How To Catch Bass In Clear Water

Fishing for bass is adventurous, popular and demanding.

Bass is a fighter on a hook and before catching it we must plan it in detail. Every angler knows that different conditions affect fishing success.

Some fish species are active during the day, some at night. Most of them are affected by temperature and weather.

Bass is usually lurking from the grass where it feels safe. Anglers search good locations, seasons, choose their equipment carefully, think about baits…

But, what about time of the day?

Morning bass fishing will be the best. Early, after sunrise, your chances to catch a big bass are high. To find out why, keep on reading and improve your bass fishing technique!

Why is morning bass fishing successful?
Best baits for morning bass fishing
Best location during early morning
Morning bass fishing through the year
Morning Ice Fishing for Bass - YES or NO?
Morning bass fishing tips and tricks
Conclusion

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Why is morning bass fishing successful?

During summer, bass is avoiding warm water. It means bass will go into deeper waters, away from the coast.

During early morning, when it's cooler outside and sun is not warming the water actively, bass will come to shallow water to feed. At that time, they will also come out of their usual hiding places.

From sunrise, until two, or two and half hours later, bass will feed aggressively. The same goes for time before the sunset, but that time is better in winter.

Here we are going to focus on morning fishing.

If morning is also a time just before the rain, that is absolutely the best.

Except the temperature, during lower light conditions bass has the advantage over its pray. Small fish can't see bass lurking from the dark.

Best baits for morning bass fishing

Anglers can use different baits to catch a bass, but for morning time, just after sunrise the best one is baitfish.

Bass is actively searching for them while they swim near the surface. The reason bass will come to surface is because he is very hungry in the morning, after the whole night of not eating.

That also means you can be successful using top-water baits. If you are not using the actual fish, top-water lures that appear natural will also do the job.

When the sun is already up, you can be successful with sinking baits too, because bass will feed aggressively almost anywhere. In that case you can use bass jigs or plastic worms. This is especially important if trying to catch a largemouth bass. They tend to eat near the bottom.

The later it is, the slower the bass will be, so you need to present your bait accordingly. If the sun is up for more than 3 hours, your chances are slim, but you can try with short, slow and controlled lure movement. Also, at that time you will have to pick a different location, as bass will hide in deep shade and colder places.

When choosing a color of your lure, you need to pick accordingly to the water you are fishing on. For clear water use pale colors, for murky waters where visibility is low, pick stronger and solid colors.

READ MORE: What is The Best Ice Fishing Bait for Perch?
READ MORE: DIY: Carp bait recipes for pay lakes - easy and best!

Best location during early morning

As we already said, bass is hiding in grass and around natural obstacles in water. During early morning it will come out of its hiding place. The best location for morning bass fishing is obstacle-free water, near the coastline, near underwater grass or trees.

During morning, in lower light condition, keep in mind that you are also less visible to the fish!

Use that as your advantage ...

Some anglers say bass can be found around rocks, but rocks are not the best hiding place. If you are searching for bass around rocks, do it in time that they are very active and aggressive. That period is during the first hour after sunrise.

Big bass will be at the best location. If you can choose between large shade, next to sunken tree, near the current carrying nutrients for bass, and small shade and a bunch of grass, it is obvious where big one will be.

Morning bass fishing through the year

During winter, fishing for bass in early morning is not advisable ...

That is the coldest part of the day and the bass won't be active. Instead of morning, try fishing few hours before the sunset.

However, there is one exception to this rule, and it involves weather. Bass will be active in the morning if unusually warm days occurred after a cold front.

In early spring, right after winter, morning will be less successful than evening. Later spring is good for morning bass fishing. Just keep in mind the spawn season.

During summer, bass fishing in the morning is the best, as we already mentioned.

Fall is a good time for bass fishing too. Early fall is very similar to summer, water is still warm, so the same conditions apply. Late fall resembles winter, and the colder it is, less successful your morning bass fishing will be.

Morning Ice Fishing for Bass - YES or NO?

During winter, bass will reduce activity and their metabolism is slow.

However, there is a way to catch them, you will just have to adjust your technique.

Ice fishing can be a great experience, and ice fishing for bass will definitely test your skills and patience.

Just be careful when fishing on ice, safety is a priority and you must test the ice thickness and have suitable ice fishing gear. Having a float suit is a must.

Ice fishing for bass depends on a weather a lot. Some days there will be no activity, but when the weather starts to change, so will bass.

A few days of stable and warmer weather after a cold front are the best. During cold fronts, you won't have a lot of success.

During these warmer days, bass will be active a few hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset. When it comes to morning fishing on ice, come early, find suitable locations and drill a few holes. Also, morning activity period, at least when bass is considered, lasts shorter than afternoon activity period.

If you ever wondered is it possible to catch bass in winter mornings, the answer is YES, but it will not be easy.

Morning Bass Fishing - Best location - Boat on lake

Morning bass fishing tips and tricks

Here are some bass fishing tips - try to follow them:

• Don't be afraid to use bigger baits to attract bigger bass. When they are as aggressive as in summer mornings, try to catch the biggest one.

• Pay attention to the weather. If you can plan ahead, regularly check the weather forecast. Go fishing when it is cloudy or rainy. Absence of sunlight makes bass more active.

• Search for shadows. When you are in doubt which location to choose, and the water surface seems very large, pick a shade. A big tree overhanging the water surface is excellent.

• If you have the opportunity, try to use frogs as bait. Some anglers say that is very effective in summer mornings and in ponds.

• If water is very clear, use very realistic lures and thinner lines. Bass is smart, and you don't want it to realize you are trying to catch it.

• If you really want to take everything into consideration, plan your fishing according to moon phase. Four days before and after full moon and new moon.

Conclusion

Morning bass fishing is the best. At that time bass is active, aggressive and out of the hiding place.

Get up early, prepare everything and present your bait as soon as the sun is up. Carefully choose your baits and location. If you want to catch a very big bass, morning is the best time.

If you have the ability to do so, take into consideration weather conditions, or even moon phase, in order to use the best out of perfect fishing conditions.

If you never tried morning bass fishing, give it a try and prepare to be amazed!