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Updated onOct 17, 2023 | 7 minute read | Written by AlbertComments 37
Written by Albert
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Solunar fishing calendars have to be one of those polarizing topics in the whole angling community. Walk into your favorite tackle shop and mention fishing by moon phases, and you’ll instantly be best friends with half the room. The other half will either shake their heads or start screaming.
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (2) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (2)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151938/Fishing-in-the-full-moon-1024x683.jpg)
Many seasoned anglers swear by their moon-centered strategy. They chalk their biggest catches up to the movement of the planet. And it’s pretty common. Major fishing magazines often feature a lunar fishing calendar. There are also dozens of apps available for the same thing.
Could there really be some truth in the whole solunar thing? Or is it just a case of “horoscopes for fish”? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Table of contents:
- The Origin of Solunar Theory
- Lunar Periods: The Best Time to Fish
- Moon Phases: The Best Day of the Month to Fish
- Problems with Fishing During a Full or New Moon
- What Science Says about Solunar Fishing Calendars
- Open Oysters
- Trophy Bass
- So Many Marlin
The Origin of Solunar Theory
The year was 1926, and John Alden Knight came up with a peculiar theory about, well, basically all wildlife.
Knight was an avid outdoorsman and a keen fly fisherman. In his spare time, he also liked to learn about the beliefs and folklore around fishing and hunting. He researched things that were believed to affect the behavior and feeding habits of animals. This turned out to be his life’s work.
Knight gathered 33 factors that supposedly influenced fish and game. He examined each theory and ended up dismissing all but three of them. What he was left with was the sun, the tides, and the moon. He couldn’t see how any single one of them could explain the way fish behaved. But what if you combined them?
A decade later, Knight created the first solunar fishing chart. The rest, as they say, is history.
Lunar Periods: The Best Time to Fish
There are four lunar periods each day – two “major,” two “minor.” Major periods last around two hours. They begin when the moon is directly above our heads (so-called “lunar transit”), or right below our feet (“opposing lunar transit”). Minor periods last for about an hour while the moon rises and sets. The idea is that fish become more active at these four times of day.
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (4) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (4)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151934/Fishing-by-moon-phase-1024x683.jpg)
Now, a boost in activity doesn’t necessarily mean that fish will bite at precisely those times. But since that’s when the fish are meant to be out looking for food, it can only mean one thing for many anglers – fish o’clock. Major periods supposedly have a greater effect on fish than minor ones, so that’s when solunar believers tend to make their casts.
Fishing in a major moon period couldn’t be simpler. You check your solunar table. It tells you when the moon will be in the best position. You catch lots of big fish. However, it’s fairly obvious that not every day ends with a ton of trophies. With that in mind, there’s one more factor you need to consider – choosing the right moon phase.
Moon Phases: The Best Day of the Month to Fish
There are four lunar phases anglers need to think about – new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. Many fishermen swear that 90% of your lifetime catches will come from the full and new moon.
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (5) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (5)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151935/How-Tides-Work-1024x683.jpg)
The idea behind fishing by moon phases is that the bigger the tide, the more active the fish. The strongest tides happen twice a month: during a new moon, when the sun and moon are both pulling in the same direction, and during the full moon, they’re pulling on either side of the planet.
Of course, this is by no means something that the entire angling community agrees on. As with all things fishing, there are a lot of people who will confidently give you the exact opposite advice. They’ll insist that the first and last quarters are the best lunar phases for fishing.
Others claim that you should only fish the full moon at night. The theory here is that the moon’s light allows the fish to see better. This lets them feed well into the night, so they’re less hungry the following day. By the same logic, you should only fish the new moon by day, as fish are unlikely to be out hunting in complete darkness.
Periods and phases are two halves of a whole. Head out on a fishing trip during a major period and a full moon, and you may want to get your paperwork ready for the new state record.
Problems with Fishing During a Full or New Moon
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (6) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (6)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14154253/472864_374097016040264_1099422245_o-1024x683.jpg)
Regardless of how good the bite is, you should always be careful when fishing during a full or new moon. This is especially true at night, and especially if you’re fishing from rocks or jetties. In some places around the world, tides can reach as high as 40–60 feet, with water levels rising incredibly fast. Don’t put yourself in danger for the chance of a few more hookups.
