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| Can some one help a brother out here??
This past weekend, my buddy and I (both college graduates) were trying to figure out the exact time that the moon was underfoot and overhead, based on the known moonset and moonrise times. Not being into astronomy, we initially assumed these events (set, rise, overfoot, overhead) would occur every 6 hours. This thought was quickly dispelled when we went to the moon charts and noticed that moonset/moonrise did not occur 12 hours apart. No, far from it.
So, my question is, if one is wanting to plan a fishing trip in accordance with the moon underfoot/overhead times, how do you calculate this? Is there a website or something that could give the info (like the moonset/rise) based on one's location?
I'm sure the answer to the question is very simple, but for the life of me I can't see it, so be kind. What am I missing?
Guest |
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Location: Contrarian Island | very simple...you simply calculate half way between rise and set for both..if the moon rises at 10 am and sets at 8pm that is 10 hours up...so add 5 hours to 10am ....3pm is moon over head...same for moon underfoot....there are websites that show it as well....but it's fairly easy to figure out just by knowing the times of set/rise. |
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Posts: 743
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i wonder how closely moon up and moon down match the major and minor periods? |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | According to a lot of sites, major starts with moon overhead/underfoot, and minors start at moonrise/moonset. Curious that the major isn't for an hour or so surrounding (straddling) overhead/underfoot, instead of starting at their peak. |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | this is one of the best sites i have found with the major and minors on it.. all you have to do it put in the zipcode for the lake area and it will give you the whole month. u can print up a month at a time or pay the fee and look into the future months and plan a trip....bill
http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | sorry posted twice
Edited by archerynut36 7/15/2010 8:34 PM
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Posts: 547
Location: Oshkosh | Im with Bill on this one.
Peter |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | That's one of the sites I was referring to where the major "starts" with moon overhead/underfoot |
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| This is not quite so simple, since the moon is orbiting towards our eastern horizon, so the exact moon overhead would be sometime later than half way between rise and set. |
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Posts: 1
| Just want to throw a curveball, (as my first post).
I agree lunar periods are very cool, and any small % increase of putting a lunker in your boat is great. However, keep in mind that muskie are predators so their tendancy to be more aggressive during lunar periods are less likely than other fish.
As predators they are more opportunists.
Also, something I read in April of '91 In-Fisherman, as well as the current issue of In-Fisherman touches up on the lack of statistical evidence supporting increase in catches, and larger fish during key lunar periods.
Although there is evidence, there is not enough inline with statistical methods to qualify as a "fact". Or in statistical terms the confidence level of the evidence is not 95%.
Having said that, the sample was for bass. Since muskie are predators even higher in the food chain, I would guess, they are even less affected by majors/minors.
Having said ALL THAT, none of this proven, so I'm just throwing it out there. :D |
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| You can use the cool page at the US Naval Observatory Sun or Moon Altitude/Azimuth to determine precise moon underfoot/overhead times.
http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-servic...
Because earth and moon are both in motion, it is more complicated than just averaging the corresponding moonset/moonrise times, although this is a good estimate. |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | bass man that makes no sense at all to me please explain .... |
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Posts: 203
Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | I agree....Being a guide I am on the water most days. I can point to many more fish that have been put in my boat that were caught during no lunar faze. Sure we have had days where the windows have come around moonrise and moonset, but we have had many more that have not. My best advice is to keep your boat on goods spots to fish and wait for the fish to want to eat. |
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Posts: 501
Location: Norway | I use a program called Moonphase, can be found here: http://tingan.com/
You can also use one of the gadget prgram you can download for Win Vista/7
Michael |
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Posts: 10
| I'll throw in another comment for Solunarforecast.com. That site is pretty slick and will give you info you need and some interesting explaination about majors/minors. |
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Posts: 1220
| Like a lot of guys, I have learned over time that the sun and the moon (Solar-Lunar) have distinct effects on fish feeding behaviour. Any big city cop will also tell you that other sorts of creatures (like us) are affected by a full moon in the summer. The major problem, of course, is that day after day, week after week, and month after month......sometimes this stuff is totally on the money and sometimes it's a big fat zero. Most everybody seems to agree that when the sun rise and the moon-set (sun-set & moon-rise too) occur very close together near either a new or full moon....well, that's the high time to fish. The "majors" and "minors" (overhead or underfoot) and the rises and sets also cause stuff to happen but to a likely lesser degree. But...there is no sure-fire repeated way to know when this is on the money and when it's not. I have recently began to study the work of Dr. Judith Young, who heads the astronomy department at U-Mass-Amherst and writes about the 18.6 year lunar cycle where the pattern of the moon's revolution around our planet moves farther across the Southern hemisphere of our planet as the cycle continues. It's why you see the moon in a different part of the sky than (let's say) the North Star (Polaris) which is always in the same spot and why seaman are able to navigate from it's sighting. Anyway, there is an answer somewhere to knowing how to really predict when muskies are going to bite.....and if I ever find it.....I'm not telling. Marty Forman |
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| Maybe someone can throw this dummy a bone.
I must be missing something because I can't seem to get anything but the solunar forecast for Beverly Hills, CA. Every time I try to click on a different zip code, I get a prompt to pay $9.99. |
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Posts: 1243
Location: Musky Tackle Online, MN | muskie-addict, you only need to pay $9.99 if you want to get more than just the current month. Make sure you enter the zip code you want in step one first. If you just click on the box in step 4 it always defaults to Beverly Hills.
Aaron |
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| Yeah...I tried it six ways from Saturday and evidently missed that step. When I entered my zip and hit enter, the small text in the top box there just never changed.
For anyone else also stuck in CA, don't hit enter. Click the blue bar where it says click. The return button either keeps you in Beverly Hills, or brings you to the pay prompt page.
Now that I'm in, also very cool to know that the one fish we saw the entire outing yesterday aft/eve came dead center in the middle of the evening "major." For what its worth, anyway.
-EY |
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Calculating Moon Underfoot/Overhead