THE MOON FACTOR

Most of you have probably seen charts in your favorite fishing publications about moon cycles and how they relate to fishing. These lunar calendars will use different shades of a particular color to give the fisherman an idea of the best potential dates and times in which to fish. The darker the color, the better the fishing according to the moon cycles. The only problem is, many other factors such as cold fronts, warm fronts, changing water levels, etc., will affect fishing. They can turn a good lunar day bad or a bad lunar day good. But learning how fish relate to the moon cycles surely won’t hurt.

The moon has four stages: 1^st quarter, full, last quarter, and new. Fish generally feed and spawn according to these stages. Bass tend to feed aggressively on moonlit nights, and will actively feed during the middle hours of the day following a moonlit night. After dark nights bass fishing is usually better in the early mornings and late afternoon, with dusk being the best time. Fewer fish, but larger fish will be caught with the moon directly overhead, while greater numbers of smaller fish are generally caught while the moon is directly below the earth. Spawning activity picks up three days before and after a full moon, with the heaviest spawning the day and night of the full moon. They also spawn heavily before and after the new moon, but not quite like the full moon.

While the moon time calendars are generally in your fishing publications, you can also purchase moon clock calculators of your own. Doug Hannon of Hannon Moon Times has one for $7.95. To order one send your check or money order to: Moon Clock, Dept. NAF, and P.O. BOX 724255, ATLANTA, GA. 31139.

To take this one step further, Rick Taylor has developed a calendar, which involves the relation to fishing and solar energies along with the lunar factor. His chart is currently used by Bassmaster magazine and rates each day from 0-100 depending on it’s potential. It also uses sun symbols to signal times a lunar period overlaps a key solar period of dawn, high noon, or dusk. Check out Rick’s website at http://members.tripod.com/Rick Taylor, for more info on his products.

Kip Pollay, Fishing Editor.