Moon Phases

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Tim Hubble

Guest
Picked up a copy of "TightLines" the ABU brochure at my local tackle shop recently. Inside there is a chart for the year indicating good, average and bad fishing days. It seems to be based on the phases of the moon which seems weird to me but has sparked my interest.
Does anyone out there have any experience (good or bad) regarding these or similar charts?
 
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John Pleasance

Guest
There is definitely something in it Tim,I've caught fish at too many "peak times"and also blanked in what seemed like good conditions when not looking at the moon phases.

It is however quite a complicated subject and I find life is just too short.

Lots of info on the site below and also on Archie Braddocks site(which I seem to remember displays a chart designed to make it easier to actually collate all your info if you want to research it) but I don't have the address to hand for that.

http://pages.zdnet.com/chrismoon123/fish/id9.html
 
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Tim Hubble

Guest
John, many thanks for this. I'll do some research and put it to the test. With three young children, I don't get to fish as much as I'd like so I might as well plan my trips on good days.
I did also come across a US based website which plotted moon phases as well as height of the Sun to give you not only good fishing days but also time of day. Sadly it only applied to US states.

Thanks again
 
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Andrew Thomas

Guest
One serious tip: I would beware getting into any correspondence with the proprietor of, shall we say, the site that is not run by Archie Braddock.

Just don't ask......or if you do, ask Sedge.
 
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Laurie Harper

Guest
A contributor to The Barbel Society magazine published a chart of phases of the moon last season. I followed his advice but I found it didn't seem to make much difference - I still blanked just as often. Am thinking of trying one of those Native American hunting rituals next. You know the sort of thing - dancing on the bank, chanting gibberish with a Derry Boot on your head.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Dawn and dusk are nearly always the magic times, regardless of what you're after.
 
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Duncan Kellett

Guest
Hi all

This is odd it’s the second time in a couple of weeks that this question has been asked on uk fishing web sites so I will pop down the post I made to the last site.

“I’ve always been fascinated about Moon theories ever since I acquired a book by John Knight called “Moon Up, Moon Down” it’s a really interesting read. In the US of A there are hundreds of tables indicating on a day by day basis the most advantageous times to fish, some of them are even down to time in minutes for when you should be fishing. Its something the people over the pond are really in to, below is a brief intro to the Solunar theory.

In 1926 John Alden Knight postulated some folk lore he picked up in Florida and proceeded to attempt a refinement, giving it the name Solunar (Sol for sun and Lunar for moon). Knight compiled a list of 33 factors which influence or control day-to-day behavior of fresh and salt-water fish. Everything was taken into account that could possibly have any bearing on the matter.

Here is some basic information about how the theory of solunar time tables work

Theory.

The theory is that there are four periods (2 major and 2 minor) each day when the gravitational forces created by the alignment of the sun and moon become strong enough to have an influence on the activities of fish and wildlife.

Actual times.
The actual times are when each major or minor period begins. Major periods will last from 1 to 2 hours while Minor periods last for 1 hour or less.

Good days.
These are the days preceding and following a NEW or FULL moon since research has shown that fish and wildlife activity is greatest during these periods of each month.

Best days.
When the solunar times fall within one hour of SUNRISE or SUNSET

Absolute best days.
Doesn't occur very often during any given month - but when the solunar times fall within one hour of sunrise or sunset and the solunar times are within one hour of MOONRISE or MOONSET - you have an "absolute best day"!

In my experience I’m quite convinced there is something in the theory and its definitely one worth looking at.

Cheers
Duncan
 
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Mike Parker

Guest
Try this one

www.moonstrike.co.uk

Chris has been harping on about this for years and even goes into correlating moon phase with weather conditions. I find it quite fascinating but like a lot of others find that lifes too short to stuff a mushroom.

Fishing isn't just about catching!
 
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Tim Hubble

Guest
Thanks for ALL the input guys, including the warning from Andrew (I won't even ask what that's about). It strikes me that as with many things in fishing (baits, lures etc.), it's all about belief. If you're confident with the method you're using, you seem to catch more (at least that's what your brain tells you).

Either way, moon rise and set times all seem pretty confusing to me and I agree with Mike that fishing insn't just about catching (it's nice just to be out on the banks). Still, I may just keep an eye on the various charts just in case there is something in all this.

Cheers
Tim
 
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