Why 10 - 2? 2025
FishinDaddy reply :
I have heard in several different places that
"The best time everyday is 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
To pick a specific "Best Time" it would be noon."
I've just never heard why.
Catt reply :
The migration of shad to and from open water usually occurs during mid-morning or mid-afternoon; this is not necessarily the best feeding time but rather the start.
detroit1 reply :
My dad used to like 10-2, but it had nothing to do with baitfish. (i don't think) He was a dock and shade fisherman. He would clip a Kelly's plowjockey (pre-rigged worm) onto a sampo bb swivel and cruise the shore fishing docks and shade. It doesn't get much easier than that. O, those were the simple days. I wish he was still alive to see how i'm catching them now!
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
Probabilities and statistics 101
That's when the majority of people fish. The most common hours when people are on the water.
Ask anyone who fishes the dark side and they'll swear up and down, myself included, that the odds for bigger fish are greater at night.
Live.2.Fish reply :
QuoteProbabilities and statistics 101That's when the majority of people fish. The most common hours when people are on the water.
Ask anyone who fishes the dark side and they'll swear up and down, myself included, that the odds for bigger fish are greater at night.
I agree with LBH 100%. After reading about the "dark side" here, I gave it a shot one night. That night I caught what will probably be my second biggest bass of the year (unless I catch a bigger one this fall, but not likely). I'd say the odds are better at night, you just have to go fishing at night to get those odds.
Catt reply :
From someone who fishes nights 6-7 months out of the year namely me 
Sloppy technique is much more likely to show up in the bright day light. Bass can be hard to catch in daylight, not because they are shy or spooky, but rather because they are bold & curious enough to swim right up to see your bait is real or not.
Darkness covers up an angler's presence & most of all his mistakes. Bass don't feed as regularly at night as they do in the day but when they are feeding, it's far less of a problem to catch them.
The major periods are the first quarter new moon and the third quarter full moon; the times for the major periods are as follows.
1 ½ hours prior the moon reaching its apex & 1 ½ hours prior to the moon reaching its perigee.
What many anglers fall to understand is that during some moon phases the moon rises & sets during daylight hours.
wagn reply :
QuoteProbabilities and statistics 101That's when the majority of people fish. The most common hours when people are on the water.
Ask anyone who fishes the dark side and they'll swear up and down, myself included, that the odds for bigger fish are greater at night.
x3 on this
my PB was caught at night as well. I've fish all different times of night and day and I think that the only time that fishing is bad is when I'm not on the water
Paul Roberts reply :
I think some of this has to do with Doug Hannon's statements that he has caught most of his 10#plus bass between 10 and 2, and he had quite a following 10 years or so ago. I believe his reasoning was that large bass are efficient predators and, being primarily visual, they pick midday to hunt. I believe he was talking about clear water environments.
From what I've seen, I've always wondered about this claim, leaning toward what Catt offers: That during bright conditions bass are more easily put off by the artificiality of lures, and certainly sloppy presentation. Further, I've watched hunting bass under bright conditions in my shallow clear ponds, and have seen how easily bluegills can evade them, seeing the bass coming from a distance. Dark conditions provide bass an advantage, I believe -and anglers too. But these are average sized bass that I observe. Maybe Hannon is right that large bass feed when they please.
I'd like to hear Roadwarrior chime in here. He's a 10-2 adherent.
Catt reply :
I think the problem lies more with operator error than it does with meticulously painted or patterned lures.
80% of my DD bass came at night so to me darkness eliminates numerous problems such as blistering heat, high humidity, heavy traffic, & sometimes windy conditions.
Paul Roberts reply :
QuoteI think the problem lies with operator error than it does with meticulously painted or patterned lures.
Yeah. Paint jobs can't hide the fact that a lure is not food, made painfully obvious under high visibility conditions. Doing the right thing and putting it in the right places becomes critical under good lighting, whereas at night, chunk and wind can do the trick.
CRFisher reply :
10-2 has been my worst luck so far this year, had much more luck after 4:00PM and before 8:00AM.
roadwarrior reply :
Discovering 10 -2 was more coincidence than science for me. When
my family moved to Memphis is 1997 my daughter found a stable in
the country for her riding lessons. I noticed a pond in the back section
of the property and asked the owner if it was stocked with bass and
for permission to fish. He responded, "Sure, but I don't know if there
are any fish, I don't fish and it's never been fished since I owned the
land which has been ten years or so." BINGO!
Anyhow, my daughter's lesson just happened to be either side of noon
so that's when I fished. Over the next several years I caught a lot of
big fish and five 10+ on this pond. I also started fishing 10-2 on other
water.
BTW,
The smallmouth in my avatar were caught at approximately 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
8-)
fishizzle reply :
Also in the fall when the water cools, 10-2 is the best time because the water is warmest.
I like midday fishing because its easy to locate largemouth or lillypads
Fish Chris reply :
Yes ! 10am to 2pm ! Best tome BY FAR for BIG bass ! :-)
11am to 1pm is even better. I always plan tyo be on my best big fish spots during this time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But when you said 10-2, it reminded me of this:
A buddy of mine are talking about Bass... catfish... Carp... etc.... and he says something about > "Remember that 10-2 I caught" ? So I ask, "10-2 what" ? ..... to which my smart-arse buddy replies, "10-2 your own dam business" ! :-) LOL
Oh well. What are good buddies for, huh ? :-)
Peace,
Fish
Catt reply :
Chris can you fish your lakes at night?
