding an early start or a late, into dusk finish . . . . also, on the few surviving estate lakes, the old adages regarding Tench seem to still hold true as well.

As I've said before - the fish are there 24 hours a day' and I'm quite happy to fish for them at times of my choice and adapt accordingly. As I predominately fish rivers during the season I’ll stick to them in this post to keep it short . I believe that many people struggle to catch during daylight hours because they’re fishing in the wrong places (I won’t be so rude as to mention cr@p presentations). During the hours either side of the middle of the day, the hours I prefer to fish these days, big fish are rarely caught in open water in the summer months unless there has been recent rain and more current than is usual.

With warmer water, less flow and bright sunshine it’s more likely that the decent fish are in the narrow runs between the weeds (also under rafts, overhanging bushes, etc.). Why? Because the weeds provide oxygen during the daylight hours, also food and cover. As darkness approaches the weeds produce only carbon dioxide (which the fish can’t breathe) so at this time until early morning the fish will be out in the open. It’s the age old predicament – if the fish aren’t there you’ll not catch ‘em – go find ‘em where they are. Err, watercraft springs to mind.............................

What really opened my eyes was footage of Trefor West catching barbel on the bounce in the bright sunshine. No such thing as the wrong time unless your quarry's a daylight feeder or truly nocturnal, just missed opportunities due to fishing the wrong method or chasing the wrong species for the time and place.

Derek

I reckon it depends where you fish and for what species, in recent years I have Perch fished a lot and consider Dawn and Dusk the prime feeding times for this species.

But on commercial waters, in muddy conditions you can catch Perch most times of the day ?

For Barbel on pressurised waters, the first hour of darkness has always been kind to me, but in flood water conditions, I have caught all day.

Is there a pattern emerging ?

Light levels seem to be very important to some species, but who knows, it could be coincidence !!

Bob

There's too many variables in fishing to pin anything down, but I accept there may be rules of thumb.

I like dawn and dusk for predator fishing, but is that just because everything I've ever read has told me this is the best time, so I make more of an effort to fish then, my confidence/effort levels are higher and I catch more as a result?

In terms of environmental conditions, if I waited for the perfect day that aligned with a day off work and no family commitments (and in my case, sea conditions), I would never go fishing. This must be true for the majority of "real world" anglers.

My fishing mentor when I was growing up always said to me that you'll catch more fish with a line in the water than sitting at home watching TV. He was right.

On balance if I had to pick a time it would be 4pm till you could not see your float.
I don't like early morning fishing, hate getting up, lots of effort to get there, panic to set up in case you miss the early fish and from then on your always fighting the clock, it soon passes by and no time to establish whether you got the method bait right. If you got it wrong your sunk and if the fish are just not feeding, I could have enjoyed a leisurely morning without all the panic. Whereas, the evening session you got time to work into it, build your swim up etc; get it all right and settle down for the late feeding fish.

I still feel that early morning and evenings are good feeding times especially in summer. I've noticed so many times that bites have stopped after 8am. Easy to get up at first light in winter but not so easy in summer.

Years ago I used to get up at 2.30 am to get to waters at first light, there's no way I could do that now. That driving energy has gone, replaced with an acceptance that I'll make the best of what I've got within the time frame acceptable to me. It's working out OK surprisingly.

mightyboosh said:

....My fishing mentor when I was growing up always said to me that you'll catch more fish with a line in the water than sitting at home ....

Click to expand...

This is a fine example of an accepted doctrine!

Some times - e.g. when sick, injured, bad weather, etc. - blights your fishing - it can be productive to not have a line in the water - and spend the time improving your fishing by thinking about your angling problems / techniques / tackle.

You can then formulate plans to improve your fishing for the next time you can get out on the bank - rather than just blunder-on with the same mistakes!

Tight Lines :thumbs:

Time of day, light levels, river conditions all play a part. Fishing the right time is very important at some venues. I know swims on the Severn where I could barbel fish all day without a bite, then, an hour after dark it will explode with one fish after another. But that's late summer early autumn. I've never fished it in winter when it could be quite different.

As far as I'm concerned I just love being out in the early hours, although easier in summer than winter as the years have passed by. Similarly, I also like fishing into the evenings...
I want to be on the bank when nobody else is around and not when folk want to stop by to discuss health issues or the state of the country for ever, so I know when I arrive on the bank at 5am or earlier I normally have some hours before they turn up - most of the time, but definitely in winter ! Unfortunately, and regardless of how far I walk, they still manage to seek me out....
Depending on how long I intend fishing I will choose a swim that gives me the best chance for the duration. In other words I won't fish a swim that is sun filled by 11am if I'm fishing til 3pm, simply because I know the chances of decent fish are diminishing once the sun hits the water. However, if the day is going to solid overcast or rain filled I will those swims a bash as well - rain equals no people tramping around, and I catch many good fish in these conditions....
Having said all the above, I have fished swims where the sun has burst through unexpectedly after having good fish off the bottom, and a quick change to ( say ) hemp fished mid water has produced a dozen quality roach or more, depending on how long I can stand the heat !!

As Gerry says, water craft is a major factor and its stood me in good stead over the years, but that doesn't mean going against convention cannot work as well. Flexibility of thought around what you're trying to achieve and thinking outside the box will always do better than turning up and plonking yourself in the first sun filled swim, on most occasions anyway !

So to summarize; I love early mornings, I love the peace and quiet, I have a choice of all swims usually, I take account of the weather and I have quality bait...the rest is up to me ! Evenings are just as wonderful, PROVIDING most folk have already left the water !

That said, I occasionally have to move swims if the above well laid plans fail to produce.........................................( even to a partially sunny swim ! )


ps I appreciate some go to top up tans and doze in the chair and that's fine, but not for me - I can do that in the back garden.....

PPS Greenie62 also spot on ; Fishing is also about the time spent at home giving thought to methods, tackle and how to improve your chances ( plus cleaning your gear !! ), not to mention analysing what went right - or wrong !