# The moon !



## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Anyone follow moon phases or set and rise times for fishing ?? Is there a particular time/phase you prefer to fish ??
I fish when I have a chance regardless of what the moon is doing but as I've begun to fish more at night I've become more and more interested in how moon phases and more importantly moon rise/ sets effect the fishing.
I've seen little effect from the moon phase , (full, half,and new moons )but I've become aware that some of my most productive times have been on the first few hours of the rise ( often mid day) and to somewhat a lesser degree of moonset but overall the most productive times are as the moon and sun rise/set near the same time and that is exactly what's happening this W/E. The moon ( almost new) is set to rise slightly ahead of the sun Sat but very close to sunrise on Sun, I'm hoping and curious to see if there is a feeding frenzy 
Get out there early morning and please post your results !
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## savethetrophies (Jul 4, 2014)

Very nice post dude! I love bass fishing at nite in the summertime. And it seems that if there is a full moon or bright moon I catch more fish. Ive always believed it to be they just see the jig better.. But I have always been curious about moon phases. Very interesting post. I will wet a line this weekend and see !


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## rutty (Feb 5, 2007)

yes. If you like to read get a book called moon up-moon down by John Alden Knight. The best book I have ever read (might be the only book I have ever read). It goes over the theory of tide and why animals are more active during different moon phases, etc. Tide is all about gravitational pull and you don't have to live by the ocean to experience the effects of it.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

rutty said:


> yes. If you like to read get a book called moon up-moon down by John Alden Knight. The best book I have ever read (might be the only book I have ever read). It goes over the theory of tide and why animals are more active during different moon phases, etc. Tide is all about gravitational pull and you don't have to live by the ocean to experience the effects of it.


I love to read and that books sounds very interesting, I'll check it out.
Night time Saugeye fishing is what really got me thinking about the effects the moon has on fish, many nights I experienced the best bite just as I saw the moon begin to clear the horizon and slowly I became more aware of rise and set times night and day. I make a point now to check the rise/ set times and it has proved to be interesting. I rarely adjust my schedule to fish the moon rise and obviously there are a whole lot of variables, mainly water levels and visibility for me, especially since I mainly fish rivers but it is an interesting subject.
I hope to fish tonight from around 2 to 10 am just to see what happens.
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

Main moon phases definitely trigger the fish.Full moon's best,then new moon,then quarter moons.2 days before,day of,and day after. Get into the waxxing and gibbous crescents,action slows.I plan a week's vacation during the full or new moon.
Of course,a cold front trumps all that.

I usually keep track of the majors and minors and majority of the time it's hogwash.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

I fish at night more often than during the day. While a full moon helps with my ability to see (assuming I'm not under a canopy) I've noticed no correlation to increased fish activity.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

RiparianRanger said:


> I fish at night more often than during the day. While a full moon helps with my ability to see (assuming I'm not under a canopy) I've noticed no correlation to increased fish activity.


 I agree somewhat, I believe rise times regardless of moon phase effect fish greater but I think the full moon affects fish that are spawning and I never miss a opportunity to fish the full moon in May for Whitebass/ hybrids, at other times I treat the brite moon much like I would the sun--- I fish in the shaded areas. I'm am becoming more and more convinced that something strange happens on the moon rise and especially when it coincides with the rising sun. I'm anxious to see what this weekend provides.
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## Lil Crappie (Jun 17, 2013)

My friend and I believe in the moon phase. Saugeyes seem to go by it. We really hunt deer by it. I read Field and Stream on deer hunting by the moon. They predict movement, and times. So One season I went by it. They predicted big bucks would go to bed at a certain time of day(10am), with a waining moon. And I saw it happen. I am sure there are variables. But there is something to it.


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## Lil Crappie (Jun 17, 2013)

http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx

Make sure you put in the correct zip code. 

This weekend should be good as it gets, mid- summer? But, there definitely are variables.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

The morning was not all I was expecting. I got on the river around 4 am. 1 -1/2 hours before moon rise.
The river seemed fairly dead, no fish jumping or bait breaking the surface, almost O fish in the shallows and no bites. 
It was well after dawn and moon rise before I finally caught a decent W/ bss and a pair of fair hybrids. 
I fished until about 9:30, slightly disappointed, very little active bait or trash fish except Gar.