Paul Roberts reply :
VERY interesting topic.
Catt:
QuoteThe migration of shad to and from open water usually occurs during mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
I've read about this daily shad movement, on the Yamamoto site. It reminded me of a similar, and quite spectacular, inshore movement of spottail shiners at dusk on Oneida Lake in NY. If you were fishing close to shore, the evening and morning bites could be great. But offshore fish would have to wait for brunch.
However, I've read that, in many if not most waters, shad are known to move away from shore at night, supposedly to avoid predation.
An internet friend who fishes offshore in a spotted bass/threadfin fishery has mentioned his records show his best fishing is midday as well. He says he isn't sure if it simply takes him that much time to locate active fish, or whether they "turn on" at that time. He hasn't commented on where his shad spend the night.
fishIzzle:
QuoteAlso in the fall when the water cools, 10-2 is the best time because the water is warmest.I like midday fishing because its easy to locate largemouth or lillypads
X2 on both points.
FishChris, I have to ask...But WHY????? Why do you think you catch more large bass at midday?
Certified Public Angler reply :
Question: You guys keep referring to night fishing as the dark side...is that why I see so many Darth Vader avatars around these forums?
Muddy reply :
I fish when I can, which allows me a lot of time on the water, at all different times. It's not like the bass can get up and leave. You gotta find em, find out what there hitting if the sun is up or down. 8-)
shorefisher reply :
Because RW said so that's why!
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
QuoteDiscovering 10 -2 was more coincidence than science for me. Whenmy family moved to Memphis is 1997 my daughter found a stable in
the country for her riding lessons. I noticed a pond in the back section
of the property and asked the owner if it was stocked with bass and
for permission to fish. He responded, "Sure, but I don't know if there
are any fish, I don't fish and it's never been fished since I owned the
land which has been ten years or so." BINGO!
Anyhow, my daughter's lesson just happened to be either side of noon
so that's when I fished. Over the next several years I caught a lot of
big fish and five 10+ on this pond. I also started fishing 10-2 on other
water.
BTW,
The smallmouth in my avatar were caught at approximately 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM.
8-)
Perfect example of what I was trying to say. That's when he fishes so,....that's when he catches.
I am assuming that FishChris likes these hours for the high sun. Can't sight fish w/o sun.
Muddy reply :
Quote from LBH:
Can't sight fish w/o sun.
Stevie Wonder Can ;D
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
um,...no,...he can't ;D
Raul reply :
Most of my biggest bass have been caught between 1 and 5 PM under bright sunlight and the scorching heat of mid day ( that down here can get to 110° 
).
LunkerLust reply :
Out of the 10 biggest bass I ever caught, I got 8 during mid day.
The other 2, between 4and 5pm.
J Francho reply :
5:07 PM
3:42 PM
8:26 AM
7:32 PM
5:00 PM (wearing a suit, fishing from shore, LOL)
3:10 PM
11:15 AM
5:54 PM
3:10 PM
I generally fish from dawn to dusk, with the exception of TX days, and quick trips after work. One of these fish is an after work fish. None may seem that big, but up here anything 5+ is a pretty good fish. I'm not getting anything close to that time slot, and in fact never heard of the 10-2 rule.
Its also worth mentioning that that one fish that came at 11:15 AM was one of 22 fish, all caught on a spinnerbait, all ranging from 3-4.5 lb., all from around 11:00 AM until 11:45 AM. One of two spectacular moments where the bite was on this year. The second fish was from a string of similar hot bites on a jig.
What I am aware of is that a basses vision is able to recover from drastic light changes faster than many baitfish, which could explain their crepuscular (dusk and dawn periods) feeding habits.
guitarkid reply :
QuoteProbabilities and statistics 101That's when the majority of people fish. The most common hours when people are on the water.
Ask anyone who fishes the dark side and they'll swear up and down, myself included, that the odds for bigger fish are greater at night.
Those are words I think everybody could go without hearing.
-tumnus
flatbass reply :
I had never heard of the 10-2 rule. I allways heard the hour before and the hour after sunrise and sunset. Thats pretty much been my experience.
Eddie Munster reply :
Broke PB twice this year; first one was at 5:50 PM in June, bright sunlight and then second one was at 11:00 AM in July shady though.
That being said, I think there are other factors that have more of a bearing on it than what a clock says. Moon phase, barometer, etc....just too much to think about. Go fish when you can and see what's happening at the lake.
Dan: reply :
I don't think about what time it is, I just fish when I have some.
spinners reply :
SINCE I AM A BEGINNER TO BASS FISHING,ONLY 3 YRS IN AND ONLY CAUGHT 3 DD BASS I CAN'T ADD ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE TO THE TOPIC ,BUT MY BIGGER FISH COME EARLY MORNING,OR NIGHT.
SPINNERS
=Matt 5.0= reply :
So by 10-2 are you talking 10pm-2am?
Raul reply :
QuoteSo by 10-2 are you talking 10pm-2am?
That would apply to stripper fishing.
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