I always go fishing whenever I can, regardless of bright sun, or overcast conditions.                                  But if I were given a choice, I would choose an overcast day over a bright sunny day anytime.              Looking through my logs. I've kept over the years, I've caught more, and usually better size bass on overcast days, than when the sun was beating down.               Overcast sky's seem to put more fish on the move, and seems to make them hit spinnerbaits, lipless lures, and topwaters better also. The same bass that ignore a Ratlletrap on bright, flat water will smash the same bait on an overcast day.                  A very slight chop on the water is the icing on the cake on days like this.                                              Have you noticed better catch rates under overcast sky conditions?

For brown bass, "Sun" is usually good but it seems to depend on the time of year.

Early & late season, sun is almost a must.

Summer, not so much.

I've caught plus size fish during all types of deals.

So by itself, considering sun or overcast might be hard to quantify.

Mix in the wind or a change in water turbidity,

and that changes things for me.

A-Jay

I like em both especially at night!

I agree with you.  If I had to pick one it would be overcast.  Bright sunny pushes them to seek shade, or deep at the base of drop-offs.  Overcast they loosen up, more willing to chase faster moving baits.  They also stay active longer.  Sunny days they often go into a funk and shut down after about 10:00 am.  At least here in Florida!

I always prefer overcast days. Can't tell you how many times we were nailing them all morning during overcast days and then the second the sun came out they shut right off.

 LM I'm holding in my picture 5+ lbs. was caught five feet from the boat in six feet of water on a spinnerbait , on a overcast day.

10 minutes ago, geo g said:

Bright sunny pushes them to seek shade, or deep at the base of drop-offs.

 

Sunny days for me, for this exact reason ^^

 

Puts them tight to cover and structure where they are easier to locate and target ?

Sometimes seems like it's easier to find them in the high sun. When you get those big dark shadows on the shoreline it's like a big ol' sign that says "cast here".

Overcast all day every day here in SE Florida. I'll take any break from the brutal sun as a plus. 

As long as it ain’t raining, I’m good! 

Early and late in the season, sunny days seem to be the key for me.  They help warm the water up and increase fish metabolism in cold water.

 

During the summer, overcast/rainy is almost always better.  Not only because it usually means low pressure, but cloudy/rainy days also tend to keep a lot of other people off the water.  Often times, my best fishing is on a cloudy or rainy day in the summer.  Fish are aggressive and willing to chase and attack moving lures.

 

Most predatory fish can see better in low light conditions than their prey.  So they will often utilize that and hunt more when they have that advantage.

2 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Overcast all day every day here in SE Florida. I'll take any break from the brutal sun as a plus. 

Ditto

 

 

1 hour ago, geo g said:

I agree with you.  If I had to pick one it would be overcast.  Bright sunny pushes them to seek shade, or deep at the base of drop-offs.  Overcast they loosen up, more willing to chase faster moving baits.  At least here in Florida!

Ditto +1

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I prefer overcast especially in hot weather. The fish are usually active and its more comfortable for me . Add a slight drizzle to it and get the buzzbaits out .

Depends on the lake. Most of the time I prefer overcast. One of the lakes I fish is relatively shallow and has a ton of cover including boat docks and lay downs. When the sun is high and bright the fish don’t go deep, they go under stuff in the shade. Those can be really good days. 

Up north, smallies in clear water like the sun to feed by sight. Down south in the muck they like to come unglued when it’s snowing or raining 

My best days are sunny.

Overcast is a great day to fish in Florida...summer heat will sizzle your brain down here .

7 hours ago, Catt said:

I like em both especially at night!

If I were to ever fly to the sun, it would most definitely be at night. 

Always done better on cloudy days. Funny, my PB was caught when unexpected clouds rolled in and the wind changed direction so that it was blowing into the cove I was in. All of a sudden baitfish started to show up everywhere in the cove. It was just one of those moments when the stars aligned. Changing conditions seem to be important as well as static conditions.

Biggest, and most fish caught were on warm sunny days.

Cold winter days with water temps below 55 I prefer and do better sunny days. Seems to bring fish up off the bottom or into the shallows to enjoy a bit of sunlight and warmth. On  hot summer days I prefer the cloudy or overcast days, practically for top-water ~ plus cooler for the bass with the cloud cover.  Spring and fall seem to be a neutral time and good either way. Anyway that's the way I see it.

In the summer I do better on cloudy or rainy days.  In spring and fall I do better with some sun.

11 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I always go fishing whenever I can, regardless of bright sun, or overcast conditions.                                  But if I were given a choice, I would choose an overcast day over a bright sunny day anytime.              Looking through my logs. I've kept over the years, I've caught more, and usually better size bass on overcast days, than when the sun was beating down.               Overcast sky's seem to put more fish on the move, and seems to make them hit spinnerbaits, lipless lures, and topwaters better also. The same bass that ignore a Ratlletrap on bright, flat water will smash the same bait on an overcast day.                  A very slight chop on the water is the icing on the cake on days like this.                                              Have you noticed better catch rates under overcast sky conditions?

It's rare that I catch bass on topwaters in full sun in the middle of the day. But I can when it's overcast.

I've always preferred overcast from the shore because sometimes they will move in to the shoreline and smash moving baits. On my kayak when I can get to the fish, sometimes it's easier to find them in cover and dropoffs though, so it evens out.

Very interesting takes from everyone. Personally, I know I've caught more big fish on sunny days than cloudy days.

57 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

It's rare that I catch bass on topwaters in full sun in the middle of the day. But I can when it's overcast.

I try to only fish top water if I can and have way more luck on sunny days.