Thread: Solunar effects

You're welcome, chrispy. If you decide to observe the periods for a while, somewhere down the road I'd like to know how it worked out for you.

Will do! Thinking about keeping a log this year as it will be my first year targeting crappie and my first boat and sonar. took 50 years but I'm as giddy as a kid on Christmas.

I have this site bookmarked on my computer and look at it on a regular basis.
Worldwide Solunar Best Hunting Times and the Best Fishing Times Forecast and Prediction Tables for your own Geographic Specific Location - Solunar Monthly Hunting and Fishing Times Calendar.
I follow it but I normally fish when I get the chance. I am positive Bluegill nest by the full and new moon.

Originally Posted by brush pile

Can't tell if you agree with me or not

I agree

Solunar tables do not take into account other prevailing conditions. They are but one cog in an otherwise very complex machine, which is nature.

Sol-Lunar = Sun - Moon ... and likely their biggest effects are when they are more or less on opposite sides of the globe. I can't remember ever having a good day on the water when the Sun & Moon were both in the sky at the same time. I believe they have an effect on fish/wildlife, just not that they are any great predictor of "prime" feeding or activity levels ... unless all other parts of the equation are at least leaning towards a normal/stable condition.

... cp

Sheesh; next you're going to tell me that my favorite horoscope columnist is just making it up too!!

I started keeping a fishing log in 1982. Nothing fancy, just notes on a calendar. Had a fishing buddy who swore by the solarlunar tables so for one year (somewhere in the early 90's) I would list the times on the calendar along with notes about catch rates. Our local paper would print the coming week's tables (Knight) in the Sunday paper, adjusted to our location. I don't remember how many trips I fished that year but it was around 65-70 entries. It was a crap shoot. Sometimes the fishing was best during a major feeding time, but it was just random, so by chance it would happen. But not very often. Not even close. If you keep a fishing log, keep up with it for a while and see what you think. As stated above....Mother Nature plays a much larger part in feeding times. Some people (when not watching wrestling) swear they're accurate.

Crappiecom comment Solunar tables

Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Solunar tables do not take into account other prevailing conditions. They are but one cog in an otherwise very complex machine, which is nature.

Sol-Lunar = Sun - Moon ... and likely their biggest effects are when they are more or less on opposite sides of the globe. I can't remember ever having a good day on the water when the Sun & Moon were both in the sky at the same time. I believe they have an effect on fish/wildlife, just not that they are any great predictor of "prime" feeding or activity levels ... unless all other parts of the equation are at least leaning towards a normal/stable condition. [IMG]file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG]

... cp [IMG]file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image002.gif[/IMG]

That's how I see it. One factor among many, but sometimes a critical factor. Sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset, sun or moon directly overhead (i.e., high noon) or directly beneath your feet (midnight), and particularly when the sum and moon align in one of these positions do you get the strongest effects. The effect is strongest at the middle of a major or minor period. If conditions are stable and there's only a short bite during the day, it's often smack in the middle of a major period.

I live in a small town surrounding a 900 acre lake. I grew up here and I fish in some of the same spots I fished over 50 years ago. One of my favorite crappie holes is a small harbor separated from the main lake by a fairly long channel. Often in Spring the crappie will stack up in that harbor and they usually spawn in there sometime around Memorial Day. In the right light you can sometimes see the big pod of crappie suspended, drifting slowly around in the middle of the harbor, often over the deepest point. If they're not biting you can drag anything you want through that pod but you're not going to get bit. This place in particular helped me to see the connection between fish activity and the Solunar periods. I've fished that place all day long on many a day when I knew the crappie were in there, and only catch the odd fish here and there except during a peak solunar period.

I've also noticed that crappie in particular will go on a bite for relatively short periods of time, sometimes turning on and off several times during the day, or even during a single peak period. Sometimes a bite seems to be triggered by environmental conditions like the sun coming out, or the clouds blocking the sun, or a change in the wind, other times there is no apparent reason. They'll bite for a while, then turn off, then turn back on again. Sometimes these bites are only 20-30 minutes in duration, and the periods between bites are usually at least as long as the bite or longer. I've definitely seen this happen during a major period when over the course of two hours there will be a number of observable active periods and inactive periods, then not much happening the rest of the day.

Chrispy, I've been keeping a log for many years, although not always as diligently as I wish I had. I think you'll find it's very useful. It will give you a reason to review all the conditions and consider details you might not otherwise have noticed. And of course you have the records to refer to going forward.

JP, I've noticed the timing of bluegill spawning coincides often with either a full moon or a new moon.

I don't know what else to say to those of you who have observed no influence from solunar forces, other than I frankly suspect you expect too much. The fish won't just start jumping in the boat directly a major period begins, regardless of the other conditions. I have no doubt the solunar forces sometimes predict when fish will be more active and go on the bite because I have observed it with my own eyes many times. I often fish all day long and on some days the times the fish are actively biting are pretty well-defined. I don't always check the tables and on a number of occasions I've only realized the fish were most active during a peak influence period at the end of the day when I make my log notes and look at the table. There's no chance of bias in those instances. This very spring I ran into some friends at a good spot and they told me there had been a bite earlier. That bite aligned with a major period, which I knew but they didn't.

I'm like most people and fish when I can. But I try to fish when conditions are most favorable, and among the conditions I take into consideration are the solunar periods. If I can only fish part of a day, all other things being equal I'll try to be on the water during a peak period.