Even if you’re a strong solunar believer, there’s still a chance your fishing trip will go awry. Other factors like weather and air pressure will have a much stronger effect than whatever the moon’s doing. If a cold front is approaching, even two full moons won’t do you much good. The fish will probably shelter deep down away from the cold and become inactive.
What Science Says about Solunar Fishing Calendars
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (7) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (7)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151933/Solunar-superstition-1024x512.jpg)
There are some things that we know the moon does. Many saltwater fish synchronize their spawn with the tides so that the tidal currents pull their larvae into safe, shallow estuaries. Currents also stir up nutrients from the seabed. Bait fish feed on these nutrients, and game fish feed on bait fish. We, in turn, catch the game fish. It’s the circle of life.
But what about the solunar theory itself? Has any of this stuff actually been proven true? In other words, can it be supported by any sort of legitimate scientific research?
Open Oysters
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (8) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (8)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151932/Open-oysters-1024x683.jpg)
While developing his hypothesis, John Alden Knight tried to systematically analyze the lunar position during 200 catches of both record-sized fish and record number of fish. He found that about 90% of them happened during the new moon. Based on those numbers, he focused a lot of his future research around this part of the tidal calendar.
Another experiment that seemed to support Knight’s theory was conducted by Dr. Frank A. Brown. Brown was a Northwest University biologist. One day, he ordered a large amount of live oysters to be flown to his lab. He wasn’t after a fishy feast, though. Instead, he wanted to examine whether the oysters were affected by the moon’s movements.
Oysters generally open their shells during the high tides, and for the first two weeks, they continued to open in time with the tides back home. However, after two weeks, they adjusted their rhythms to the times that the moon was directly overhead or below their feet – the two major periods of the lunar day.
Conclusive proof? Not quite. As it turns out, a lot of research seems to run against the theory’s main assumptions.
Trophy Bass
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (9) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (9)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151939/Largemouth-Bass-2-1024x683.jpg)
In 2010, Professor Mike Allen published his research on the effects of lunar activity on Largemouth Bass. He wanted to see if there was any proof that moon phases affect Bass spawning times or catch rates.
Allen enlisted the help of Porter Hall, a trophy Bass fisherman with hundreds of catches in the 10+ pound range. Hall kept a detailed record of every fish he caught. Professor Allen then worked out how his hookups lined up with the lunar calendar. It turns out, not very well.
The bite was pretty much consistent throughout the entire month. Twenty-one percent of the fish were landed under the new moon. Twenty-eight percent during a full moon. In short, around half the fish were caught in half the month, with the first and last quarters serving up the other 49%.
So, the big hunk of cheese in the sky doesn’t do anything for freshwater fish. That makes sense. There’s a lot less water to move in a pond than a sea. The real nail in the coffin would be similar evidence from ocean-going species.
So Many Marlin
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (10) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (10)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14151935/Striped-Marlin.jpg)
A couple of years after Professor Allen published his findings on Bass, Sam Mossman from Marlin Magazine decided to do something similar with big game fish. Specifically, he decided to see if the Striped Marlin bite had anything to do with the moon’s journey around us.
In order to really test this theory, Mossman needed data. Lots of data. He contacted New Zealand’s Bay of Islands Swordfish Club, the second oldest sportfishing club in the world, and asked to have a look at their catch records. Being the nice people that they are, they gave Mossman access to all of their yearbooks, dating all the way back to 1929.
After a long day of photocopying record books and a week of crunching numbers, Mossman had the data he needed. Eighty-four years worth of Marlin, all plotted onto the moon phase they were caught on. So, how did the lunar theory stack up? Not well.
On average, the best time to go fishing was just before the full moon. The worst time was just after it. These numbers picked up again heading into the first quarter. All in all, though, catches were pretty consistent in every phase of the month. There was decent fishing to be done, whatever was going on in space.
Solunar Fishing: Reality or Myth?
![Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (11) Solunar Fishing: Can Moon Phases Help Your Catch Rate? (11)](https://i0.wp.com/fishingbooker-prod-blog-backup.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/media/2014/08/14152723/Fishing-by-Moon-Phases-1024x680.jpg)
It’s obvious that the moon has an effect on fishing. It causes the tides. Even so, other factors like weather and water temperature have a way bigger impact. The fact of the matter is that every moon phase is going to produce some of the best and worst fishing of the month.
