Seasons and weather – when and how fish bite

Water temperature drives fish behaviour more than anything else. Learn the yearly cycle and you know where to start.

By Filip Nyman · Updated 2026-10-21

Through the year

Period	Water temp	What fish do	Where and how to fish
Winter (Dec–Mar)	0–4 °C	Slow metabolism, gather in deep holes	Ice fishing; slow jigging for zander and perch; coastal sea trout on mild days
Spring (Apr–May)	4–12 °C	Spawning; pike and perch move shallow, sea trout feed along coasts	Shallow warm bays, inflows; slow lures; respect spawning closures
Early summer (Jun)	12–18 °C	Post-spawn feeding, garfish and tench active	Weed edges, reed belts; dawn and dusk
High summer (Jul–Aug)	18–24 °C	Predators go deeper or feed at night; thermocline forms	Fish deeper (thermocline 5–12 m), early mornings, late evenings, topwater at dusk
Autumn (Sep–Nov)	15–5 °C	Heavy feeding before winter; big pike and zander season	Drop-offs and deeper edges; larger lures; often the best season of the year

Stable or falling air pressure before a front often triggers feeding; the day after a cold front is usually slow.
Overcast and light rain make predators bolder and push them shallower.
Wind: fish the shore the wind blows onto – it pushes baitfish and food there and breaks the surface.
Bright sun: fish shade, deeper water and structure.
Moon and tides: on the west coast, moving tide beats slack; in the Baltic, wind-driven water level changes play a similar role.