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Posts: 11
| What % of Muskie in the net do you attribute to moon phase as opposed to just another random bite? |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | It doesn't matter as long as the sky is in the right place
The numbers are from 30 years ago when I used to keep a log thinking such things were important before discovering all fish came from damp places on days ending in "Y" The fish were caught from a 1000 acre lake that had a lot of 35 to 40 inch fish and a couple of 4 foot plus fish every year.
TOT HRS #REL TOT LGTH AVG LGTH CUE IN/HR
NO LUN 1711.54 154 5379.5 34.93 0.089977447 3.143075826
NEW-3 85.75 10 380 38 0.116618076 4.43148688
NEW-2 128.5 14 482.5 34.5 0.108949416 3.754863813
NEW-1 114 7 272.75 38.96 0.061403509 2.39254386
NEW 93 18 566.25 31.46 0.193548387 6.088709677
NEW+1 115.25 14 460 32.86 0.121475054 3.99132321
NEW+2 115.5 11 434.5 39.5 0.095238095 3.761904762
NEW+3 112.75 9 309 34.333 0.079822616 2.740576497
FIRST Q 91.75 8 288 36 0.08719346 3.138964578
FULL-3 242.75 17 576 33.88 0.070030896 2.372811535
FULL-2 93 8 238 29.75 0.086021505 2.559139785
FULL-1 181 18 650 36.11 0.099447514 3.591160221
FULL 155.25 24 783 32.63 0.154589372 5.043478261
FULL+1 88.75 11 407.5 37.05 0.123943662 4.591549296
FULL+2 100.75 10 337 33.7 0.099255583 3.344913151
FULL+3 108 7 237 33.86 0.064814815 2.194444444
LAST Q 183 19 694 36.53 0.103825137 3.792349727
3720.54 359 12495
As muskie fishing has become MUCH more popular I have learned to avoid opening week and the day of the full moon I can't handle the competition If I had to pick a time it would be the last hour of daylight mid week
I now spend a lot of time on the Larry and our best day was a couple of years back with 4 over 50 on the day of the September full moon 2 before dark and 2 after so what the hell do I know after about 40 years of chasing these stinking slimy bags of bones and teeth. I KNOW THAT MY BACK AND SHOULDERS DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CASTING LEFT
Edit would have been easier to read if I was smart enough to attach an excel file
Edited by horsehunter 6/26/2020 10:25 PM
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Posts: 6
| in my experiance, weather, time of day, and lake conditions trump all other factors
Edited by Broc 8/9/2020 11:50 PM
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | If fishing pressure was not a factor, the moon would be a bigger factor. I believe the moon provides bite windows at major/minor and they are amplified at new and full moons. I also believe that fishing pressure kills the bite. So avoiding crowds is a must. |
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Posts: 1141
Location: NorthCentral WI | I used to be a big believer in the lunar periods and have had a good amount of success during the majors and minors. However, more often there is no correlation whatsoever. I won't go as far to say it's a self-fulfilling prophecy but it's certainly not some magical time. |
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Posts: 8781
| I'm not sure the moon phase itself is as big of a factor as the majors/minors. I've definitely seen an uptick of action for all species around moonrise, especially when it correlates with sunrise and or sunset.
I do check the majors and make it a point to be on productive areas during that time. As for planning trips around moon phase, I've done it with mixed results. If your majors (and feeding windows that correlate with then) happen in the middle of the night when you're crashed out in the cabin, it really doesn't help booking a trip around moon phases.
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | esoxaddict - 8/10/2020 12:54 PM
I'm not sure the moon phase itself is as big of a factor as the majors/minors. I've definitely seen an uptick of action for all species around moonrise, especially when it correlates with sunrise and or sunset.
I do check the majors and make it a point to be on productive areas during that time. As for planning trips around moon phase, I've done it with mixed results. If your majors (and feeding windows that correlate with then) happen in the middle of the night when you're crashed out in the cabin, it really doesn't help booking a trip around moon phases.
Yes, during the middle moon phase the majors are closer to sunrise and sunset so I’m never discouraged by that. What I do prefer is the moon down during any time. |
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Posts: 343
| I've seen moon phase make a difference a few times, especially with bigger fish, but weather trumps all a large percentage of the time. Had an awesome August full moon topwater bite a few years ago, but haven't had much success since. |
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Location: Neapolitan Chain Of Lakes | Have i caught muskies on the very second of the moonrise/set or the very milisecond of the minors? You bet your sweet musky I have. Hold on a tick though, what about that evening I was casting the proven bait, on a proven spot where I've caught fish, when moon/sun/and weather was absolutely perfect and not even a hint of smell of slime all night long? And what about the ones that didn't read the solunar chart and showed up an hour and a half after moonrise/set/minor/or whatever? Are they just lazy muskies that were like "Screw it I don't feel like showing up on time?" But what about that year when I caught a musky or 3 nearly everyday i could go at 3pm exactly and not a single one at any other time of the day or nite? Didn't matter where the moon was, what the weather was, or if I had my musky switch flipped in my boat. (And Yes, i did actually install a toggle switch labeled "Musky" for when the fishing is ultra tough and I have to pull a trick out of the bag.) And yes the musky toggle switch has actually worked (It used to be a nav light switch) but it's effectiveness warranted it's own switch to command the full authoritaa it deserved. But i digress. On some lakes some years maybe 10% on other lakes during other years maybe 75% or more. Musky toggle switch works 5% of the time every year. |
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Moon phase