Is it really better to get out really early in the morning or does it not matter. Or does it matter on what your fishing for if you should get there early.
Sorry bout all the questions

thanks in advance

Hey, ask all the Q's you want - that is a big part ot the BB here. ...

Both water conditions and the fish targeted make a ifference of whether it's worth getting up a 0'dark thirty to fish or not. I'd say that if you want to maximize your chances to catch fish you should start at daybreak - both to get in on any early morning bite and to get a longer amount of time to fish that day. But sometimes the bite gets better later in the day. Examples of that are winter steelhead in really cold or murky water (such as between 37 to 40 degrees), and fishing big waterways such as the Columbia where the tidal flows are more important than early moring (best there thru high tide and the outgoing tide for chinooks - except the lower estuary where the incoming tide is best). The smaller and medium rivers for winter steelhead will typically warm up a couple degrees by mid to late morning and that can often make the bite get better. Same for chinooks, but not as common a condition in fall and spring. During those seasons is often important to get there before it's light out so as to get a good fishing spot, more than for an early morning bite. Another time it's important to fish from daybreak is for summer steelhead. That's when the summer water is the coolest and the sunny days are the dimmest before they become more spooky and hide in waterwater riffle pockets or the deepest hole in the pool, where they are challenging to get to strike in the sun. ... On some weekdays the afternoons can be good to fish because most guys have left and the fish have recovered from the morning pressure.

i also listen in the am for singing birds, if they are going crazy singing i look forward to a good day, if they are real quiet it`s not usualy that good of a day.

I like to get going at the crack of noon, regardless of water conditions.(not cause im lazy) Ive seen summer runs go on the bite in crystal clear water in the middle of August, when you couldnt buy a strike earlier that morning. I hate rushing for first water. Just let the chips fall where they may and go bat cleanup.

RT is right though, there are certain situations where early, early moring are tops. (reiter...lol)

fish on....

Just a week and it's 3:00 - 3:30 every morning RT's got good advice ... sometimes you go early, sometimes late, I do both with very good success overall. Keep notes on each fishery / condition and you'll know hich to do

I don't really know why, but when fishing steelhead in the winter, I usually have much better success when the air temp. is warmer than the water temp. Don't know why this makes a difference to the fish, but seems to hold true a lot. So, I rarely get up and go very early anymore.

hey mike
Maybe you can just feel more bites when your hands are defrosted jk
I go any time I can no matter if its morning lunch or dinner. Just got to get your bait infront of the fish.

danceswith,
You may have a point there. I fish some COLD days over here. My wife wonders about someone who will fish on days hovering around zero.