East or West side in the early morning?

PassinBass · July 16, 2017, 04:10:12 PM

When fishing early in the morning just after sunrise, is there an ideal side of the body of water to fish? Is it best to fish the east side where there is still shade or is it better to fish the west side where the sun is beginning to shine on the water?

Is there a rule of thumb on this or is it preference? Does it matter the type of lure you are throwing? Are there any other factors to take Into consideration when determining which side of the body of water to fish in the early morning? Is it completely irrelevant? Thanks!

Oldfart9999 · July 16, 2017, 06:39:23 PM

I hit any shady spots I know hold fish first.
Rodney

coldfront · July 16, 2017, 06:56:48 PM

if there's no fish holding cover/structure, or more important FOOD fish... shade is not that relevant.

I'd select available food OVER shade any time. that being said, if there's food, cover then the third choice is light.

flowerjohn · July 16, 2017, 07:21:05 PM

I have a look at the wind and what it is doing. I like shores where the wind is blowing toward as a starting point. If it is calm and topwater looks to be an option then I will look for areas where there is a distinct line between light and shade since forage may be hanging on to that edge of shade so I figure the lunkers will still be hanging there as well.

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zippyduck · July 16, 2017, 10:56:38 PM

Quote from: flowerjohn on July 16, 2017, 07:21:05 PM
I have a look at the wind and what it is doing. I like shores where the wind is blowing toward as a starting point. If it is calm and topwater looks to be an option then I will look for areas where there is a distinct line between light and shade since forage may be hanging on to that edge of shade so I figure the lunkers will still be hanging there as well.

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X2 wind is my best friend

PassinBass · July 17, 2017, 06:36:57 PM

Thank you for the replies. It sounds like I should be looking at cover/structure first along with wind, and then pay attention to the shade only if there isn't any discernible cover or wind.

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flowerjohn · July 17, 2017, 07:05:39 PM

Quote from: PassinBass on July 17, 2017, 06:36:57 PM
Thank you for the replies. It sounds like I should be looking at cover/structure first along with wind, and then pay attention to the shade only if there isn't any discernible cover or wind.

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Passinbass I like this thread you started so perhaps with the help of a few on this forum we can unravel it a bit more. There are many variables to fishing for largemouth. I will restrict my comments to only that species but some of what follows may generalize to some other species. The critical ingredient for any predator fish is forage and as much as we all work through the various factors such as light, wind, water temp, air pressure etc... we are actually trying to determine what the forage are doing since the presence of largemouth or any other species only derives from where the food is at that moment.
Sometimes as fisherpeople we overlook that simple fact and that causes us to have to work backward without knowing it. The keys I think are to be observant and to rely on our experiences.
Have you ever walked the bank or looked over the edges of the boat to see if forage are balled up or even present? It may give some clues.
Are water birds diving or making a ruckus? Are the herons fishing the shore? All of these observations will help any angler perhaps not on a given day but over the long run it will help you to break the situation down. Keen observation and keeping in mind where the menu is hanging out will be your best predictor of where to fish but unfortunately there are many variables to consider and that I think is what keeps us all out there hunting. Good luck in your fishing adventures and keep all of your senses open. And I I might get some flack for this on here but use your solunar tables. They are a valuable tool when combined with other factors which if you take the time to learn will yield good results. Cheers. J.

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FlatsNBay · July 18, 2017, 05:28:51 AM

Fishing topwater on the east side in the morning could pro long the topwater bite as there will be longer period of shade. On the converse, the west side during colder months may warm up a degree or 2 warmer early in the day and might make the difference in finding active fish.

Oldfart9999 · July 18, 2017, 11:05:12 AM

Most of the lakes I fish have grass and I've found the fish tend to be home bodies. I don't look for bait because it can be hard to see in grass and I know that it at some point during the day the bait will come through. On my home water the grass is very sparse compared to what it used to, muddy water, swans, too much boat traffic but there are several places where I can find good fish. The cover is docks and there are sharp dropoffs, the bait fish use the inside of the docks as a roadway. I love breakwalls in 3 to 5 fow!!

And I like fishing the tops just inside the dropoff, quite often the bait is up feeding.
Rodney

PassinBass · July 23, 2017, 03:41:56 PM

FlowerJon am often looking in the water when I'm on the shore, kayak, or boat. However, I don't think I've ever seen any schools of baitfish in the freshwater lakes I fish. At most I might see a small handful of bluegills. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough or the lakes I fish have too much grass like the waters OldFart fishes.

On occasion I'll see wading birds but not too often. It does make sense to fish around these "natural fish finders" as that's what I look for when fishing salt water. I guess I've just never given it much though when it comes to freshwater because there aren't a ton of them flying around in a frenzy like they are on the salt water.

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