But more importantly, most people just aren’t able to plan their life around the moon. We can’t cherry pick the perfect fishing days, whatever they may look like on paper. Similarly, a “bad” moon phase certainly shouldn’t make you rethink your long-awaited fishing trip.
If you need more information on how to go about fishing for the first time, visit our Fishing Tips for Beginners blog.
What’s your experience of fishing by moon phases? Which moon phase was responsible for your best catches? Let us know in the comments below!
Albert
Comments (37)
Rob-fresh water fishing
March 14, 2024 Mar 14, 2024
Great article..In my 55 years experience of fresh water fishing,I have caught fish at all phases of the moon. However,I have caught bigger & more during major phases but I find the weather & barometric pressure play the bigger part in my catch & that’s bank or boat fishing. Fishing is a great way to spend time with family & friends. it’s fun,relaxing & healthy for you ! Even if your not catching fish….Enjoy your life !! its short !! HAVE FUN !!….Thank you for the read..
Marko
Replied on March 14, 2024 Mar 14, 2024
Hi Rob,
Thank you for the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
Tight lines,
Marko
MartinC
March 8, 2024 Mar 8, 2024
Get out & enjoy nature & don’t worry about things (moon) you can’t control.
Eray
January 1, 2024 Jan 1, 2024
This was a really nice article, thank you. I wanted to go fishing but the solunar calendar was showing poor conditions, and I don’t really want to go for nothing, so it was demoralising for me. Reading this, I am more confident to go fishing.
A research on the effects of solunar table on shore fishing would also be great, because I think the tides would mostly effect fish at shallow parts of the seas.
Also, when you think about it, you can only catch fish at full moon if you only go fishing at full moon 🙂
Rhys
Replied on January 3, 2024 Jan 3, 2024
Hi Eray,
Rhys here from FishingBooker. Thanks for your kind words. I’ll see what I can do about getting an article done on solunar impacts on shore fishing!
Tight lines,
Jeff
December 19, 2023 Dec 19, 2023
as far as fresh water fishing the full moon is a great time to night fish it really dosent affect the fish but it is so much easier for the fisherman to be able to see what he or she is casting. zbut when it comes to saltwater fishing in lakes where the phases make your tides stronger and bigger sure affects the rate of catch. But anytime you have tidal movement the baitfish are being moved which triggers larger fish to feed. But the main concern is pressures high pressure is the worst time to fish, just think would you be more comfortable with 5lbs or 500lbs on your shoulders while walking the dog. Common sense!
Hazem
October 5, 2022 Oct 5, 2022
I liked this article .
Thank you
Jacob Washbee
Replied on January 17, 2023 Jan 17, 2023
Ya, I agree. I catch the crap out of marlins and am looking to go this Saturday!
Jason
July 17, 2022 Jul 17, 2022
The best time to fish is any time that you can go, weather you catch a lot or a little that’s why they call it fishing!
Marko
Replied on July 18, 2022 Jul 18, 2022
Hi Jason,
We’re with you on this! It’s all about getting out there and enjoying the experience, catching stuff comes second.
Hope you enjoyed the article.
Tight lines!
Marko
Dmytry
June 12, 2022 Jun 12, 2022
It works https://www.phases-moon.com/florida/
Tanya
Replied on June 13, 2022 Jun 13, 2022
Hi Dmytry,
Thanks for sharing Florida’s moon calendar with us.
How often do you practice solunar fishing?
Ahmed Sharab
May 3, 2022 May 3, 2022
Very interesting article. Well done Albert and the team!
I am fishing in the Arabian gulf specifically in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and I have been twice to Oman in the open ocean for big game yellow fin tuna and giant trivially (sadly never been successful in big game so far).
In my experience, and I go fishing nearly every week in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I see that the study done on the Bass could yield significant difference in results if it is done on different styles of fishing. Namely vertical jigging using tungsten micro jigs and casting using plastic surface lures.
The primary catch in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is either emperor fish or rocky grouper or king mackerel.
What jigging does is mimicking the action of a dying bait which entices the target fish to attack in case of emperor and grouper. This was proven to be more successful if compared to fishing with dead bait or soft bait.
Similarly casting lures on feeding frenzy does the same effect which attracts the targeted mackerel.
