Timing Of Large Catches

[NorthTexasSwimbaiter]

Hey, y'all

 

It crossed my mind today that I hadn't asked people on SU about this.

 

Over the years, I've caught a few big fish, but the biggest key to success has so far eluded me. I've noticed that most of my biggest fish have come at either dawn or dusk. However, I've also found a "mystery period" about an hour after sunrise where I catch a lot of big fish. I've developed a theory about it, but I wanted to run it by a few people to see if it's crazy.

 

If anyone's not familiar with the term "total internal reflection", it's when light, instead of refracting into a new medium, like water, simply bounces off the surface because its angle isn't close enough to perpendicular. What I'm wondering is this: since I live in a relatively flat area, perhaps the sun only breaks the necessary angle for total internal reflection about an hour after legal sunrise. If my theory's correct, the bass, naturally seeking shade, will be relatively unaffected by this short window, while the more pelagic baitfish, like shad, will experience a temporary "light shock", such as when you walk outside after being in the movie theater. What I've been led to believe is that the bass take experience of this possible "second sunrise" and eat the stunned baitfish during this period, while they still have difficulty adjusting to higher light levels. 

 

If I'm crazy or my failure to account for atmospheric refraction changes the physics of the system, let me know. Or if you've experienced this same secondary feeding period, but have a different theory, I'm sure we'd all like to hear it. Your guess as to the cause is as good as mine. If you notice enhanced feeding in a different time of day, let us know when it is, and why you think they feed right then. 

 

Tight lines,

Calvin

 

[gcopple]

My brain hurts after reading that. Seriously though it makes sense what you say. I am by means an expert at any of it though.

[RobM27]

I'm not sure about all this rocket surgery stuff but I know that for me there is a short window to catch swimbait fish at dawn, noon and dusk

[High Power Swimbaits]

Bsss are sunfish and don't seek shade or cover most of the time when active and feeding. Morning bites like you described are usually the result of baitfish movement linked to the light level. Baitfish like shad have poor eyesight and break out of the tight balls that are common in bright light that penetrates deeper and scatter in low light and often move shallower. As the light level increases at day break they start to see each other and start the process of forming tighter larger schools and move deeper. Bass are conditioned to take advantage or the short window of time where there is still low enough light levels to give them an advantage as a predator who doesn't seek shade and cover to feed as a true ambush predator but an advantage over prey during the "active hunt" where they have good enough visability to see prey but the prey has a harder time seeing them. There is also an advantage to the bass that the prey species is more concentrated but not in large tight schools which make it harder for the bass to pick off small groups of smaller prey or individuals of larger prey. Just from my experience this window is good for larger than average fish but not for the true giant fish which feed more efficiently and effectively midday most of the time.

[tripletroutfan@tic]

Swimbaits only 12 to 4 pm. If you throw conventional lures dawn, dusk and night.

[VAngler]

The short answer to the physics part of your question is: No, the critical angle that marks the transition to or from total internal reflection does not coincide with an hour after sunrise. Below is an explanation for anyone who I interested.

 

Monochromatic light going from pure oxygen to distilled water will not penetrate the boundary until it is at least 42 degrees above the horizon (48 degrees from perpendicular). An hour after sunset in Dallas, Texas this morning (I saw you are located in Texas so I went with Dallas) the sun was only 12 degrees above the horizon. It won't reach the critical angle until about 10:20 this morning. Note that this all changes based on time of the year and where you are located. So is there going to be a sudden increase of light penetration on Lake Fork at 10:20 this morning? Absolutely not. There's a lot to this and this isn't a physics forum so I'll say it like this: It is extremely unlikely to achieve a sudden noticeable change of light penetration on a body of water in nature. There are too many factors going on to achieve total internal reflection. To name a few: water surface turbulence (not often a completely flat surface), light reflected from the atmosphere directed towards the water at all angles at almost all times of the morning (albeit minimal light), and moon light coming in from a higher angle.

 

Very good idea though! I enjoyed thinking about it. If you want to talk some more about the physics of it, just PM me.

In regards to bass behavior, I'll let the more experienced bass fishermen answer that.

 

[NorthTexasSwimbaiter]

Very thoughtful answers by Randall and Garrett. I'll be utilizing that information a lot. Thanks, guys!

