What time of day do fish bite best?

First light and dusk are the peaks, especially for trout in summer. But fish bite in the middle of the day too, and in cold water, under cloud, deep, in mountain lakes and on the ice the day is actually best. Under the ice the window is often 10 to 14. Perch and grayling are pure daytime fish. Water temperature decides more than the clock.

Do fish bite in the rain?

Often better than in sun. Cloud and light rain soften the light, so fish will hold shallower and further out in open water through the whole day. Heavy rain that colours a river up is worse in the short term, but often makes for good fishing a day later.

Does the moon affect fishing?

Little in fresh water, and far less than time of day, water temperature and weather. Bright nights around a full moon can move the activity into the night in clear mountain lakes. Use the moon phase to choose between two days, not as a reason to stay home.

When do fish bite best? Day, weather and season

The best time to fish, by conditions
Conditions	Best time
Summer, water over 19 °C	Night, first light and dusk, or deep
Water at 10-16 °C	Much of the day, with peaks at first light and dusk
Cold water, spring and late autumn	Midday, 11 to 15
Overcast, 40 to 90 percent cloud	All day
Clear, under 25 percent cloud	Early, late or deep
Ice fishing in winter	Midday, often 10 to 14

The day, hour by hour

First light and dusk are the peaks: from 45 minutes before sunrise to a good hour after, and from a good hour before sunset to 45 minutes after.

First light
Often best
The fish have fed all night on insects and fry, and the light is low enough that they dare come onto the shallows. The window is short: reckon 45 minutes before sunrise to a good hour after.
Morning
Solid
Quieter than first light, but far from dead. The water is at its coldest now, and on hot summer days the morning is often the last chance before the fish go deep.
Midday
Underrated
Midday is the most underrated part of the day, and in cold water it is simply the best. If it is overcast, there is a ripple on the water, the water is cold, you are fishing deep, you are high in the mountains or there is ice on the lake, then fish at midday with a clear conscience. Perch and pike hunt by sight and need the light.
Evening
Building
The water is at its warmest and insect life picks up. Fish move back towards the shallows, and the last couple of hours before dusk get better by the half hour.
Dusk
Often best
The classic window, and for trout in summer the strongest of the lot: hatches, rising fish and a feed before dark. Reckon a good hour before sunset to 45 minutes after.
Night
Specialist
Narrow but strong in warm water: big trout move onto the shallows once it is dark and coolest. Needs familiar ground, a head torch in your pocket and a spot you know from daylight.

When is midday the best time?

Midday is best in six situations: overcast, with a ripple at 2-7 m/s, in cold water, at 6 metres or deeper, in the mountains early in the season, and on the ice.

Then you can skip the early alarm.

OvercastCloud cover turns the whole day into first light. The fish do not need depth to escape the light, and you can fish shallow from morning to evening.
Ripple, 2-7 m/sA little wave breaks the surface, hides you and stirs up food. Overcast with a ripple is the best condition there is, whatever the clock says.
Cold waterSpring and late autumn: the fish need the warmest hours to get active. Then 11 to 15 beats first light, and beats night by a wide margin.
Deep waterIf you are fishing 6 metres down or deeper, the surface light hardly matters. Trolling and jigging out from shore work all day.
High mountainsIn mountain lakes early in the season the water is so cold that the fish bite best once the sun has been on it for a few hours. Midday is the main window, not the exception.
Ice fishing, 10-14Under the ice, daylight is all you get, and the bite is short and in the middle of the day. First light in February is mostly wasted.

Do fish bite in rain and cloud?

Yes, often better than in sun: with 40 to 90 percent cloud the whole day is yours, and the first rain after a warm spell sets off a midday bite.

Cloud beats the clock

Under 25 percent cloud the light is bright and hard: fish early, late or deep. Between 40 and 90 percent the day is yours, all of it.

Wind: a little is good, a lot is work

Dead calm and mirror flat is the hardest thing you can meet. From 8 m/s up, casting and presentation become the problem rather than the fish: find shelter and go heavier.

Rain on warm water

The first rain after a warm spell cools the surface, adds oxygen and washes food into the water. It sets off a midday bite.

Stained water

Flood water and humus dim the light as well as cloud does. Then the time of day matters less and colour and contrast matter more.

What water temperature do fish bite best in?

Trout bite best in water at 10 to 16 degrees, fish turn sluggish under 6 degrees, and over 19 degrees trout and char go passive.

Fish are cold-blooded, so temperature governs how active they are, and therefore when they feed.

Under 6 °CSluggish fish. Fish slowly, deep and in the middle of the day, when the water is at its warmest. Ice fishing belongs here.
10-16 °CThe trout’s sweet spot. Fish are active through much of the day, and first light and dusk are the peaks, not the only options.
Over 19 °CTrout and char go passive and seek depth, cold inflows or current. The fishing moves to night, first light and the deepest water.
Warm suits somePerch and pike handle heat far better. A hot July day that is hopeless for trout can be good for perch on the shallows.

When in the year do fish bite best?

Early summer is the best time of year in Norwegian inland waters, and the biggest fish come in autumn.