I use live scope sonar and fish fishfinder to see if there is any fishing, rather than wasting time. So what I noticed is that in some days specially fishing on a full moon day time there is fish activity on the sonar and radar but the fish won’t attack. Similarly, no matter what we do the surface mackerel does not attack on casting lures. This evidence matches with the study so far for fishing on full moon day.
However, in any other day of the month “provided the wind is in favorable condition”, the fish is highly attracted during the high tide time for a couple of hours each time I try. This has made believe that I should plan my trips according to the high tide time of the day each time I go fishing.
Simply a couple of hours full time fishing is better than long hours of-shore on trial and error that eventually yields the same result.
Bottom line, at least in my region in the Middle East the best fishing time for jigging and casting both light game and big game, is one hour before high tide time and two hours after the high tide so long it is not a full moon day.
Marko
Replied on May 3, 2022 May 3, 2022
Dear Ahmed,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on the post. You raise some excellent points, the tides play a huge role in how fish behave and should always be considered when planning a trip. Your words serve as a great addendum to the article. 🙂
And thank you for giving us a glimpse of how fishing in the Middle East works, it’s always nice hearing some local insight.
Tight lines,
Marko
Tj Black
September 26, 2021 Sep 26, 2021
I loved this article, especially like the part about Porter Hall’s journal. I fish backwaters in North Carolina for largemouth, longnose gar, and bowfin. The one thing I can attest to as far as moon phases is that day fishing in the full moon is awful. My theory is it gets so hot here that fish will feed more at night and by morning they are full in their deep spots by the day. I also don’t like nightfishing the full moon because the advantage of the night angler is stealth and low visibility which doesn’t exist under a bright full moon. Generally I look at lunar table fishing the same as astrology, there might be something to it, but weather, water quality, skill of angler beat lunar cycle anytime. I would like to do a similar study as Prof. Allen’s but instead of having a highly skilled angler use recreational “lucky” catches. A skilled bass fisherman can catch bass, I would like to see if the sun-lunar theory gives an amateur a better shot of a new personal best.
Rhys
Replied on September 27, 2021 Sep 27, 2021
Hi Tj,
Thanks for reading and for your kind comments, and especially for your top tips! We agree that weather, water, and the angler’s skill level trumps the lunar calendar, but every little helps!
Tight lines,
Rory Hicks
Replied on December 30, 2021 Dec 30, 2021
I like the idea that you want to use a not so skilled fisherperson. Because there in lies the rub. The skilled fisherperson is most likely always gonna catch at least one or two fish maybe not trophy sized but at least something but a beginner who is just learning the ropes may not be as lucky. So if the phases of the moon make it better or worse then using a beginner to find that out would be a great idea. And probably more accurate.
Lisa
Replied on January 3, 2022 Jan 3, 2022
Hi Rory,
Yes, it does make sense! When I was fishing for the first time, I was so lucky. But, when it was my third or fourth time fishing (I was consider myself to be somewhat experienced) I barely caught anything.
Lisa
Hazem
Replied on October 5, 2022 Oct 5, 2022
Luck of the bigginer
Joel
Replied on February 25, 2022 Feb 25, 2022
Hi sir someone help me what is the best day for fishing..day and time weather also plssss..
Albert Ohayon
September 5, 2021 Sep 5, 2021
Yes moon phases are important to follow, but here is the catch : every specy of fish has its own beheaviour. If you are deep line fishing at 1000 ft and over, during new moon, fish will still be active and bite, unless sea current are too strong to keep your rig on bottom.
If you are trawling for shrimps, in new moom, you will be wasting your time, but the unfortunate bycatch will be heavy.
Shrimping is best 4 days before full moon and 4 days after full moon. But even in dark nights, no moon, you can find shrimp if heavy rains have forced them out.
Snook are not active in full moon but bite in the first and last quarter of the moon.
Yellow tail snappers are active and bite at any moon size, water depth in this case is where to find them ie 90 to 130 ft.
In all each specy beheave differently. Dont let the moon size stop you from trying your luck.
Vuk
Replied on September 6, 2021 Sep 6, 2021
Hi Albert,
Thanks for your comment. You’re absolutely right about every species behaving differently! At the end of the day, the only way to make sure you don’t catch any fish is not to go out on the water at all.