[G3bassin]

The short answer to the physics part of your question is: No, the critical angle that marks the transition to or from total internal reflection does not coincide with an hour after sunrise. Below is an explanation for anyone who I interested.

 

Monochromatic light going from pure oxygen to distilled water will not penetrate the boundary until it is at least 42 degrees above the horizon (48 degrees from perpendicular). An hour after sunset in Dallas, Texas this morning (I saw you are located in Texas so I went with Dallas) the sun was only 12 degrees above the horizon. It won't reach the critical angle until about 10:20 this morning. Note that this all changes based on time of the year and where you are located. So is there going to be a sudden increase of light penetration on Lake Fork at 10:20 this morning? Absolutely not. There's a lot to this and this isn't a physics forum so I'll say it like this: It is extremely unlikely to achieve a sudden noticeable change of light penetration on a body of water in nature. There are too many factors going on to achieve total internal reflection. To name a few: water surface turbulence (not often a completely flat surface), light reflected from the atmosphere directed towards the water at all angles at almost all times of the morning (albeit minimal light), and moon light coming in from a higher angle.

 

Very good idea though! I enjoyed thinking about it. If you want to talk some more about the physics of it, just PM me.

In regards to bass behavior, I'll let the more experienced bass fishermen answer that.

Somebody stayed at a holiday Inn last night haha just kidding. Sounds like you know your stuff and pretty interesting never have ever thought that deeply about it.

[JohnMarino]

I sometimes try not to pay attention to windows of opportunity and fish hard all the time so I dont have anything to blame but I know they ARE there.  I've caught my biggest from 8am-11am for some reason, I dug into trying to figure out what it may be and looked at times I've caught double digits and came up with it may have to do with the moonset and moonrise major/minor times an hour after that time is usually game on!   Check it out on http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx  Maybe check your records and see what date and time you caught your fish and see if this makes sense to you also! Find that moonset/moonrise major time and take that timing to your best spot and maybe it will produce a double digit and getting the luck out of being at the right place at the right time.

[MichiganBassman]

I sometimes try not to pay attention to windows of opportunity and fish hard all the time so I dont have anything to blame but I know they ARE there.  I've caught my biggest from 8am-11am for some reason, I dug into trying to figure out what it may be and looked at times I've caught double digits and came up with it may have to do with the moonset and moonrise major/minor times an hour after that time is usually game on!   Check it out on http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx  Maybe check your records and see what date and time you caught your fish and see if this makes sense to you also! Find that moonset/moonrise major time and take that timing to your best spot and maybe it will produce a double digit and getting the luck out of being at the right place at the right time.

+1. My pb was caught on a new moon, never really thought of the moon really affecting the fish until that day when we were catching bass on literally anything we tried. Will defiantly be going out on those full moon/new moon days.  

[SWIMBO]

If you look back in su you will find a thread I started called "time of day pb" some good info in it from guys

[T Dot]

If you look back in su you will find a thread I started called "time of day pb" some good info in it from guys

 

 

http://swimbaitunderground.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3083-time-of-day-pb/?hl=time

 

[damian_mb]

I've actually caught a lot of bass running a long the the shade and where the light hits. If they are there, they hit.

 

An old buddy of mine switched our ways of fishing a while back. We try to get to the lake by 4am, 5am is when the biggies are hunting. Around 6am when the sun starts to peak on the horizon, we hit the shadow lines as fast as we can....going up and down the shadow and it's never let us down. The lake we used to fish, just before 5am, it used to be every other cast and at times every cast we get a bass. Avg 3-4lbs, yes thats big for MN, not Cali big. 

 

Your theory is correct to how I have been fishing with him, too bad he hasn't been able to go out with me for two yrs. 4am-8am, that's all the fishing you need. For us, they shut off right around 10am, and you have to go hunt or work for them.

[MA Frog Man]

Personally I've caugt my two biggest in the middle of the day with clear blue skies. A lot of guys around here at least seem to belive the bite shuts off during the middle of the day. And only fish the morning or afternoon. I think bigger fish have adapted to eat at least pressured time. On the other hand big fish eat whenever they feel like haha

[waynem]

The only rule in bass fishing is that there is nothing that always works.