FISH, like all animals, need to feed to survive and food provides the energy for them to swim and maintain their body metabolism. And their feeding habits are not unlike other animals, humans included, being governed by the course of the sun or more correctly the rotating Earth.
As the sun rises along with the temperature the fish become active and start to feed; conversely in the evening the setting sun is another opportunity for them to feed as the fading light may give them the edge on insects and other food. They may also feed when the sun is highest in the sky at midday.
Clearly, this is an over simplification as other factors such as atmospheric pressure may play a part and given the opportunity fish may take food at any time. However, there is a good correlation between the time of day and when fish feed.
On a fishing trip to Blenheim Palace (Oxford) on 22 August 2006, we caught just one species of fish (Tench) over a twelve-hour period and the chart below shows the numbers caught. Looking at the chart you can clearly see the peaks in the morning and evening along with possibly a peak at midday.