Tight lines,
Vuk
John Sickler
June 17, 2021 Jun 17, 2021
I Bass fish Sylvan Lake in Sanford FL.
The Larger Bass seem to bite 3 days before a full moon and 3 days after. The new moon is very productive as well. They also are very active after an evening rain this time of year but not during the rain.
Thanks for the article, good topic!!!
Katie
Replied on June 18, 2021 Jun 18, 2021
Hi John,
Thanks very much for sharing your insight! We always love hearing from locals 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the article, too!
Tight lines,
Katie
SaltWarrior
March 1, 2021 Mar 1, 2021
I fish out of Tampa Bay, Florida. There is a head boat out of Johns pass, Hubbards Marina that offers a 44-hour full moon trip. I took this boat out and the nighttime Mangrove snapper bite was intense. Daytime was much slower with no snapper bite at all, but the grouper bite was pretty good. Definitely think its species-specific.
Albert
Replied on March 2, 2021 Mar 2, 2021
Hi Michael,
Interesting. Sounds like an amazing trip!
all the best!
Dmitrij Babic
January 17, 2021 Jan 17, 2021
I live on Tenerife Island, Canaries.
Mad about fishing local seabass with plugs.
What I have noticed from my experience is that the best days for fishing are one week (roughly speaking) starting from 4th day after new moon and one week before the full moon. If we can compare the moon to cheese head, then the best and most productive is the week before and week after the moon looks like half of the cheese head.
And complete new moon and full moon prove to be the worst time for fishing. Usually I get home with zero fish.
Tight lines to everybody !
Albert
Replied on January 18, 2021 Jan 18, 2021
Hi Dmitrij,
Thanks for getting in touch, and for sharing your tips. It really seems to vary with the species.
All the best!
anisi
November 1, 2020 Nov 1, 2020
Very interesting sharing and very interesting Articles, allow me to share my experience from the Middle of the Pacific Ocean (Tonga) we are doing Deep sea Bottom Line Fishing for Longtail flame Snappers, our best catches is happened 4 nights before full moon and 4 days after new moon and we are confident this is the best time as thier guts are empty nothing at all. this is the type of information that we need to share, to move to a more realistic evidence we must look at their guts what they have eaten i don’t trust that we rely on the Volume there is no realistic ground.
Albert
Replied on November 2, 2020 Nov 2, 2020
Hi Anisi,
Thanks for getting in touch. That’s really interesting!
I guess it makes sense that fish might eat less at certain moon phases. I’m surprised that a bottom-dwelling species like Longtail Red Snapper would be so affected though.
Tight lines!
Erwin Anthony
July 4, 2020 Jul 4, 2020
Dear writer,
At my country you will not get any fish during full moon. Both sea nor lake there are “no fish”. For you know, I am proffessional fisherman for 10 years and my hobby is fishing.
Albert
Replied on July 6, 2020 Jul 6, 2020
Hi Erwin,
Thanks for getting in touch. That’s very interesting!
What kinds of species are you fishing for?
Oldog
Replied on August 9, 2021 Aug 9, 2021
What country ? No fish at all ? Hot sulfur springs is all you have ? Professional fisherman but no fish ?
Donald Davis
October 9, 2016 Oct 9, 2016
My best catch ever has always been during a full moon in the early mornings catching jack fish in the Fort Charles and Great Bay area in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica so I have accepted the moon theory and its effect on fishing. Other than a full and new moon phase, can all that is said be applied in these areas too for better catch ? Don’t only wanna be catching fish on these moon phases.
Abu Man
December 5, 2015 Dec 5, 2015
In regard to the article .. Casting beyond the Moon: Can Solunar Tables and Moon Phases help you Catch more Fish? Posted on August 8, 2014 by Dino
I am the President of a New Zealand Surfcasting Club and would like permission to publish this article for the benefit of our Club members.
Catherine Tyack
Replied on December 11, 2015 Dec 11, 2015
Hi Abu,
Thanks for asking and sorry for the late reply. You’re welcome to use our article but please make sure you link back to the original and reference FishingBooker when you do so.
Glad you found it interesting! Cat
miamicharter
August 21, 2014 Aug 21, 2014
Great experience with fishing in Moon phases. I usually like to do fishing in Full Moon and third quarter phases.
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