I can time it out like a light switch.... When the sun falls just below the tree tops, the bite picks up dramatically. The only times I have done better during the day is when the front edge of a cold front is hours away. They eat anything in sight until the front arrives, then they shut down.
Favorite bait? Bigger fish like cut bait, especially fresh stuff you catch right there. They biggest numbers come on Sonny's Super Sticky Channel cat bait on tube worms. Google Sonny's Super Sticky, its become quite popular. You can buy it all over. It will catch cats like nothing else, just don't get any inside your pickup cab!