Moon Phase

[get-reel]

what is your best moon phase that u catch lots of fish on,Me i hate a full moon and hard to explane but a cup moon phase which looks like a bowl the bottom is white top is black ,if u hold your hand out like u are going to catch water in it that is what the white part of the moon looks like if u get that. Make a dairy and i bet u find it very hard to catch fish on that phase ,so what is all this going to do well save u petrol and buy more gear when fishing is bad try and see what results u get this is only my opinion and would like to here yours.

[iMick]

For me I don't pay any attention to Moon Fazes, a full moon and clear sky at night comes in handy and I think bait fish silhouette well against the moonlight, and so do SP's.

Tides would be more of an influencing factor, as well as bait/lure presentation IMO

Edited August 16, 2009 by iMick

[Jewhunter]

Depends what you're chasing.

Snapper, tailor & jew the four days leading up to the full moon.

Jew, bream & plenty of others the four days after the new moon.

Generally speaking the waxing moon fishes better than a waning moon.

Just my observations over the years.

Cheers,

Grant.

[tide'n'knots]

I am with you 100% musty!!!!

I have found where i fish around wisemans ferry it is a complete waste of time even puting the boat in the water 4-5 days either side of a full moon. I have tried on numerous occassions and cant even get a bite!!!! however, having said that, I am talking night trips and perhaps it is different in the daylight, i am not sure.

I know at night the difference is quite staggering - 1 week before or after it is common to get heaps of fish but definately not during the full moon.

pete.

[iMick]

The moon phase influences what the tides will be doing.

I have noticed big differences with the moon phases, personally full moon fishing is more often than not wasting my time.

A good topic for general fishing chat but not quite a fishing report me thinks.

Musty

What I meant was run in VS run out. The 3 smalls Jews I got a couple weeks back we're caught on the full moon but that was the morning so I it's not really relevant, it would have been interesting to know if I could have caught any earlier that morning in the dark while the full moon was out. Don't know!

[slinkymalinky]

Before moving to the Gold Coast I would have said I didn't think it mattered... but now I've consistently found that fishing around the dark or full moon is way better than during the middle phases. The fish up here seem much more active when there is more tidal movement associated with those phases... no run, no fun.

Cheers, Slinky

[King slayer]

I have been reading a great book on fish behavior written by a marine biologist who is an avid fisherman. He notes that predatory fish often prefer the full moon for catching live prey since they can see them easier. He says this is the time to use live baits at night. In a dark moon phase, since the visibility is low, use large baits with scent, like oily fillets for example as they will be more likely hunting by scent.

I take more notice of science than of opinion, so I love this little book.

All I can say about night fishing from my own experience is that in shallow water on a full moon, the fish seem to disappear but take a tinnie out to some deeper water and you can get some action.

I also think that since the tides are so fast around the moons, the feed time is shorter for most fish in current affected areas.

I'm starting to realise more and more that fish have to live and feed most of the time, they just change their habits in different conditions. So the more you experiment and try to think like a fish, he more fish you should get. Having said that, I feel i have a lifetime of experimenting yet to do. Lucky I love it!

Dave

[luckytom]

I think Musty's pretty much right-on...My experience over the years with moon phases and "catching fish" always depended on spieces and location and bait availability to the fish you are targeting...a lot of times when I think I've got it figured out the fish turn around and make me look like an idiot! Either way ..fish when you can and always give it your best shot and you never know what can happen! We sometimes say "Oh..It's pretty much a waste of time @ so and so or such and such"!.....Well??? How would we know thay if we hadn't "been there and done that"??? Bottom line is ..JUST DO IT!...CHEERS..Tom the Yank

[yakfishing]

You definitely wont catch anything at home saying the moons not right so I'm not going. I go fishing at any opportunity, because Ive gotta work the rest of them time. I will only time it with the tides if possible and I think that is the bigger issue. I always hear plenty of stories of PBs being caught on less than ideal conditions (moon, pressure, tides, temp etc) and if that's all you catch, we'll thats a bloody good reason to be out there. What it all comes down to in the end is time on the water.

Edited August 18, 2009 by yakfishing

[yakfishing]

Case and point:

Full moon is today.

Yesterday I caught a 40cm EP out of the harbour at dusk.

Early this morning Luderick Luke caught a 41cm bream.

PBs all round!

Stuff the moon..