Moon Phase

[Central Bassman]

There are alot of people that really belive in different Moon Phase. What do you guys think and what do they use them for???

[SluggoMaster]

I have this information in my electronic fishing log software I have been working on. The data I have from the last three years is quite interesting. I have drawn a few conculusions based on the data I have. I want to see what others thoughts are first.

[bassNspear]

ya im interested to hear about them as well!!

[Daze Off]

I've heard that it can make a big difference but I have not really tracked it enough for a personal opinion. I can say though that when I fish a tournament I generally look for the peak times on that particular day and it does seem that there is more action around the times they predict but fish can still be caught at any time too.

Would love to hear more.

Daze Off

[RK]

Hiya -

My thinking on this is primarily based on muskies rather than bass, but that having been said, I think moon phases and daily events like moon rise/set can make a pretty big difference in fish activity. there's no doubt in my mind that it does have some effect on fish behavior. So it's certainly something I pay attention to - having the solunar data on my GPS helps there.

There's one caveat to that however. Local weather trumps everything. A cold front is a cold front, no matter what the moon's up to. Fish won't go crazy just because it's moonrise if it's 60 degrees and blowing 25 to 30 out of the NW in July. But...it can be your best chance of the day on those bad days. If the fish are going good, I don't worry about it too much, but if I'm struggling, I want to be on a high confidence spot when the lunar period is happening.

If you want to keep track of tihs stuff, check out the Rick Taylor calendars. Very handy...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Central Bassman]

It seems like not alot of people use this or would love to learn more about this.. Someone has to know more about this???

[dan2957]

I have been keeping records of my fish caught for the last few years and from what I see I personally catch more fish during differant moon phases. I have only kept records of numbers of fish caught and have not paid attention to any size differance during the moon phases.

Here is how it breaks down for me.

I start at the New moon for the moon phase and use a graph to track the numbers. During the New Moon and going to the Full moon I see a steady increase in how many fish I catch. Once I get to the Full moon my numbers steadly drop off until I get to the Waxing Gibbious(1/4) moon where the number of fish caught begins the slowly increase again and then fall slightly until the New Moon arrives.

The only thing I can come up with to explain this is that my style of fishing does not do well after the Full Moon. I probably need to adapt to where the fish relocate and then maybe I can start to catch more fish after the Full moon.

[Central Bassman]

what or hows is your style of fishing???

[dan2957]

I am not sure if it is my style of fishing or if it is where I am looking for them during the moon phase. I like to throw a jig 90% of the time. I can probably still catch them on a jig but maybe I need to move out from cover or closer to cover. Or maybe I need to stand on my left foot instead of my right foot. It is something I am going to try to work on this next season and see if I can change the stats a little bit.

I do not let the moon phase determine my state of mind however. I still have confidence that I can catch fish and I will not stay home just because I am on the back side of a Full Moon. I just need to adjust and as of right now I have not been able to make the correct adjustment.

My fishing buddy is the exact opposite of me during the moon phases so maybe I need to follow what he does and stop being stubborn.

[Central Bassman]

Yea its all about haveing confidence in what you are using!!!