In bass fishing the weather, time of year and conditions can play a key role in determining how good the fishing is going to be on your fishing trip and what baits and lures you should throw.
Overcast and cloudy days are a condition every angler will face and they can present some great fishing opportunities and some unique challenges. Some anglers often wonder is the fishing good and do bass bite on cloudy days?
Bass are often more aggressive and tend to bite more on cloudy days and in overcast conditions. During these conditions bass tend leave the comfort of cover and roam around searching for food. They are generally more aggressive and more willing to bite. Cloudy and overcast days can be a great time to catch bass.
In order to take full advantage of cloudy fishing conditions, you’ll want to make sure you throw the right lures and fish key areas. This will help you maximize your chances of success and ensure you have a great time out on the water.
In this article, I’ll share with you the best bass fishing lures to use on cloudy days and the key areas you should look to target when the weather turns overcast. As well as some tips and tricks that will help you catch more fish.
Let’s get started.
Benefits of Fishing On Cloudy Days
First things first. Why is the fishing typically better on cloudy days? During cloudy and overcast conditions fish tend to have less visibility and feel more comfortable roaming around. Bass will leave heavy cover and search for food.
This combination is why many anglers say that overcast and cloudy conditions is prime time bass fishing weather. Here are some of main benefits of bass fishing on cloudy days.
Advantages of Cloudy & Overcast Conditions
- Less visibility for the fish
- Bass tend to roam more
- Bass can become more aggressive and willing to bite
- Fish will leave heavy cover
- Strike zone is typically larger
- You can throw reaction style baits
Knowing the bass fishing can often be better when the weather becomes overcast and cloudy is important. However, being able to take advantage of these conditions is crucial.
Let’s take a look at some of the best bass fishing lures to use when fishing in cloudy and overcast conditions.
Best Bass Fishing Lures for Cloudy & Overcast Days
The great thing about fishing in overcast conditions is that it opens up a ton of baits and lures you can throw. I’ve put together the following list of what I think are the best baits and lures to throw on cloudy days.
Topwater Lures
Any time I get an opportunity to throw topwater lures I am all in. Most anglers will start off their mornings throwing some type of topwater lure but will go away from it when the sun is high. This is typically a good rule of thumb.
However, topwater lures can be effective all day when there are clouds and overcast conditions. This is especially true when you are fishing in the rain.
The combination of cloud cover impacting the light penetration and the rain breaking up the surface can make for a great top water bite.
My favorite topwater lure to throw when it’s cloudy is the River2Sea Whopper Plopper. It allows you to cover water and there is something about it that bass simply can’t resist.
Crankbaits
One of my all-time favorite ways to catch bass is with a crankbait and cloudy and overcast conditions are a great time to throw them.
If you are targeting shallow water that have rock, wood or other types of structure a square bill crankbait can be a killer option. The erratic movement of the square-bill as it bounces off structure makes it difficult for any nearby bass to resist.
If the areas and fish, you are targeting are in deep water somewhere in that 5 to 15-foot zone a medium to deep diving crankbait is the better option.
Anytime there is grass or I’m fishing in the early spring or fall that’s when I’ll bust out the lipless crankbait. The tight action and sound have a way of triggering strikes and catching big bass. They are also super versatile and can be fished at pretty much any depth.
On cloudy days selecting the right crankbait color is key. I personally like throwing brighter and bold colors, white and chartreuse is my favorite crankbait color combination.
If you catch a day when’s its over cast a crankbait should be at the top of your lures to throw. They allow you to cover water and do a great job at getting a reaction strike from any nearby bass.
Spinnerbait
One of the most versatile and effective bass fishing lures to use on cloudy days is a spinnerbait. The combination of flash and vibration can produce in a big way when the conditions are right.
Another big benefit to the spinnerbait is that it’s weed-less making it extremely versatile and can be fished just about anywhere. You don’t have to worry about it getting hung up and can throw it at and around heavy vegetation and cover.
On cloudy days I find that gold and brighter painted blades tend to work better than silver blades. I prefer to use willow bladed spinnerbaits but there are a lot of anglers that have success with Colorado blades as well.
I’ve found the key to effectively fishing a spinnerbait is to mix up your retrieval. Try mixing up the speed and throw in a few rod twitches here and there until you can find a cadence that bass will react to. The right way to work it can vary depending upon the day and the mood of the fish.
For more information and tips on how to fish the spinnerbait effectively check another one of our articles: What is a Spinnerbait and How to Fish One Like a Pro
Chatterbait
The chatterbait is another versatile reaction style bait that can produce some big bites. Some anglers think of the spinnerbait and the chatterbait to be interchangeable. However, I look at them very differently.
The chatterbait doesn’t have the flash that a spinnerbait does but it does have a similar vibration. I like to fish the chatterbait at the bottom of the water column bumping it into rocks and through grass.
The chatter bait works great on cloud days because of its vibration. It’s not as bulky as a spinnerbait and can stil get big bites just a like a regular jig would.
Where the chatterbait really shines for me is in shallow stained water and especially in grass. However, you can fish it a variety of places when faced with overcast and cloudy conditions.
