Best Fishing Times and Dates from the Old Farmer's Almanac
When is the best time to go fishing? See the 2023 best fishing dates and times from The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s fishing calendar. And enjoy some great fishing tips from Almanac anglers!
When Is the Best Time to Go Fishing?
The best times to fish are when the fish are naturally most active. The Sun, Moon, tides, and weather all influence fish activity. For example, fish tend to feed more at sunrise and sunset and during a full moon (when tides are higher than average).
Best Fishing Times
- One hour before and one hour after high tides, and one hour before and one hour after low tides. Inland, the times for high tides correspond with the times when the Moon is due south. Low tides are halfway between high tides.
- During the “morning rise” (after sunup for a spell) and the “evening rise” (just before sundown and the hour or so after).
- During the rise and set of the Moon.
- Just before the arrival of a storm, although the falling barometric pressure will eventually slow down the rate at which fish feed. (But even during stormy periods, the fish aren’t going to give up feeding. The smart fisherman will find just the right bait!) Angling can also be good when the pressure is either steady or on the rise 1 to 2 days after a storm. High pressure accompanying clear weather can bring on sluggishness and reduced activity.
- When there is a hatch of flies—caddis flies or mayflies, commonly. (The fisherman will have to match his fly with the hatching flies or go fishless.)
- When the breeze is from a westerly quarter rather than from the north or east.
- When the water is still or slightly rippled, rather than during a wind.
However, most of us go fishing when we can get the time off, not because it is the best time! But there are best fishing days, according to lore:
Best Fishing Days for 2023
Fishing is said to be best during the time between a new Moon and a full Moon. This is what the Almanac’s Best Fishing Days are based on.
| Month | Best Fishing Days |
|---|---|
| For the year 2023 | |
| January | 1–6, 21–31 |
| February | 1–5, 20–28 |
| March | 1–7, 21–31 |
| April | 1–6, 20–30 |
| May | 1–5, 19–31 |
| June | 1–3, 18–30 |
| July | 1–3, 17–31 |
| August | 1st, 16–30 |
| September | 14–29 |
| October | 14–28 |
| November | 13–27 |
| December | 12–26 |
→ For customized Moon phase times, see our Moon Phase Calendar.
→ Read more about Fishing Folklore.
Tackle Box Checklist
Be prepared! See our list of what to put in your fishing tackle box.
How to Fish Without Fail (According to Almanac Readers)
It should come as no surprise that many Almanac readers love to fish. Here are some of the best tips from experts:
- “The best way to fish in South Texas with chicken liver is to let it sit a while in the good Texas sun, then sprinkle a little garlic powder and a little chili powder on it. This combination makes the liver pasty, and it will stay on your triple or single hook with little to no problem. I do offer a warning, that pow you will feel on your line is going to be one big Texas size catfish, so get ready and have some good Texas fishing fun.” –Ramiro Vela
- “A really good bait I have found is hot dogs with chicken meat. Cut them into desired pieces and set in the sun to ‘dry up’. When they are ‘dried’, they will stay on the hook better. You can put them in a bag in the freezer to keep. Brim and catfish will bite this bait.” –Jean Cannon
- “The best catfish bait are catalpa worms. You can put what you don’t use in the freezer with a few catalpa tree leaves. When you are ready to fish again, take them out and they come back to life. Start reeling in the big cats.” –Joey Brown
- “To find the big cats, it would help out if you knew the underwater structure of the pond, river or lake. Find DEEP holes with lots of cover as in over-hangs. Gravel pits are a great place to fish for cats.” –Todd Heil
- “The best catfish bait that I have found fishing for catfish anywhere bar none is shrimp, yeah it’s a little costly but let me tell ya somethin’ friend, it’s worth it.” –Chuck Hubbard Jr.
- “I am Blackfoot American Native. We live to fish and hunt our meals. A true hint in catfishing is never to use any type of scents (Cologne, powders, perfume, etc.) Don’t handle cigarettes or any type of tobacco products without washing your hands before applying baits, hooks, sinkers, new line, etc. The fish know these things.” –Tommy Bays
- “The absolute best way I know to keep your liver on your hook while fishing is: Buy 1 or 2 old plastic ice trays. Go ahead and bait your hook the best you can. I use a “threading” action. Place the hook and liver into the ice tray and let it freeze throughout the night before you go fishing. When you are ready to go fishing, just twist the old ice trays and take the liver cubes and pack them in a bag and put them in a container of ice.” –Chris Payne
- “In Kentucky where I live we use bait store crickets and mill worms floated with a bobber. Put three or four crickets and a couple of mill worms on a hook and hold on! You have you try different depths until you find the fish. Once you find them you can have a lot of fun catching all sizes. I have caught them from squeakers to 62 pounds on this bait, so good luck!” –Kenny Conley
- “I’m 68 years old and fish every chance I get. My daddy always told me to watch the cows. If they are up and eating, go fishing. If they are down resting, you might as well stay home. So far this has worked pretty well.” –Edna James
- “The best bait I have used here in Bradenton, Fla. is fresh mullet that has never been frozen. Catch them late afternoon or at night. Catch them as long as your leg. Good Luck!” –Bill Suggs
- “As the water in your minnow bucket warms the minnows will slowly die. They need a very cool temperature to survive. Never put ice cubes in with live minnows. The chlorine in the water stays and will kill your bait. Freeze water bottles then gently place them in the bucket. Usually one will be enough.” –Alec Plummer
- “Try it all, love the outdoors and keep a bait in the water. You won’t catch anything if you aren’t out there!” –Jody Wolf
Read some Unbelievable (but True) Bait Secrets and The Four Fundamentals of Successful Fishing too, and you’ll be all set.
