Moon phase

[ramp 23]

Has anyone consistantly caught more or larger fish on one lunar phase than another ?

[T Mac]

Has anyone consistantly caught more or larger fish on one lunar phase than another ?

In Fisherman has documented their Master Angler Award catches for years...and matched them to the tables. There is a corelation.
Statistically... the Moon Phases do seem to positively affect big fish ...and their feeding....and thus, catches of larger fish.

[chamookman]

Ya beat Me to it Terry. Three days before - on - three days after the Full Moon is tops ! C-man

[PackerSmacker]

Ya beat Me to it Terry. Three days before - on - three days after the Full Moon is tops ! C-man

Yep. However, there are times when the fish feed so heavily at night during the full moon that I can't get bit during the day.

[Pooch]

I've learned to be a big time moon watcher. I even like to watch moon rise and set during the day.

Sometime when you are on a hot bite in the middle of the day, take a look around and odds are you might see the moon up someplace in the sky. A couple of us started to notice this years ago and while it doesn't always apply there appears to be a pattern here.

My personal best evening came a couple years ago during a full moon on a Canadian lake. My biggest walleye came during the dark of the moon in the middle of the day on the same lake. Probably dumb luck, but maybe not.

Pooch

[R.J. Ziert]

Couple water clarity, with humidity levels, cloud cover, shore lighting, debris in the water colum. Then add the phase and the angle of the moon "light" in the sky. The brighter the conditions at night, the deeper the bite. The darker the conditions, you may have no effectual bite at all. The only mystery here is that we can't see what's what because we enjoy the mystery.

[ramp 23]

Pooch I think your on to something about moon rise ,or it being visable in daylight. Thanks all for your experiences

[Texeye]

I would like to ask a follow up question for you guys who think it helps...were the majority of you night fishing?

I tend to agree with Smacker. When the moon is full at night I have found the day bite to be off, more often than not.

I think the predators feed on bait fish drawn to the top of the water column by the light of the moon. Shad are not easily drawn to a light when the moon is full. I have found if you fish under a light, the fishing is better on a dark night.

A lot of our tournaments fell on a full moon this year and most of them were tough fishing. Maybe there is no correlation but it sure seemed like it.

[T Mac]

[QUOTE=Texeye;1071272]I would like to ask a follow up question for you guys who think it helps...were the majority of you night fishing?[QUOTE]

If taking a trip somewhere.. I try to plan it for the New Moon... because I like to fish in far off locations during daylight better.

When I do fish at night... I try and do it around the Full Moon.

Just me.

[fsh4eye]

Ya beat Me to it Terry. Three days before - on - three days after the Full Moon is tops ! C-man

When you say 3 days before and 3 days after is best are you talking the bite at night or during the day time? Kinda confused on this part of it.

[MarkG]

My own experience has been that,at least in summer months, during a full moon, the day bite was slow except during the peak major TIMES. (solunar tables.) During the peaks the bite was quite strong but all other times nearly dead. Better be on your favorite spots during the peak times or miss it. As the days progressed after the full moon,the bite would seem to even out more day by day,and fishing would "seem" to get better. The "peaks" were not quite as fast, but the "nulls" were not as deep,and could catch fish during more hours of the day,and fish activity more related to normal factors like weather,light ,waves etc.

I don't fish at night much anymore,my night vision not that great,but when I did,fishing for me during a full moon was never as successful for me as I had hoped. Seemed to do better when it was darker.

[PackerSmacker]

[quote=Texeye;1071272]I would like to ask a follow up question for you guys who think it helps...were the majority of you night fishing?[quote]

If taking a trip somewhere.. I try to plan it for the New Moon... because I like to fish in far off locations during daylight better.

When I do fish at night... I try and do it around the Full Moon.

Just me.

Same here. Except if it is a cloudy full moon night, then the day can be good. Or if there aren't many baitfish in the lake.

[powerdive UL]

I say it's a stretch. "About 60% of Master Angler fish are caught during these times"--that being the days of the full and new moons, the 3 days before and 3 days after both, and the half moons. Do the math: 1+1+6+6+1+1=16 days identified as the "peak" time of every month. With the lunar cycle at 29 days, that's 55% of the available days.

Statistically insignificant, if you ask me. Probably even if you don't. :)

[Stoic Cynic]

I catch more walleyes on clear nights with a full moon (as well as the 2 days preceding it as well as the 2 after) than most of the month. This doesnt really take into account the idiosyncracies of each water though. Moving water is the biggest prerequesite for CO resevoirs; followed by weather; water level; water clarity; and then moon phase...

[R.J. Ziert]

The more master angler fish caught by use of the moon phases, the more people believe it is true. The more people fish during those times, the more it becomes true. . . only because of the increased number of people fishing those times, or noticing fish were caught during those times. Without considering all the variables, using the moon phases alone is just self manipulation. . . . mental masturbation.

[Grampa_Joe]

The more master angler fish caught by use of the moon phases, the more people believe it is true. The more people fish during those times, the more it becomes true. . . only because of the increased number of people fishing those times, or noticing fish were caught during those times. Without considering all the variables, using the moon phases alone is just self manipulation. . . . mental masturbation.

That's true. If you look at the Muskie's Inc data you'd only throw a black and silver bucktail from 11:00am to 2:00pm and you'd only fish in July.

