Does anyone get out for early mornings in early spring. Those cold mornings in the 30s but afternoons in the 50s. I love early mornings. And I think I’m gonna try next Saturday we have 31 for a low and 50 for the high and will be 5 days out of our cold front

Generally better to wait until later on when it warms up in the spring time. At least that’s my experience. Bright sun and warmth help this time of year.

In midsummer, not so much.

Just now, gim said:

Generally better to wait until later on when it warms up in the spring time. At least that’s my experience. Bright sun and warmth help this time of year.

In midsummer, not so much.

That was what I was thinking. I love the early mornings in the summer. First one out as the world wakes up. Maybe I’ll wait tilll the afternoon

I go when i can. If it’s a grey day the sun isn’t warming anything up through the day.

Caught some giant bass before the sun comes up in the spring. Go for it!

22 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I go when i can. If it’s a grey day the sun isn’t warming anything up through the day.

That’s what I was thinking also. The amount of time the sun will be out isn’t gonna warm much

19 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Caught some giant bass before the sun comes up in the spring. Go for it!

I’m gonna give it a shot. Persistence lol

In the early spring on some of the lakes I fish there is an early morning deep water bite beginning just as dawn is breaking and continues for about an hour. Back during my tournament years I was able to either win or place high in several contests because of this activity.

After the bite falls off there is then a period of time before the bass get active again at some point around mid- morning.

I know it’s can be cold and uncomfortable but if you’re dressed for it, in my experience it’s worth the trouble to be out there.

47 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Caught some giant bass before the sun comes up in the spring. Go for it!

North Carolina is a long way from Iowa...

2 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

North Carolina is a long way from Iowa...

And? Pats a great fisherman. I fished Florida for 20 years. And a whole ton of my experience carried over to Iowa.

Just now, OkobojiEagle said:

North Carolina is a long way from Iowa...

If the water is wet and the daylight hours are increasing - bass have to eat! I hear what you’re saying - but we get ice on our lakes and such.

If the water they got in Iowa freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit - my advice stands - fish for them when the water is wet in the spring - big ones eat in the cold early morning hours shortly after ice has melted and even sometimes just before it forms here.

1 minute ago, Pat Brown said:

If the water is wet and the daylight hours are increasing - bass have to eat! I hear what you’re saying - but we get ice on our lakes and such.

If the water they got in Iowa freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit - my advice stands - fish for them when the water is wet in the spring - big ones eat in the cold early morning hours shortly after ice has melted and even sometimes just before it forms here.

And Pat with the educated logical advice!!!

I think you are more likely to catch walleye or a cold until later march

1 minute ago, OkobojiEagle said:

I think you are more likely to catch walleye or a cold until later march

No walleye were I fish. And I had one on yesterday. But it got off. I’ll fish anytime there isn’t hard water lol. I don’t have a boat so the ponds thaw a lot faster than lakes. And I’ll be there

I've had some big bites at first light in cold water. I'm with @Pat Brown and @river-rat that if you have the time, it's worth getting on the water. I'm pretty sure your Iowa world is mostly ponds, but there is certainly a shad migration that occurs most night to day transitions on my lake. My favorite spot is a pinch point from a large 30' deep flat to a narrow channel in 15' fow, seems like they're always there and looking up for breakfast. I believe the big girls feed when they have the biggest advantage, dark and cold means a lot less to the fish with more mass.

scott

I am an early morning person. I like to watch the world wake up and start their day.

That moment when the sun begins to rise and you physically feel the day change. It gets a little cooler, feels a little damper too. Close your eyes and listen real hard, you can hear the day start.

Even if you don’t catch fish, it worth it to me just to be out there.

I have in the past, but we're locked out up here and I've not felt like going ice fishing lately. My local waters have about 8" of ice with a layer of snow/slush on top.

I get out before the sun comes up fishing all winter long. I've caught some big winter bass in the early morning hours and one of my best winter banks never sees the sun during winter months because of the hill, trees, and it's position in relation to the sun.

Sun hadn't even cleared the trees.

Sun barely starting to clear the trees.

Almost still dark out.

Not even over the trees yet on a bank that will see zero sun the entire day.

@Bluebasser86

Proof that sometimes the fish behave opposite of what we may think.

I thought sunny banks were the ticket in cold water conditions, maybe not.

Bass like shade and night time regardless of temperature - especially in water that’s fairly clear to very clear. They don’t like being hunted by birds. The early morning and later afternoon both provide a confusing and intoxicating blend of obscurity and visibility that lasts very briefly and I think big ones use it every single day everywhere they live.

I’m of the belief that quality fish get conditioned and are pretty smart… the one exception where they develop amnesia for brief moments is over night. They sometimes forget they are being tracked, lured and caught by fishermen.

So even on cold mornings, I still think it’s the overall best opportunity to catch the bigger, smarter bass that have likely been caught at earlier points of their life.

5 minutes ago, Bird said:

Proof that sometimes the fish behave opposite of what we may think.

I think bass stay in their patterns until they don't.

8 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Bass like shade and night time regardless of temperature. They don’t like being hunted by birds.

That makes a lot of sense.

I'm just glad that Joe is jazzed about fishing again. I remember at the end of summer 2025, Joe's work-battered body was sapping some of his fishing joy, but he's winter-healed and ready to fish!

I'm meeting with a carpal tunnel surgeon next Wednesday. I've been diagnosed with severe carpal tunnel, so I'm hoping for surgery ASAP so that I can be healed before the ice is gone. I have 1,800 bass to catch this year!

Here are a couple bass caught around four in the morning:

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12 minutes ago, gim said:

That's what annoys me about this place sometimes. People post completely irrelevant information from 7 states away that really don't offer any advice.

What else can we do if we're seven states away? Not post? Do you think only Iowans should opine? I've applied plenty of advice from Southern anglers that caught me big bass.

To be frank, since "completely irrelevant" is an absolute, you lost me there. I think there's applicable wisdom to be gleaned from most comments.

Thanks @Swamp Girl for the positive vibes. And I hope you’re surgery goes well and heals fast.

Ya know what bothers me? The know it all bully’s on this forum that don’t necessarily contribute just give smart mouth answers. Some of the people on here are hammers. True fisherman and know fishing but also fish and their habits. I hesitate to even post questions on here after 15 years of bass fishing. And usually message to keep from getting ridiculed or violating some non sense rule because I said a brands name or some crap. I’ve been here a long time and love it. But my god. And ya know what? I don’t give a d**n if my guides freeze. I’m there to enjoy fishing and nature. Go be an elite series fisherman in your own mind on your boat. And catch those 10 pounders. And get ticked when ya don’t. I’ll enjoy my day all the same and know I tried.

7 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

Thanks @Swamp Girl for the positive vibes. And I hope you’re surgery goes well and heals fast.

Thanks! I need my right hand, for sure. I remember one big bass last fall that buckled my hand and freed itself. I've lost a lot of muscle from the pinched nerve.

Anyway, as far as rising early in the spring, I'd be doing it too if our water was soft. I remember standing in the snow last spring and getting skunked, but it was still great to simply cast after the long, dark, cold winter.