Add your own suggestions in the comments below!
Got any fantastic fishing tales? Share them below, too!
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I use nightcrawlers for my catfish bait. I grow some of the biggest nightcrawlers in my flower beds, so any time that I'm working in my flower beds or if I'm planning to go fishing soon, I use my little garden tool to rake the wood chips over to the side and use my little spade to dig down into the soil searching for fresh ones. I collect any and all that I find and store them in coffee cans. I wet down newspaper to layer over the top of the soil and keep it damp, then store them in the closet in our basement. (I used to store them in our garage until my curious cat discovered what I was keeping in the cans.) I'm from the old school, and I believe every child should get the chance to experience the simple joys of life that mother nature provides. I started my 3 grandsons from the very beginning, which was digging for nightcrawlers. That was quite a challenge, and it was a struggle not to laugh while the 3 boys were trying to decide who was going to pick up the first worm. Like I said, I grow big ones, so they do look a lot like a snake, and they move fast too! Ha! I had purchased each of the 3 of the boys a short rod and reel, (a Sponge Bob, a Superman, and a misc. one) and one tackle box to share. I took them to a private pond that had a dock to fish off of, and showed them how to bait their hooks with their worm. They weren't too fond of the wiggling creatures, but they got the job done. We were finally ready to cast out. Since they weren't able to cast out very far at first, the only fish they caught were small perch. You would've thought the youngest one had caught a big shark the first time he caught a fish. He forgot all about reeling it in until I reminded him. They were all quite excited when they caught their first big catfish, as they like to put up such a fight. These have been some of the best and most memorable times of both my life and theirs. They still talk about these times and how much fun they've had spending time with me, which warms this old gma's heart so much! We still go fishing together, but not as often since they are all teenagers now. I still use the Sponge Bob pole now and then, and I've caught some big catfish while using it. Lol! I still collect nightcrawlers, and on a good year I'll save them in 5 gallon plastic buckets. I do hate worm juice though, so I usually wear plastic gloves. Lol! I hope someone enjoyed my story. Thank you for allowing me to share it. ~Missouri GMA
Thoughs are the best memories and so deeply satisfying. Simpler times.
Big Brother would say we can fish anywhere anytime for anything Al lets roll.
To get chicken liver to stay on my hook….I cure them. Get them as dry as you can, then sit them in a bag of salt. The livers toughen up. Whatever structure I’m fishing for cats, I am (8-10) inches off the bottom. TIGHT LINES!!
DeeCee,
NorCal
Kenny Martin down here in Madison county Georgia on broad River we take the fishing net sane get in the creek and sane for go devil's stretcher worms that's the best for the river as far as lakes my granny Marty booth used chicken liver never come home without two stringers of fish never as in the ponds and I've been to some ponds with her where they only bite dough balls I've also seen my Uncle Junior go to the river when they wouldn't bite nobody catching no fish midsummer for months nobody catching in he got a certain part of the river certain Rock go out there and let it wash up under that Rock get a mess cat fish every time Cal James c booth and Marty Scarborough booth we would have all starve to death y'all held a empire together and when y'all died it all crumbled up little pieces and fail Kenny Martin
These flathead ,channel cat & White river aka (hump back) here in Tallahatchie, County which is located about 100 miles south of Memphis,TN like Polly wad about 5 to 8 inches long another name for them are mud cat! You can catch some pretty good size fish with them!
I dont care what you say the best thing to do is buy a throw net learn online how to throw it properly and catch the bait the catfish in your area are already feeding on and use it as cut bait or whole live on limb lines. In my neck of the woods its shad, and what i am going to tell you next is the single most important thing of the whole paragraph. When using shad for cut bait the shad must be alive when you cut it i repeat the shad must be alive when you cut it and put it on your hook. If your shad die throw them out and go catch more. When shad die they secrete some type of oil that turn the fish off sure the little ones might bite it but if you want to catch them hogs they will not touch it if it's dead before you cut it. they must be alive so you can't go to the bait shop and buy the Frozen shad and expect those forty pound blue to bite. They to have to be alive when you cut them I can't stress this enough those of you who pay attention to this or about to be extremely rewarded in your catfishing to come. good days on the water to all. One more thing if one is dead throw him out, dont leave him in with the others and invest in some of that blue water stuff for bait fish.
Best fish bait for cats i have found is shad gizzard with rod and reel crawldads with throw or trot lines
If the fog is rolling across the water. Might as well go home. David Beck
Channel cats will eat pretty much anything as long as you're in the rite spot and time of day/night. I only use two types of baits, cut bait (chubs and bluegills) and raw shrimp. Don't get the pink shrimp confused with raw, get the raw!
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