Moon Phases

So I’ve never been one to follow moon phases that closely when going fishing, mostly because I just try and get out when I can regardless of the moon. What do you guys think about fishing during a full moon? In reading articles I’ve read that a full moon can be impactful on bodies of water with good clarity and little snow, or it will be a better bite 3-4 days before or after the full moon. What about a stained lake like Red or LOW? Do any of you feel that it makes that much of a difference on these kinds of lakes? Would love to hear your thoughts or experiences.

Thanks

I have always prefer a new moon. I think it makes a difference on all lakes and hunting too.

I don’t have an answer other than I hope to find out for myself. A few years ago during a take a vet fishing event I fished with a guy who took notes about the conditions of every fish he caught (he was a musky guy) and entered them into a spreadsheet to come up with data and evaluate trends. I’ve been saying for years that I’d like to start recording more of the variables so instead of guessing I can start looking at data for real answers.

Another example: This summer on the Wired to Hunt podcast they’ve been having a lot of high-profile whitetail hunters as guests and at the end the host, Mark Kenyon, has been asking each one the same 5 questions. They’re all pretty interesting, such as “would you take a 50-yard bow shot” and “do you feel that you need to stop a moving buck with a grunt call or something before taking a shot?”.

One of the questions is “does moon phase matter for whitetail hunting?” It’s been a mixed bag of results, which in my opinion means it’s more of anecdotal
experiences than real facts.

If you read back over the posts I’ve made or contributed about, its easy to know where I stand on the matter. Fish still eat, but not as much and not as aggressively. Are there exceptions – naturally, there are always exceptions. But most important to follow is the major/minor times. in great/perfect conditions, you can catch fish using a dog turd. When conditions are at their worst, fish at the right time of the night or day and put the odds in your favor

Personally I don’t put a lot of faith in moon phases for walleye. I’ve been shut out when conditions and moon phase line up (especially in the fall), and hammered them when it was suboptimal conditions/moon phase. However, the musky guys swear by it, and my experiences with musky have been better at moon rise/set.

Deer is different, and more impacted when there’s a full moon and clear skies at night, midday is better than sunrise/set imo. My thought is they are up all night feeding and sleeping at sunrise, kind of like switching to the night shift their sleep pattern is off.

Randy Wieland wrote:

If you read back over the posts I’ve made or contributed about, its easy to know where I stand on the matter. Fish still eat, but not as much and not as aggressively. Are there exceptions – naturally, there are always exceptions. But most important to follow is the major/minor times. in great/perfect conditions, you can catch fish using a dog turd. When conditions are at their worst, fish at the right time of the night or day and put the odds in your favor

I was hoping you would chime in Randy. You have always talked about the phases. Good to see you back to being active here. Miss your posts friend.

John Rasmussen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>
If you read back over the posts I’ve made or contributed about, its easy to know where I stand on the matter. Fish still eat, but not as much and not as aggressively. Are there exceptions – naturally, there are always exceptions. But most important to follow is the major/minor times. in great/perfect conditions, you can catch fish using a dog turd. When conditions are at their worst, fish at the right time of the night or day and put the odds in your favor

I was hoping you would chime in Randy. You have always talked about the phases. Good to see you back to being active here. Miss your posts friend.

here – just selective to what I respond to

75% of my fishing is done at night so I try to stay in tune with the lunar calendar. I think fish feed whether we catch them or not. Ill be coming in to the dock under any moon and routinely see walleye near the surface cruising. That is an active fish that would likely bite.

I think how the moon influences prey further down the food chain is more important to focus on. Like – bug/minnow hatches or frogs in the fall moving from gravel to water in the early dawn.

How I approach those fish changes with the moon: full=dark colors and long-lining, hope for wind. New = flashy and loud, hope for calm conditions.

On Red/LOTW ice fishing a full moon, Id go shallow. In general, stained water at night just isn’t where I would be. But those lakes are there own case study. Love hearing others thoughts

All my night fishing for Cats or Musky the full moon was the worst, Give me black as hades night any time. DK.

Full moon equals numbers of night species, smaller moons equals bigger fish. My experience. I have definitely fished more full moons than any other combined for context

catmando wrote:

Musky the full moon was the worst

This is my experience too. Almost always had better fishing when there was less moon light and have some have stated, a new moon is usually pretty good. The one exception is if there was cloud cover to block out the full moon light at night.