He’s joined by Michele and Panos in emphasizing that full moons still offer sword action, but those fishing at night need to put baits deeper and use more light. The reasoning mostly hinges around the swords feeding higher and more actively in the water column in those dim conditions, and as Panos points out, homing in much more certainly on light sticks than in bright moonlight. When it comes to swordfishing, the consensus suggests an angler’s best shot will be dark-moon periods. The daytime bite was best during the new moon.” “On nights around full moons, the mackerel bite could be outstanding, but then the daytime bite would be poor to nonexistent. Ray Waldner, a fisheries scientist at Florida’s Palm Beach Atlantic University, who recounts his time on a rod-and-reel commercial kingfish boat. “But king mackerel do,” he says, and they are likely to have lockjaw on full-moon days. Bouncer Smith, who fishes off Miami in Bouncer’s Dusky 33, says he does not believe mahi feed much at night, whatever the moon state. Trosset and New York’s Capt. John Raguso both echo Panos: Mahi are tough on full-moon days after feeding all night. They eventually start eating in the afternoon.” Key West’s Capt. R.T. We see them on the surface, but they’re very hesitant to eat anything. “I’ve seen lousy mahi fishing time and again around a full moon. The mahi feed at night and are simply less hungry and aggressive during the day. Dean Panos, who runs Double-D Charters out of North Miami. However, he adds, “on the actual day of the full moon, the bite is usually terrible.” Similarly, Damon Olsen with Nomad Sportfishing out of Cairns, Australia, says fishing for big black marlin off the Great Barrier Reef is “exceptionally good” from seven to two days before a full moon. Spring tide - The biggest tides (i.e., the most vertical difference between high and low tides) occurs during new and full moons when the sun and moon are nearly aligned, simultaneously exerting their gravitational pull on Earth. Neap tide - The least tidal movement (i.e., the least vertical difference between high and low tides) occurs during first- and last-quarter-moon phases when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other, partially canceling out the gravitational pull on the earth of the two bodies. It again appears half-illuminated, though it is now the other half than was the case in its first quarter. It has gone three-quarters of the way through its cycle. Last-quarter moon (aka three-quarter moon) - The moon is midway from full back to new. It appears half-illuminated by the sun and half dark it is one-quarter of the way through its cycle back to new. First-quarter moon - The moon is midway from new to full. When someone refers to the “half moon,” he’s describing either the first- or last-quarter moon. So to make sure we’re all on the same page, here are a few key terms: Half moon - There is no such thing. Lunar Lexicon Everyone understands what a full moon is and what high tide means, but a few common terms might be a bit more slippery. Still, there are some specific fisheries where a clear empirical or scientific cause-and-result links moon phase to the behavior of certain fishes. Of course there’s no shortage of old wives’ tales and unfounded superstitious beliefs, as the “knowledge” of many weekend anglers confirms. Then never again will I be told that if I’d just come on the right moon phase, I’d have caught fish all day long.Īfter reviewing studies and interviewing more than 35 professional captains and scientists, I have gained some real insight into how and where lunar phase often does and doesn’t matter, and I reached one take-away (but more on that later). After all, by knowing the truth about the effect of the lunar condition on fish behavior, I could schedule all my future fishing when it has to be hot. So I set out to try to get a handle on this perplexing moon mystery. While the moon can rise, it can’t rise to its own defense. Are you better off fishing for behemoth marlin around a full moon or new moon? That seems to vary by region and skipper.
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