Is it true...

That fish only feed at sun up and sun down, because that's the only time I get hits. I do mostly only fish bass so maybe that's why, but am looking to fish other things if they are biting. Thing is I get to the lake/river around 5:30 and nothing bites until 7:30 (earliest) to 9-10pm. thing is I usually need to get off the lake by 8 to get home at a reasonable hour for work the next day. that gives me a 30min window where I might catch something.

is there something else I can fish during the week to keep me busy until the bass start biting?

several more questions to be asked.

what technique are you fishing? topwater for example isnt going to be the most productive thing you can do while the sun is still high and the temps are still up there. find channel breaks where bait is close by and fish a deeper running crank bait or slow roll a spinner bait.

what are you fishing for? i know you said you mostly bass fish. but are you hitting schooling/feeding 13 inch bass at sundown? if thats what your doing then yes you will more than likely have a short window of opportunity.

are you fishing for bass that are hugging wood? if you are these fish might be so far back in the jungle that you arent getting your bait even close to them. if this was the case you might go to 60lb braid and a 3/4oz jig, gently nose the boat as close to the cover as you can without disturbing it and take a 7+ft flipping stick and quietly lower the jig into each pocket within the cover and lower and raise and repeat, sometimes you have to really aggravate the fish to trigger a bite.

chnge it up, eliminate the things that dont work, if it doesnt work at 5pm for 3 straight days its probably not going to work on the 4th day. im never afraid to blank...it is a systematic approach to eliminating bad water, and with each type of water comes a specific technique best suited for that water.

and if all else fails a tube of crickets and an ultralight rod and a mess of big gills will pass the time until the bass bite starts.
also live craws fished with small splitshot will catch about anything that swims this time of year.

good luck

let me preface this by letting you guys know I am very new to fishing this area, only been fishing since memorial day this year.

[QUOTE=stripernut1;536041]
what technique are you fishing? topwater for example isnt going to be the most productive thing you can do while the sun is still high and the temps are still up there. find channel breaks where bait is close by and fish a deeper running crank bait or slow roll a spinner bait.[/QUOTE]

weightless super fluke. cast into the shore or along the shoreline from my kayak. i'll try a crank bait, I don't have any in my tackle box right now. I have hit a couple sunfish with a spinner in a creek by my house, but never anything in a lake

[QUOTE=stripernut1;536041] what are you fishing for? i know you said you mostly bass fish. but are you hitting schooling/feeding 13 inch bass at sundown? if thats what your doing then yes you will more than likely have a short window of opportunity.[/QUOTE]

right now bass, but looking to find out what I can fish for. pretty much hit those 13in bass (4-10) on a weekend night at sundown, don't know how to find the bigger ones yet.

[QUOTE=stripernut1;536041]
are you fishing for bass that are hugging wood? if you are these fish might be so far back in the jungle that you arent getting your bait even close to them. if this was the case you might go to 60lb braid and a 3/4oz jig, gently nose the boat as close to the cover as you can without disturbing it and take a 7+ft flipping stick and quietly lower the jig into each pocket within the cover and lower and raise and repeat, sometimes you have to really aggravate the fish to trigger a bite.[/QUOTE]

since I go to small lakes, I usually cover the entire shoreline casting into it, but I will try that technique you describe.

[QUOTE=stripernut1;536041]
and if all else fails a tube of crickets and an ultralight rod and a mess of big gills will pass the time until the bass bite starts.
also live craws fished with small splitshot will catch about anything that swims this time of year.

good luck[/QUOTE]

sounds good. i'll try the 'gills until the sun goes down.

thanks for all the info

May or may not help, but it's free...

When going to a new lake, the first thing I look for is shore features-- creeks/drains coming in, steep sides indicating deeper water, points, bays, etc. Then, I look for structure in the water, like stumps, trees, rocks, and water plants. Bass generally feed the most actively at dawn and dusk (assuming no other factors like rain, current changes, etc.), but bass will usually bite something if it looks like an easy meal no matter what time of the day. When it's not dawn or dusk, I would explore the features and structure with a deeper-running bait than your weightless fluke. Everyone has their own favorite baits, but these are mine:

No weeds, looking for active fish - crankbaits that run deep enough to bounce off the bottom or spinnerbaits. Vary the retrieval speeds to fish different depths

Shallow or weedy - Texas-rigged weightless Yum Dinger (basically a Senko) 5" in some shade of green. It sinks a little faster and deeper than the fluke, plus you can throw it a mile.

Deep - plastic worm, Texas-rigged if woody structure or shaky head if rocky, or a jig with a rubber craw trailer

If the lake is not too weedy, I will use spinnerbaits and crankbaits because they are really good baits if you are looking for active fish. If the fish are active, you will have more fun. Then, slow down with the Senkos or worms if the fish don't seem active.

I don't usually fish the top of the water column except around dawn & dusk.

If your in a kayak, you can fish shallow on any river or creek. You go out and fish hard and fast in 2-4 foot of water all day, I'll guaurnatee youll catch some. There are ALWAYS fish shallow and a kayak is the best way to catch them. ALWAYS have a buzz bait on at all times. Dont listen to anyone that says it has to be early or late to catch fish on the buzz.it's just simply a myth! Or it may be people who figure this out, still support the lie if you know what i mean :) ..... I hope this helps because deeper does not always mean better!

[QUOTE=eddie_m;536170]May or may not help, but it's free...[/QUOTE]

very helpful, thank you



[QUOTE=bigwormy;536207]If your in a kayak, you can fish shallow on any river or creek. You go out and fish hard and fast in 2-4 foot of water all day, I'll guaurnatee youll catch some. There are ALWAYS fish shallow and a kayak is the best way to catch them. ALWAYS have a buzz bait on at all times. Dont listen to anyone that says it has to be early or late to catch fish on the buzz.it's just simply a myth! Or it may be people who figure this out, still support the lie if you know what i mean :) ..... I hope this helps because deeper does not always mean better![/QUOTE]

some of my best days have been on a tiny section of hickman creek barely big enough for my 'yak. favorite brand/size buzzbait?

What colors are you using? You have to usually think backwards when fishing at night versus day. Where a white fluke may work during the day, a dark blue or black fluke might be a better choice at night. This isn't always the case when presenting on the same depth as your target but it is usually the case if presenting above or below your target.

[QUOTE=Duayne;536220]What colors are you using?[/QUOTE]

my tackle box is very small, but most things in there are close to the natural colors you would find. I've never seen a bubble gum colored worm, but I have seen fish caught with them...

I have caught a BUNCH on bubble gum sluggos. It is a great piss em off type color. They hit it because they don't know what it is that has just invaded their space and they don't like it, not that they are hungry or wanting to feed. Using that at night will not get the same reaction. They can't tell the color anyway and are hopefully mobile and ready to feed.

You have low\no light conditions at night and hardly any of it is reflective. Natural colors and white bellies are not optimal. They can't see a white belly well from under it because there is no light reflecting in the water to show a contrast. But they will be able to easily make out a dark belly with a little surface light. They hit dark things at night because those are things they see more easily.

My Favorite buzz is 3/16 ounce and made by a hometown guy. I don't buy them anywhere else.