Joe Carlson

[Hot Runr Guy]

I like full-moon fishing just because it's soooooo much easier to run back to the dock with moonlight than without. Easier to see the stumps, too.
HRG

[PackerSmacker]

The more master angler fish caught by use of the moon phases, the more people believe it is true. The more people fish during those times, the more it becomes true. . . only because of the increased number of people fishing those times, or noticing fish were caught during those times. Without considering all the variables, using the moon phases alone is just self manipulation. . . . mental masturbation.

Ah come on Ziert... No Santa Clause or Easter Bunny? OK. So what about the bite being better at night during the full moon. You are going to have a tough time talking me out of that one especially if the water is calm and no clouds...

[R.J. Ziert]

It's all about the balance of light penetration and food availabilty. . . any time - any where. Couple that with the best chance for the best level of stability, and you got em zeroed.

[powerdive UL]

I hate agreeing with Ziert, but I do. :)

PackerSmacker, I also catch more fish on nights around the full moon. (Daytimes, no difference that I can see.) But I absolutely don't believe it's because of the "biorhythms resulting from the moon's pull on the earth."

I tend to fish at night more at that time because it's a whole lot easier. There is no ambient light on the water around here, and it's a shoreline game. I can see what I'm doing. I can do it better.

Oh, and what Ziert said.

[PackerSmacker]

I hate agreeing with Ziert, but I do. :)

PackerSmacker, I also catch more fish on nights around the full moon. (Daytimes, no difference that I can see.) But I absolutely don't believe it's because of the "biorhythms resulting from the moon's pull on the earth."

I tend to fish at night more at that time because it's a whole lot easier. There is no ambient light on the water around here, and it's a shoreline game. I can see what I'm doing. I can do it better. These times were in the spring.

Oh, and what Ziert said.

I hate agreeing with Ziert too:D I don't know about the moon's pull on the earth.

What I do know is that there have been times where I have trolled the whole flipping lake during the full moon day and not got bit. In order to not get skunked I trolled at night during the full moon and got bites all over the lake. It was a night fishing bonanza.

[R.J. Ziert]

What a jerk for trying to put jerks on the other end of your lines.

The next time the moon is full, look for the man in the moon. Then, tilt your head to the right and see if you can also see the Ever Ready Rabbit. . . drum and all. Like many other things in life, it depends on what you are use to and how willing you are to see it another way. Don't hate me because I'm ugly fat, and old. Hate me for sitting by and not helping.

65 on 1/22/09 - old, a little fat, but certainly not ugly.

[PackerSmacker]

What a jerk for trying to put jerks on the other end of your lines.

The next time the moon is full, look for the man in the moon. Then, tilt your head to the right and see if you can also see the Ever Ready Rabbit. . . drum and all. Like many other things in life, it depends on what you are use to and how willing you are to see it another way. Don't hate me because I'm ugly fat, and old. Hate me for sitting by and not helping.

65 on 1/22/09 - old, a little fat, but certainly not ugly.

LOL! We were just having some fun with you. You always have a unique perspective and you are right on most (if not all) of the time. A lot of times we observe certain fish behavior but you can tell us why it is happening that way.

[jignpig]

I have kinda subscribed to the idea of "fish where the fish are" and "hunt where the game is"... Seems to work full moon, dark moon, and all the stages in between...

[MT_Cranker]

I agree with T-Mac. If I am fishing during the day I try and target new moon phases. If I am going to be night fishing I want it as close to a full moon as possible. Someone asked above where you might fish during a full moon. That completely depends on the time of year and what the bait fish are doing. I know many people that can only catch big fish on the full moon in the spring (these fish don't disappear). This is because in July, Aug, Sept they are fishing with the same lures in the same places as Apr, May, June. Bait fish obviously grow & change where they are spending time. My best advice is don't be afraid to change and explore a little bit.

[Crankbaiter]

It has been my experience that I have been more successful fishing on full moon nights 30 to 1 compared with fishing at night on a new moon.
Might be cause the one time I tried fishing on a new moon I couldn't see a darn thing so I hanen't tried it since......but I'm not positive....

[Pooch]

The last time we were in Canada during the full moon phase this is what we noticed and this may or may not only apply to the area we are fishing on this lake.

Fishing was really good until the moon was fully up. Once it was almost like daylight the bite was over. We moved deeper, shallower, switched baits, jigged, trolled everything and you could not buy a fish. The sonar unit was by then blank. I'm thinking that it was like daylight and the bait fish went away. Cisco's are the main forage in this lake, so maybe they went back to deep water and the walleye followed or dispersed.

Just prior to this sudden stop, the sonar looked like someone had painted a black stripe across the screen about four to eight feet deep in fifteen foot of water. Huge schools of baitfish? Didn't last long and it was gone and so was the bite.

This went on for several nights and was definitely a pattern that I only pretend to understand.

When it isn't full moon, the bite is fairly steady for several hours, then it too is suddenly over. I sometimes think that maybe large northern are drawn into the area by the commotion. I've had really large northern hit my caught walleye later in the evening on several occasions, but not earlier in the evening on this spot.

Your thoughts?

Pooch

[DJA]

On a Full Moon Day ( during day light hours) Is your best bite, Morning, Evening or Noon? How about the same day, but Moon rise, moon set or moon transit (Moon over head)
Have you ever noticed, if you have a good bite window, say at 9 AM on one day, the very next day the bite will be 45 min. to an hour later ( say at 9:50 AM)
Have you ever watched Cattle while you are driving through farm land, when one herd is laying down, almost all the herds are laying down, it's like the animals are on some kind of a internal clock