Full Moon

[spinnerman]

How does a full moon effect fishing?

[Hoffer]

I like it because it extends the daylight and gives you a longer fishing day!

Seriously, I am sure there are others with more expertise on this subject but I have heard that the best times for fishing are 4 days after the full moon and 4 days after a new moon.

I would love to hear other opinions...I know on the coasts they talk about how it effects the tides and that can effect the fishing. However, we dont have tides around here...so it would be interesting to hear some other replies.

[Jethro80]

I'm not to sure how the moon would effect my fishing experience but I can tell you that a lot of weird things happen during the full moon.

[jwmiller33]

I'm not to sure how the moon would effect my fishing experience but I can tell you that a lot of weird things happen during the full moon.

like what???

[solbes]

I frequently catch walleyes on +/- 3 days within full moon on our clear lake. I've had the best luck in August, September, and October. Even if I'm not catching anything, I have a great time out there. Very relaxing.

[BobT]

Originally Posted By: Jethro80

I'm not to sure how the moon would effect my fishing experience but I can tell you that a lot of weird things happen during the full moon.

like what???

My wife spent most of her adult life working as a bartender/waitress and bar owner and she was always able to tell when a full moon was on the way without looking. She said people act a little more weird and have a more party-like mood. Some get a little more beligerent as well and for this reason she never looked forward to full moons.

As far as how it effects my fishing well...it makes it easier to see after sunset.

[paceman]

Interesting enough I have had tremendous fishing during the mid-day during the full moon. I do believe in the phrase "full moon - fish at noon".

[straydog]

My wife spent most of her adult life working as a bartender/waitress and bar owner and she was always able to tell when a full moon was on the way without looking. She said people act a little more weird and have a more party-like mood. Some get a little more beligerent as well and for this reason she never looked forward to full moons.

As far as how it effects my fishing well...it makes it easier to see after sunset.

[Borch]

When my wife worked in the ER she dreaded the full moon as well.

[ozzie]

my wife works at a school and she says that during the full moon times the kids are a little extra crazy and she always dreds going into work during this time

[Deitz Dittrich]

The moon does have a pretty big affect on all living things. Look at what it does to our oceans and such with tides. Many bug hatches and crawfish molting also happen around full moons.

[traveler]

I always take into account the moon phase when I plan a trip for saltwater fishing. Pretty commonly held opinion among those guys that marlin and other top tier predators feed more aggresivly at night during full moon periods, hence they are less active during the day, so I shoot for dark moon phases.

[Jim Almquist]

There was a article in one of the old Infisherman magazines that talked about all the state records that were set with in -+3 days of the full moon and the new moon. It made me a believer and have caught most of my biggest walleyes during that period. My personal favorites are the full moon in June and in October.

[MuskieJunkie]

Josh Brovosky a muskie guide charges extra for certain moon phase days.

[TroutYammer]

I avoid the full moon at all costs for clear lakes. My theory is that with a full moon walleyes can feed both day and night during a full moon. So I go on No-Moon days (Morning-day-evenig) and find that fishing is better.

I know this is contrary to what most people swear by...but maybe this is why I do better during no-moon...cause everbody is fishing during Full Moon.

[Jim Almquist]

I avoid the full moon at all costs for clear lakes. My theory is that with a full moon walleyes can feed both day and night during a full moon. So I go on No-Moon days (Morning-day-evenig) and find that fishing is better.

I know this is contrary to what most people swear by...but maybe this is why I do better during no-moon...cause everbody is fishing during Full Moon.

I have had great luck casting jigs with minnows/leechs and trolling plugs on lakes with secchi dish readings from 16 to 18 feet. Its all a matter of finding the structure that they are relating to at that time of the year.

[cold one sd]

My dad and I always fished late into the night when the sky was clear with a full moon. He always said the Walleyes would feed all night and there was no point in getting up until 10 am the next day. It seemed that he was right most of the time.

[Doop]

Down here (Texas) every full moon throughout the summer...the bluegills spawn. The BIG ones! I'm talking about the 10-11 inchers! I've heard the same about the new moon and full moon. Any day I get to go....I'll take it...but I try to schedule my big trips in and around a NEW MOON.

I'm a teacher too....combine a Full Moon with a Friday....oh Lord lookout!

[harvey lee]

Originally Posted By: Jethro80

I'm not to sure how the moon would effect my fishing experience but I can tell you that a lot of weird things happen during the full moon.

like what???

My son has been racing near 17 years. Every time there is a full moon, all the drivers drive like they lost their heads and there are 3 times the cautions as usual.

Don't ask me why but it does happen.

[Hoffer]

I wonder if the full moon effects different species differently?

The lake I grew up at has a sunken island. I usually go out around sunset to fish lighted bobbers and leaches for eyes. The last few summers when we have been out with a full moon ( and I mean a really full moon - to where it was so light out you can even see the lighted bobbers out there without the lights turned on...) we have actually killed the largemouth and smallmouth bass. One night we sat out there and Caught and released 4 pound Largemouth until 3:30 am when we finally got tired and also ran out of leaches. The smallies bit as well - but not as much as the largemouth. I thought that was kind of weird as I always though the largemouth werent that active after dark? We also caught the occasional walleye but the bass were just crazy!! On the 4th of July a few years back I was out with my daughter on the full moon and we had absolutely no wind. It was like glass. i would shine my flashlight down and we could see the fish as she was pulling in the fish about 12 feet down - it was really cool!

[John478]

I don't know but my kid has not be working this week so him and a buddy have been fishing every day and they have just been hammering the Bass and Northerens. Last night in 3 hours they caught 15 Bass and 6 Northerens. Normanly those two are lucy the catch a fish between the two of them.

[solbes]

Yup, I've also caught plenty of largemouths on full moons. Weird.

[Bluegill1510]

Huh thats crazy you caught bass like that at night...I thought they were more a daytime fish as well like a northern. I guess I learned something new today! Clancy had a had some good articles in the outdoor news about this very topic regarding fishing and deer hunting, and I cut them out and saved them for future reference. His latest ON article was walleye fishing during the dog days of summer and fishing days during the full moon as the moon light helps out he walleyes see better hence making them bite longer into the night. Makes sense but I've never really fished walleyes during this time. I've heard about the full moon in the fall regarding walleye fishing and large fish biting well into the night. You can catch fish like that too all night in May and June but that has to do more with eyes recoperating from the spawn and getting their feed bags on, than the full moon.

Doop I've heard that too about bluegills, as my grandpa told me that when I was a kid, and a friend who has a degree in fisheries management. It also happens here in Minnesota as well when we have a normal warm summer, but most folks just fish panfish during late ice & in the spring before game species' seasons open, when they have their feed bags on, and anyone can catch them.

I also think alot of fishing depends on water temps, time of year and current weather conditions to go along with moon phase patterns. Perfect conditions as no wind and sunny days will be good for some species as cloudy and windy days will be better for other species. So alot of it is patterns and figuring out those patterns and relating them to where the fish will currently be and what they are feeding on...while matching your presentation to catch those fish.

[Muddog]

I have caught all my big for the species fish +/- 3 days within full moon. The day of the last full moon I was crossing the middle of a lake in 50FOW and I hit a bug hatch. It was like being sandblasted. To bad a cold front had moved in. It kind of killed the full moon bite.