When Catfish Bite: A Deep Dive into the Best Time to Catch Catfish

Do you ever wonder what the best time of day to catch catfish is? I mean, it's something to think about for sure when you regularly try to catch catfish. Don't worry; the answer is simple, and I have got you covered with it. 

The perfect time of the day to catch a catfish mostly depends on the season you are catching it. In spring, the best time of the day for catching catfish would be the middle part of the day. As for summer, nighttime works out the best. Having said that, fall turns out to be the best season for catching catfish, and you can easily catch a lot of them during the daytime. 

I bet it's not enough information to get an idea of the whole thing truly. So, I recommend sticking until the end to learn more about the perfect timing for catching catfish. 

Considering the different seasons for catching the fish?

Well, aside from the time of the day, there is also the consideration of different seasons. As you may already know, fish tend to portray different behavior in different seasonal conditions. 

So, when you are planning to catch catfish, you will need to consider them individually and see how to approach this thing. Let's get through the seasons and how you should be approaching this. 

Spring 

Now, when it comes to spring, you will need to think about the specific time of the season. Are you fishing in early spring? In that case, you will need to start fishing in the latter part of your day rather than going at night or in the morning. It's when spring has just arrived after fall.

Fishing in the middle part of the day in early spring will give you the best results. Because Catfish become much more active with the rise of the water temperature. However, they tend to go in the deeper water, so you will need to bait aggressively to catch some fish.

In this scenario, crankbait reels help you lure out the fish from depth much faster and easier. With the best reel for crankbaits, you can cover up longer distances and reach deeper water. Also, for the best results, I would suggest using rattle crankbaits as it's great for targeting hungry catfishes. 

On the other hand, fishing at night in the late spring season gives you the best results. As the season nears summer, the middle part of the day tends to be quite hot. This makes the catfish go into the deeper levels of the water. That's why in late spring, nighttime works the best. 

Summer 

Similar to late spring, you will have the best result in summer if you are fishing at night. Night fishing in the late hours are the most active hours for catfish to roam around, and they become much easier for you to catch. You can go on from an hour before the sun sets to 2 hours after the sunrise. 

During this time, catfish come from the deeper end of the water and become much easier prey for you. Also, they become hungry during that time, so you can easily catch them using your bait. However, while doing that, make sure you are using the bait properly and giving them enough time to hook onto it.

However, if you want to catch catfish in the daytime during summer, you will surely need a boat. Because in that time, catfish usually stayed in the deeper water where you couldn't get access without a boat for the most part. 

Fall 

In my opinion, I would say fall is the best season to catch catfish. It makes catching them much easier because it's the spawning season for their primary prey, shad. Also, water during fall is much cooler than it's during summer. Because of this, catfish can come out from the deeper part of the water even in the daytime. 

Now, what makes fall the best season for catching catfish is that it comes right before winter. Because of winter, catfish tend to eat more and stay hungrier for the whole day. They have to eat extra to create the fat reserve for sustaining through winter.

This means you can find a whole lot of catfish throughout the day without any specific timing. Also, you won't have to worry about fishing at night in the fall season. This is why it's best to catch catfish in fall. 

Winter 

This is quite the opposite of a fall. I mean, winter, in my experience, has to be one of the worst seasons for catching catfish. Here's why catfish store a lot of fat in them during their fall feast. 

As a result, when you throw bait in the water in winter, they will most likely ignore it because they aren't that hungry. With all the fat reserved in their bodies, they don't feel hunger.

Because of this, catching catfish in winter will be the worst idea. What you can do is you can wait for early spring and then start fishing, or you will just be wasting your bait and time. 

As you can pretty much tell, the best time will mostly depend on the season. There is no fixed timing that you can follow all the time and get the same results. Along with that, you will have to consider the equipment you are using as well. 

Also, you have to think about what type of catfish is available in the water. Depending on that, you may need to choose the optimal season for catching catfish. Some fishes are more dominant in particular seasons than the other ones. 

Conclusion 

To wrap up this whole discussion, choosing the best time of day to catch catfish comes down to knowing the specifics. Knowing their food habit and routine makes a world of difference in this case. 

Overall, in terms of season, it's best to catch catfish during the daytime in fall, during the middle part of the day in spring, plus during nighttime in winter. That's the easiest way to go about this whole thing. 

Check out the best time to fish for bass if you also like to fish for bass.