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Recorded 4 catches of Smallmouth bass in Illinois. Most active — June–November. A day-by-day bite calendar for Smallmouth bass.
Wednesday, September 2
The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Weather is steady, with no sharp swings — fish behave predictably.
Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).
Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.
In clear water, natural colors work best: jig with grub or crankbait.
It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must.
An average day — best chances during peak windows.
The computed water temperature is around 80 °F — warmer than the 59–75 °F comfort range for Smallmouth bass: in the heat it drops deeper and feeds less often.
Smallmouth bass works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.
Pressure is dropping 0.03 inHg over the day — fish are usually more active ahead of a weather change.
September is peak season for Smallmouth bass here.
These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works
Clear · feels like +100°
The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.
Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.
The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.
What are solunar periods?