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| I see a lot about majors and minors but I don't actually know when they exist. Can anyone explain? |
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Posts: 413
Location: Madison WI | The main "windows" that I look for on any given day are sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, sun overhead, sun underfoot, moon overhead and moon underfoot. I personally use the following website to tell me what the majors and minors are for the day but I keep the above times in my head for the days I am fishing. The website is www.fishingreminder.com. |
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| I also fish those times but It still does not answer my question about what is a minor or major. Does anyone know how they are calculated? |
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Location: Des Moines IA | "When the original research was being done only the approximate
time of moon up - moon down were considered. Gradually, it became evident that there were also intermediate periods of activity that occurred midway between the two major periods. Thus the more evident periods were called MAJOR PERIODS and the two intermediate periods, shorter in length, were called MINOR PERIODS. "
http://www.kingsoutdoorworld.com/hunting-guide/deer_activity.htm
Sounds like Major,minor times relate to mid points between moon up, and moon set. |
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| It's pretty well documented that fish will binge feed based on the following events:
Moonrise
The half way point between Moonrise and moon overhead
Moon overhead
The half way point between Moon overhead and moonset
Moonset
the halfway point between moon set and moon underfoot
Moon underfoot
the halfway point between moon underfoot and moonrise
Sunrise
Sunset
Those 10 events are prime time! The hour before and after each event is key. Make sure that you're on the water for each! Especially during the 4 days before and after the new moon and full moon....also don't miss out on the 4 days before and after the first quarter of the moon and last quarter of the moon, those days can also be key!
People who don't believe in this stuff are either ignorant or haven't spent enough time on the water. Almost every fish caught can be traced to the hour either before or after those 10 events!
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Posts: 941
Location: Freedom, WI | Major - moon overhead or underfoot, according to Knights moon times last about 1 hour before to 1 hour after.
Minor - moon rise or moon set, lasts about half the time of a major but is more intense activity.
Times change day to day because the moon is on a 28 day cycle. |
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Posts: 20212
Location: oswego, il | Roger has it right. I have a cool app on my phone called solunar cast and it calculates all that stuff to your location. majors are always overhead and underfoot but depending on moon phase not always both are majors. Minors are moon set and rise. Seems like every day has at least one major and two minors and a few days have 2 of each. Believe it or not your full and new moon days only have one major so far that I have seen.
Edited by ToddM 8/29/2011 9:26 PM
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| if there are 10 sololunar events per day with two hours per event that is 20 hours per day of 'prime time'. Is it possible to whittle that down to fewer key times? |
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Posts: 618
Location: Bloomington, MN | Mr. Faire that is very clever and well written. I swear to God I've heard a "Muskie Pro" state something similar at a seminar in the early 80's. Half the crowd was busy scribbling down his words of wisdom and the other half looked like a school of carp gasping for air. The Color-C-Lector probably was a hot selling item at that sport show.
Edited by Clark A 8/29/2011 9:45 PM
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| thank you muskie mike and h2ost, that is what i was looking for. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | A lot of good muskies have been caught during periods of no solar influence (sp) so fish hard and concentrate the whole time you are on the water. If you get it into your head that the fish are not active because it is not prime time you will not fully concentrate or put your all into it and it will cost you good fish.
Years ago I kept records for our Muskies Canada chapter and the catch per unit effort was slightly higher during certain lunar periods but not enough to plan trips around ( were they higher because people had planned trips around them?)
Weather trumps all ......Fish when you can .........If possible be on your good spots the last 2 hours oy daylight
Edited by horsehunter 8/30/2011 7:10 AM
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Posts: 32
Location: Manawa Wiscowsin | I kept track of the walleye bite for several years both on Bago and on my trips to Ontario etc. I also kept track of the bluegill bite from the dock behind our old farm. Using the tables published in Field & Stream (no longer included in the magazine) I found the tables to be right on the money. While there is no bad time to be fishing, it is better to be fishing during the peak times. Sun up and sun down do have an influence but nowhere near what the tides do. If you are on a fishing trip it's best to plan meals etc between the peak times so you are on the water when fishing is the best.
I went on trips to LOTW for many years, house boating with groups of seven or more guys. Because the majority of the guys didn't believe in the tables, many meals were planned during the peak fishing times. Even though I had to eat some cold lunches, a lot of times I would stay on the water to fish the peak periods. When the others were filling their faces, I would be having a blast catching fish. One year, with a group of twenty guys (three houseboats), I caught the big walleye of the day four out of seven days, and one was the biggest walleye of the week. My partner finally saw the light and caught the big fish of the day the final day of that seven day trip.
After seventeen years the house boating trips got so large it just wasn't fun for me any more (two dozen guys, four houseboats). I stopped going and a year later my partner stopped going. My partner and I, and one other person did most of the planning, shopping etc so after we left the group started falling apart. No one I know makes the trip any more.
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Location: Contrarian Island | definitely watch the solunar charts...moon set, rise, overhead, underfoot...can just be the thing that puts the biggest fish of the day/trip/season in the net..I don't get on the water without knowing the set and rise times for sure and on trips I print out the majors etc |
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Posts: 291
Location: Minneapolis | savoir faire - 8/29/2011 9:24 PM
It's pretty well documented that fish will binge feed based on the following events:
Moonrise
The half way point between Moonrise and moon overhead
Moon overhead
The half way point between Moon overhead and moonset
Moonset
the halfway point between moon set and moon underfoot
Moon underfoot
the halfway point between moon underfoot and moonrise
Sunrise
Sunset
Those 10 events are prime time! The hour before and after each event is key. Make sure that you're on the water for each! Especially during the 4 days before and after the new moon and full moon....also don't miss out on the 4 days before and after the first quarter of the moon and last quarter of the moon, those days can also be key!
People who don't believe in this stuff are either ignorant or haven't spent enough time on the water. Almost every fish caught can be traced to the hour either before or after those 10 events!
;)
LOL - I must have a particular knack this season for fishing in the 4 hours/day that are not associated with one of the above periods! |
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| Don't howl at the moon. Go fishing and put the time in and you will get better regardless.
Weather can toss it all out the window. |
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major and minor lunar periods