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| I'd like to get some feed back from you guys that keep track of how the moon phase effects your catch rate. I seem to have less success during a full moon period, especially for the bigger fish. I have a couple of friends that also have no good luck on a full moon, but I also hear some guys love it! What's your opinion? |
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| This is our first year of fishing for skies. We've only been at it for a couple months now, so im sure the moon phase isnt entirely responsible for our limited success to this point. Luck seems to be a large factor also. But, heres a breakdown of the catch log for me and a few buddies. Looks like the new moon and the last quarter phases do the best for us.
30" Phase of the Moon on 20 August: waxing gibbous with 95% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Full Moon on 22 August 2002 at 6:29 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
33" Phase of the Moon on 28 September: waning gibbous with 61% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Last quarter Moon on 29 September 2002 at 1:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
35" Phase of the Moon on 28 September: waning gibbous with 61% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Last quarter Moon on 29 September 2002 at 1:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
36" Phase of the Moon on 30 September: waning crescent with 40% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Last quarter Moon on 29 September 2002 at 1:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
39" Phase of the Moon on 2 October: waning crescent with 20% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
Last quarter Moon on 29 September 2002 at 1:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
30" Phase of the Moon on 7 October: waxing crescent with 2% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
New Moon on 6 October 2002 at 7:16 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
42" Phase of the Moon on 7 October: waxing crescent with 2% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
New Moon on 6 October 2002 at 7:16 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
36" Phase of the Moon on 8 October: waxing crescent with 7% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
New Moon on 6 October 2002 at 7:16 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
31" Phase of the Moon on 9 October: waxing crescent with 15% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
New Moon on 6 October 2002 at 7:16 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
40" Phase of the Moon on 16 October: waxing gibbous with 82% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
First quarter Moon on 13 October 2002 at 1:33 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. |
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| Some really neat data....Fantastic stuff.
Over the years the three days before has been hands down the best for me. Normally get multiple fish days then. This year, not as good due to water temps and weather patterns.
The moon is fun to work with, but the weather plays a bigger role in the equation. Mix the two and you live in muskie dream land, but that only happens maybe twice a summer. |
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| Chris, I'm at work and don't have my logs in front of me but I can tell you that the moon affects musky feeding.
I don't know why, nor do I care. I just have had way too many instances where the fishing has been slow for a long period of time and then suddenly you have several follows, maybe catch one or two, and loose a couple and low and behold the moon has just risen or just set!
When the fishing is good I haven't notice the moon affect the outcome of the day. I just know that when the fishng is slow sometimes your only chance can be moonset or moonrise.
Best moon story:
Several years ago in Mid-November on a snowy cold Sunday I was looking for a partner to fish but nobody wanted to go because the Packers were playing a big game with playoff implications. Being that it was so cold I knew that I was only going to last for about 2-3 hours on the water by myself. I noticed that moonrise was within 30 minutes of sunset so I waited until late afternoon to go. In 35 minutes of fishing I caught and released a 35 and a heavy 45 incher. I'm still convinced that by watching the mooncharts I had one of my best days ever. Good luck and God bless.
John |
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| Everything that I have read suggests that both moonrise and moonset are minor feeding periods. Peak moon transit is suppose to be a major feeding period. If any of those three are combined with a sunrise, sunset, or peak transit for the sun, it makes them that much better. Whether there is any truth to it all, is up for discussion, but thats how its supposed to work. Then again, since when are there any constants in muskie fishing... [;)] |
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| What is the peak moon transit? |
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| What are the peak times for this weekend? |
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| Depends on where you are located Jason. Have a look here: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html
That lets you punch in a city/state and give you a breakdown of moonrise/set/transit and sunrise/set/transit.
On a side note, this past full moon has been worthless for fishing as far as im concerned! [:knockout:] |
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| Thanks Jaid!
Really neat tool to use.[:bigsmile:] |
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| While I generally believe in the lunar effects upon muskies, I have caught as many big ones outside of the prime moon effects as I have inside the prime lunar period effects.
However, I cannot make this general statement to everyday throughout the musky season.
On those days outside of prime lunar effects, these days where prime seasonaL transition days: last week in June, last week in August. These days also coincided with good weather days, and very good water temperature days.
These days also coincided with low human pressure effects days (fishing mid-week).
I most certainly target those days when the moon and the stars and the seasonal transitions and the water temperature and clarity and weather factors all coincide. I don't work on those few days each year...
You fish on those days with a hightened sense of big fish thoughts and when you roll one, you relish the memory of having earned it...
[:sun:] |
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| My "Big One" came under a full moon!! It was classic conditions(front came through early and calm by sunset)and I can also say most of my biggest fish have come during a full moon. I really believe in the moon phases and also use them for hunting as well. There's just something about a full moon that makes all creatures a little "squirrely"[:p]
Good fishing to ya!
Karen |
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