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WHEN TO FISH

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CURRENT MOON

moon cycles

The Moon and Fishing?

Did you know that it effects your fishing?

The moon and the sun have a dramatic effect on the earth due to their combined gravitational force that they place on any body of water. The oceans are the most noticeable. This gravitational force causes the oceans of the world to move resulting in what we refer to as tides. The moon's influence is more dominant due to it's proximity to the earth.

A complete lunar cycle is usually referred to in one of the following four stages.

Full Moon

Last Quarter

New Moon (also refer to as "the dark of the moon")

First Quarter

This cycle will rotate every 29 days approximately.

The effect that this lunar cycle has is so powerful that in the United State of America, crime statistics show that there is a link between criminal/violent behavior and the New/Full moon phases.

Tides

Tides move in 6 hour cycles. In a 24 hour period there will be a high, a low, a high and then a low tide, all approximately 6 hours apart. Various fish species feed more aggressively depending on the tide, the moon and the time of day/night.

When there is a full or new moon the tides are referred to as Spring Tides.

Spring Tides are when the water level rises to its highest point for that particular moon (lunar) cycle due to the combined gravitational pull of the sun and moon.

Spring tides happen twice per month.

In Northern Australia Spring tides can rise over 6 meters (18 feet). The Channel Island of Jersey in the English Channel has tides in the region of 20 feet. Tides of over 20 meters (63 feet) have been recorded in The Straits of Magellan in southern South America and at the top of the Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia, a spring tide can reach an amazing 23 meters (70 feet).

Extra caution must be taken when fishing at these times, especially from rock platforms as the water level can rise with surprising speed. Fishing at night can be even more hazardous and can result in wet/lost tackle or even an unexpected swim for the unwary! Mark the tide line with a stick when you arrive to watch the movement of the tide.

Neap tides are the opposite of Spring tides. They are the lowest low tide for that particular lunar cycle. Neap tides are generally regarded as the worst time to go fishing. You will catch fish during these tides but fish will be more active during a Spring tide.

Salt Water and Tides

Tides raise and lower the water level approximately two times per day and affect where fish are located and how they feed. The timing of a high or low tide changes daily and is also different for each coastal area.

A shallow area that might hold fish and may be a good spot to fish during a high tide, might be a bare mud bank during low tide conditions. And a slough (a slight depression in the bottom) that mightbe perfect for bottom feeding fish during a low tide, might be too deep and difficult to fish on a high tide.

Running Tides

Running tides (rising or falling) are best since they cause bait tomove and promote active feeding among coastal fish. Changing tides,time of day and location are also important when you're fishing inbrackish water—coastal water that's a mix of salt water and fresh waterand contains saltwater and freshwater fish. Brackish water is found inmost tidal creeks and rivers along coasts and is highly affected bytidal movements.

Ingeneral, the best fishing is almost always on a rising or fallingtide—not dead low or dead high tide when there is little or no watermovement.

Determining the besttime to fish requires checking on many fishingfactors and outdoor conditions. Read the local newspaper and visit withfolk at a local tackle shop to get accurate tide information.

LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT

Fish prefer early morning and evening sun to the bright sun of midday.Morning sun warms the shallows, creating more comfortable watertemperatures for fish to feed. Late morning is best when the sun hashad more of a chance to warm the shallows. This is particularly trueduring early spring in shallows with dark or mud bottoms because darkareas absorb heat more rapidly than light sandy bottoms.

Warm Water Temperatures

Warm water temperatures make bait fish more active and available togame fish on cool early-spring days. On hot sunny days, fish move tocooler, deeper waters to stay comfortable. High-heat conditions makeshallow and top water lures and bait best only in the early morning andlate afternoon when cooler temperatures and lower light levels allowfish to cruise the shallows for meals.

In Midday

In midday, hot water surface temperature, decreased surface oxygen andoccasional increasing winds cause fish to move deeper. In theseconditions, deep fishing baits, rigs and lures are best.

Already, you can seehow a combination of time of day, light and weather can affect yourfishing.

TEMPERATURE is the first rule of whento fish. Fishing will be slower when it's too hot or too cold.

Too many hot days inthe summer can make fish in shallow lakes, pondsand rivers sluggish. The same thing happens in the winter when watertemperatures are lower. Why? All fish are cold-blooded. Meaning theycan't keep their body temperature at a constant level like humans andother warm-blooded animals.

So the temperature oftheir surroundings influences the fish's bodytemperature and bodily functions. Really high and really low watertemperatures reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, making fish lessactive and picky about when and what they.

Understanding thisbit of biology will help you decide what kinds oflures and baits to use, and how fast or slow to work them. Work yourtackle slower in colder water and faster in warm water