Ice-out and springHungry fish in cold water. Shallows warm first, and the warmest hours in the middle of the day are the main window. Fish slowly.
Early summerThe best time of year in Norwegian inland waters. Hatches, long light evenings and active fish nearly around the clock.
High summerWarm water pushes the fishing to the edges: night, first light and dusk. At midday you need to go deeper or find running water.
AutumnThe water cools and the fish feed up before spawning. The bite spreads back across the whole day, and the biggest fish come now.
Winter and iceA short window in the middle of the day, often 10 to 14. Check the ice, and check the water is actually open for winter fishing: many licences cover the summer half only.

When do trout bite in the river?

In big rivers like Lågen and Gausa, mid June to late July is the best time for trout at eating size, 25 to 30 cm.

The rivers hold dense populations in that band, but the fish are extremely selective about when they leave cover to hunt. The season decides more than your patience does.

Mid June to late July

The peak

By far the best stretch of the season, and it opens once the worst of the spring flood has settled and the water warms. Mayfly and caddis hatches are at their most intense, and the fish switch from saving energy to feeding hard to make up for the winter. They are less shy and willing to chase anything that moves.

August, broad daylight

Slow going

The water is clearer and warmer, and the trout turn extremely shy while the sun is on it. Fish at dusk, through the night and early in the morning before the sun properly reaches the water. If you must fish midday, move to the rapids, the heads of pools and where the river narrows: faster water is cooler and carries more oxygen than the still pools.

Low water

Thin leader

Late summer in Gausa is the type case: a low, clear, quiet river makes the fish extremely careful. They get all the time they need to inspect the bait, and a thin, near-invisible fluorocarbon leader is often what separates a take from nothing. Active casting along edges and boulders beats standing still in one spot.

The last weeks before the close

A second peak

Just before the trout close, the bite can flare up again. The fish feel the temperature dropping and turn aggressive to build the last reserves before spawning and winter. In Lågen and Gausa that falls in the second half of August, since trout are protected from 1 September.

Minimum size first

Check the rules

The size you are after is not automatically the size you may keep. The minimum is 30 cm in Lågen and 25 cm in Gausa, so a 27 cm fish goes back in one river and can be kept in the other. Both cap you at five trout a season, and in Gausa you are asked to release wild fish whose adipose fin has not been clipped. Always check the water you are going to fish.

When does each species bite?

Perch, grayling and pike often bite in the middle of the day, whitefish at dusk and in the first hours of darkness, and trout and char at first light and dusk.

Brown trout

The classic: first light and dusk, strongest in summer. In cold spring and autumn water it flips and bites best at midday.

Grayling

A daytime fish. Grayling eat insects as they hatch, and hatches mostly come between late morning and afternoon. Look for rises and fish there.

Arctic char

Sits deep and cold, and comes up towards the shallows at first light and dusk. In winter it is one of the surest species on the ice at midday.

Perch

A pure daytime fish. Perch hunt by sight in shoals and need light, so the middle of the day is best. They almost stop feeding at night.

Pike

Lies in ambush and takes what passes, often at midday. In cold spring and autumn water the warmest hours are clearly best.

Whitefish

Takes mostly at dusk and in the first hours of darkness, usually on small hooks with worm or maggot near the bottom.

Does the moon matter?

Little: falling air pressure ahead of a change in the weather says far more about the bite than the moon phase does.

Falling pressure: go now

The hours while the pressure falls ahead of a change in the weather are often the best of the week. Rising pressure just after a front is usually the slowest.

Moon phase: weak evidence

We show the moon phase in the bite table because it tells you how light the night is, not because it predicts the bite. Plan by water temperature and weather first, and let the moon be the last thing you think about.

How to read your day

Read four things in this order: the water temperature, the cloud and wind, the species you are after, and the time you actually have.

1. Water temperatureCold water? Fish midday. Warm water? Fish night, first light and dusk. This decides more than anything else.
2. Cloud and windOvercast with a ripple opens the whole day. Clear and calm closes it down to the edges.
3. The species you are afterPerch and grayling are daytime fish, big trout and whitefish belong to the edges and the night. Pick your time by the species, not by a rule.
4. The time you actually haveThe rule that matters most: a trip in the middle of the day beats a trip you never take. Adjust depth, colour and pace, and fish when you can.

Today’s windows where you are

Common questions

What time of day do fish bite best?: First light and dusk are the peaks, especially for trout in summer. But fish bite in the middle of the day too, and in cold water, under cloud, deep, in mountain lakes and on the ice the day is actually best. Under the ice the window is often 10 to 14. Perch and grayling are pure daytime fish. Water temperature decides more than the clock. The day, the weather and the season
Do fish bite in the rain?: Often better than in sun. Cloud and light rain soften the light, so fish will hold shallower and further out in open water through the whole day. Heavy rain that colours a river up is worse in the short term, but often makes for good fishing a day later.
Does the moon affect fishing?: Little in fresh water, and far less than time of day, water temperature and weather. Bright nights around a full moon can move the activity into the night in clear mountain lakes. Use the moon phase to choose between two days, not as a reason to stay home.