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Posts: 155
| I am curious as to what people prefer to fish, new or full moon?
Personally, I can't stand the full moon, I seem to struggle more on full moon days. I do much better on the new moon. I fish mainly in Minnesota.
I know there are a lot of people that do well on the full moon, I've always wondered if it varies from lake to lake, or Wisconsin Strain Fish vs Leech Lake strain..... |
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Posts: 1416
Location: oconomowoc, wi | new.. under foot |
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Posts: 612
| I've done well during the 2-3 day period of both a new moon and full moon. And I've gotten skunked as well. Personally I think weather is a far more important than solar-lunar factors. In my experience it often takes the fish a day or more to recover from a sudden cold front regardless of lunar effects. Also if it's gin clear sky's the fish can be wary. All in all I've followed the soar-lunar tables for years and at most they provide a slight edge all things being equal. |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | I prefer the new moon as well and regardless of phase, below the skyline. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Ive always liked the new moon but 3 years ago my partner and I put 2 50 inch plus fish each ( total 4 ) in the boat on the day of the Sept. full moon before the moon rose so what the hell do I know. I go whenever I can and at 74 who knows how many trips I have left. And as I tell my wife whenever were skunked I just like riding around in boats. |
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Posts: 833
| Uh, all of the above? I do not have enough time to choose not to go fishing so I'll fish any moon phase I can get my grubby hands on. However, I always want to try to fish the full moon. The last 3 seasons my biggest fish have all been around the Full Moon. I highly doubt this is a coincidence. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I'd take either, weather trumps moon for sure. have done well around both, and have not done well around both... moon down is preferred over moon up |
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Posts: 20178
Location: oswego, il | The full moon under was good today, 6 for 11, 5 more tried and missed, 5 pike over 30. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I always check the Solunar tables WHEN I GET HOME.Both of the muskies I caught yesterday were between the published good fishing times If I had looked before going I may not have been trying as hard. All my fishing is within an hour of home ( I like my own bed)but if I was planing a vacation I think i would avoid the full moon and associated crowds. |
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Posts: 2275
Location: Chisholm, MN | I've had good, bad, and great days on both. Fish bite when they want. It's almost impossible to predict when the big one will eat. Last night for example, Sept full moon, 530pm, big fish eats my topwater and gets off. It was not the major or moon rise. You'd think the rest of the night would be good right? Nope...I moved a couple others at prime time moon rise but no bites. |
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Posts: 833
| I hit it last night and had a tiny one (under 40) go on the 8 but not get hooks, then saw nothing. Moon Rise almost perfect coincided with dusk. Not even a sniff.
In August I fished almost identical circumstances (moon wise) and boated a 51.
I've had too many big fish bites in or around Full Moons to discount it, but I've also had plenty of trips like last night. Go fishing, you never know when the big girl is going to be there.
Edited by Brad P 9/7/2017 9:04 AM
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Location: Contrarian Island | my take on the moon is all things being equal, it increases the odds of a bite or good action by 2-10% tops.. weather is the major factor. Get weather in your favor, and the moon, and good things will happen...bad weather, and the moon, it just ups your odds of a hit by just a little bit...or is that just luck? 
Edited by BNelson 9/7/2017 9:02 AM
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Posts: 2275
Location: Chisholm, MN | BNelson - 9/7/2017 9:01 AM
my take on the moon is all things being equal, it increases the odds of a bite or good action by 2-10% tops.. weather is the major factor. Get weather in your favor, and the moon, and good things will happen...bad weather, and the moon, it just ups your odds of a hit by just a little bit...or is that just luck? ;)
I honestly don't know anymore. It could be luck. I mean muskies obviously bite better at sunset on any given day. That happens to be when the full moon rises. Does that mean the moon actually made a difference, or was it just a really good night based on the weather or some other unknown factor?
I do think that fish tend to bite better during the major, regardless of moon phase and also slow down after moonrise until major. So maybe it does have an influence, but I say just go cast good spots and good things will happen. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Read the book moon up moon down. Good stuff. |
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Posts: 55
| I say just go cast good spots and good things will happen. (Well said) |
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Posts: 97
Location: Tulsa, OK | Every year I plan a Canada trip on a Full Moon week, the fishing has been super slow. So I hate Full Moon weeks!!!
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Posts: 386
| Honestly, I quit looking at the moon all together this year. I'm newly married and in a new job, so I fish when I can. If there's no prime moon phase then I'm staying home....yeah right. |
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Posts: 28
| We try to schedule our Canada trip around either a new or full moon. We've had more prolonged feeding windows and overall better fishing around a new moon and more intense shorter periods around a full moon. I agree with everyone else that weather trumps moon, but I've had too many instances of increased activity around moonrise especially to completely discount the moon in general. Most recently, over the 4th of July in northern WI, I went out in the middle of the afternoon day to fish up to moonrise and got out around 2:00 with my nephew and moonrise was not until 3:48 PM. There were water skiers and jet skiers everywhere and other than boat wake, it was sunny and flat calm. We didn't have a hint of action until I had a low 40s fish come in and eat on the eight right at moonrise in the middle of all the chaos. A water skier had fallen in the water like 100 feet from the boat and was floating there when I caught it. Coincidence? Could have been, but can't completely discount it either. |
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Posts: 252
| Best days for me have always been 3 days before a full moon. But, that could be because I always make sure that I'm out there 3 days before a full moon... |
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