For tips on selecting the right chatterbait trailer check out this article: The Best Chatterbait Trailers that Catch More Fish
Swimbait
In the past few years’ swimbaits have been a big time producer for me and work extremely well on cloudy days. They allow you to cover the same water that a crankbait or chatter bait would but they are far more natural and less intrusive.
They don’t have the same flash or vibration that other reaction style lures have but they do a better job at fooling bass into thinking they are getting an easy meal.
The swimbait category is very large and there are a ton of different sub categories and baits that can work well.
If you are wanting to truly trigger a reaction strike there is perhaps no better way to do that than with a glide bait. The side to side swimming action of this bait can trigger some incredible strikes and call bass from far way.
On the other hand, if you are targeting bigger fish in clear water than a big swimbait like the Huddleston 68 is a dynamite option.
If you are after numbers or your bass are being picky throw a 3.8 Keitcech on a light weight swimbait head and you’ll have a lot of success. Sometime dropping down in size can even trigger the bigger ones to bite.
Overall the swimbait is a great lure to choose when fishing in overcast conditions. They are very natural and do a great job at looking like any easy meal for any nearby bass. They are definitely something you should try the next time your faced with these conditions.
What Color Lures to use on Cloudy Days?
On cloudy days’ the sunlight is unable to penetrate the water because of the cloud cover. As a result, the bass have less visibility making it harder for them to distinguish what’s real and not real. They also have a harder time seeing your lures and bait. This can be a big advantage to anglers at times.
The best color of lures to throw on cloudy days are bright bold colors like chartreuse and white or darker colors like black and blue or green pumpkin. These lure colors will help your lure stand out and draw the attention of more bass.
For more insight on choosing the right bass fishing colors based on the conditions, check out this article: How to Choose the Right Bass Fishing Colors.
Bass Fishing Tips for Fishing on Cloudy Days
In my experience some of the best bass fishing days that I’ve had have been on cloudy and overcast days. If you are fortunate enough to be able to catch a lake during these conditions the odds are you’ll have a successful day.
Here are some key tips at strategies I’ve been able to use to help me have more success catching bass on cloudy days.
Cover Water
In overcast and cloudy conditions bass tend to leave tight cover and roam around more. As a result, they will be more spread out and you’ll want to cover a lot of water to find them. This is where moving baits like crankbaits and swimbaits are key.
Use Bold & Dark Colors
The cloud cover in overcast conditions allows less light to penetrate to the water making it more difficult for the bass to see. For this reason, I find it best to use bold colors like white and chartreuse or dark colors like black and blue and green pumpkin. These colors will help your lures stand out and allow the bass to track them down easier.
Throw Reaction Baits
Like a mentioned above, covering water is key if you want to have success catching bass on cloudy days. The reaction style lures that we covered in this article will allow you to cover water and trigger aggressive bass into biting. Take advantage of these conditions and throw fast moving baits. They are way more fun to fish with and can be extremely effective.
Target High Percentage Areas
To find the most bass and give yourself a chance to catch a monster target high percentage areas. These are areas that have the best cover, vegetation forage and everything a bass would want or need.
Here are some of my favorite areas to target on cloudy days:
- Points
- Flats with ledges
- Grass
- Rock piles
- Humps
- Creek channels
- Brush piles
- Docks
Wind & Current Are Key
If there is wind or you can find some type of current these are high percentage areas that will typically hold a lot of fish. Use this to your advantage. While the wind can make it difficult to cast and navigate it can also turn on the fishing. Find a bank with structure that has wind blowing into it and you’ll find a lot of bass.
Mix Up Your Retrieval
A bass fishing tip that I learned a long time ago that will help you generate more strikes is by mixing your retrieval. By mixing up the speed, cadence and pauses of your lure will help you trigger more bass into striking.
Bass are opportunistic predators meaning they take advantage of easy pray and small changes to your retrieval like a pause, increase in speed or deflection off cover are great ways to trigger their natural instincts
Make Long Casts
Your casting distance can play a big role in your overall bass fishing success especially in overcast conditions. Long casts allow your lure to be in the strike zone longer making giving you a far better chance at catching fish.
Long casts are especially important when fishing in clear water. You’ll be less likely to spook the fish and can increase your catch rate substantially.
Use Scent
A great way to get more bites on cloudy days is to add some scent to your baits and lures. A lot of anglers fail to do this which can be a big mistake. Adding scent will help mask repelling odors and give the bass something to taste when they strike which typically means they will hold onto it longer. This will help you stick and land more fish.
Other Bass Fishing Resources
- Bass Fishing in The Rain – Complete Guide
- Best Early Morning Bass Fishing Lures
- Best Windy Day Bass Fishing Lures
Final Thoughts
Overcast and cloudy days presents bass fishing anglers with some incredible opportunities. During these conditions bass will become more comfortable and aggressive which can make for some great fishing days.
To give yourself the best chance at catching bass when it’s cloudy, I’d highly recommend throwing the reaction style lures mentioned in this article. These lures have been proven winners in overcast conditions and will allow you to effectively and efficiently cover water and catch bass.