Moon set is around 8:30 pm but I doubt I'll fish tonight unless we get some pop-up storms to elevate the river which was extremely clear.
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## Eatsleepfish (Aug 3, 2008)

Since the past 20 months have been almost exclusively at night (about 90% of the 300+ days fished) I have found a few interesting points in regard to the moon phases. Back when I was growing up and had a subscription to In-Fisherman, I pretty much only wanted to go fishing when the lunar calendars said the fishing would be good. What I can say now is that if I still fished like that, the bulk of my prized catches would still be out there without a thought of their existence. Lunar phases do matter, but every fish seems to have a preference and a number of other factors go along like weather and time of year. While I have lot of interesting finds on a few species, I will stick with the saugeye here since I have the most experience and most consistent patterns. I will only share a portion because what fun is it if everyone knows all of the secrets 
Contrary to popular belief, from my records during the past 2 1/2 years, the half moon is actually about the best phase for eyes. It consistently produces fish, sometimes lots of fish, month after month and in all seasons. Now, during certain seasons they bite better with a half moon and clear skies and other seasons they bite better with a half moon and cloudy skies. Interesting concept huh?
The new moon is my favorite for hunting the big girls. It is by far the best phase for targeting any large fish, but since we are talking saugeye I'll stick with that. The second full day after a full moon consistently produces larger eyes(20+ inches) however the day bite seems to be better than the night bite for this phase and it tends to happen a certain number of hours after sunrise. Because I'm short on time I will end with the full moon. This is actually my least favorite phase. I know a lot of people would say that's bs, but honestly when it comes to my records, the full moon is really only hot during the summer months and a certain month in the fall tends to be hot too. It's crazy that certain phases consistently produce good fish or numbers regardless of cloud cover and they aren't your big phases either. Some phases have a better bite during the day while others have a better one at night. Even still I can have things going well on a particular phase and out of nowhere they just don't show up. 
Sadly I haven't been able to fish for eyes this month and I only have a week to go to keep my saugeye streak alive. If I get one this month I'll be up to 27 months in a row of catching saugs. This blasted rain needs to quit now.


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

I muskie fish and moon phase, moon rise and set are discussed a lot. Here is a great article by Joe Bucher:
http://www.muskyhunter.com/moon-secrets/


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

Pike said:


> I muskie fish and moon phase, moon rise and set are discussed a lot. Here is a great article by Joe Bucher:
> http://www.muskyhunter.com/moon-secrets/


 Very interesting article and seems to confirms my belief that rise and set times trigger periods of activity and I am going to pay closer attention to moon phase and see if I find a pattern.
Thanks !
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

One of the best discussions I've seen on the boards in some time. 

I have never fished the moon phases before but I feel alot better when I'm heading out and my calendar shows it's peak Fishing time due to moon phase. I have never tracked my results to know how accurate this is but I've always found it interesting subject. 

ESF - 27 months in a row with a saug is ever IMPRESSIVE!!!


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

I never followed the moon phase or rise/set until I began night fishing but now I check them before or after each trip even day trips. My observations are far from scientific but I have noticed some effect even when moon rise is mid day and I have extended morning and evening trips to see what happens- it's not a given but on occasion I have been pleasantly surprised with nice fish ( and gives me an excuse to fish more). It's fun to keep an Eye on rise/set times even when your out in the day.
One thing for sure there's not a more Beautiful time to be on any river than during a full moon .
( One thing that trumps any moon phase or rise time for me is a rising river !)
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

If you are using an iPhone, there is an app called Solunar that I like pretty well. It gives you current moon phase, and major "Solunar" periods.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

www.timeanddate.com/moon/usa/cincinnati
I use this but I'm mainly only watching rise/ set times. You can add your zip or general fishing areas to personalize it.
I never had the patience to figure the solar periods from Field and Stream  find a time zone add four minutes latitude/longitude.
Good luck and Good Fishing !


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## TopRaider15 (Mar 10, 2015)

Get the musky hunter app, attached a pic of what the daily moon cycles looks like on the app. I usually fish Majors (rise and set) and minors (overhead and underfoot). I dont fish the moon religiously but have found a nice mid day pop during minors. Also full moons in the fall turn on the fish from my experience.


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## 1more (Jan 10, 2015)

What will happen when we get a total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

1more said:


> What will happen when we get a total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?


Fish will jump in the boat.


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## 1more (Jan 10, 2015)

I guess it will be dead quiet while it happens, they won't know what the hecks going on.
We shall see...


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## knuckleric (Mar 4, 2015)

1more said:


> What will happen when we get a total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?


The sun will go mostly dark and anyone fishing will attribute their luck to the eclipse, be it good or bad.


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## garhtr (Jan 12, 2009)

1more said:


> What will happen when we get a total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?


 Unfortunately for me , that's a Monday so my chances of being on the water are slim but that day will be a new moon with a early am moonrise(6: 40)
Very similar to the past W/E and I would treat it the same and try to fish from Daybreak to early afternoon ( or when ever I could find time to fish ).
IMO the eclipse will mean very little but ----?? -- I can't wait to find out !
Good luck and Good Fishing


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

1more said:


> What will happen when we get a total eclipse of the sun on August 21st?


i fished one once...total shut down for the day


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