Lunar Calendar question *UPDATED 5/25* 2024
OCdockskipper reply :
I have written in the past how the lunar calendars posted in Bassmaster magazine & the like drive me crazy. I want them to be a tool to use but at the same time, don't want to put doubt in my mind prior to going out for the day. Like many on this site, I view them casually and only have anecdotal evidence of them working or not working. However, I do know that some on this site like WRB & Paul Roberts have spent time studying and analyzing these tables and have input that is based much more on science than on personal experience. It is that group that I have a question for.
I noticed that the lunar calendar in Bassmaster has Thursday, May 25th rated as a 95 (out of 100) and Friday, June 23rd at a near perfect 99. I fish in Southern California, the bass in my lake are post spawn moving towards summer patterns and the weather will most likely be pretty stable (typical SoCal). Although it is a little bit of an inconvenience, I have the flexibility to switch my work schedule around so that I could fish on those days instead of on Saturday as I typically do. Fishing pressure on my lake does not differ on weekdays versus weekends, I usually am the only one there no matter the day of the week.
So the question, is it worth the little inconvenience to make sure I am on the water those two days or will it probably not make much of a difference if I go out a day or two later on the following Saturday?
Raul reply :
Go whenever you can, you ain't gonna catch them if you ain't there.
OCdockskipper reply :
Raul, thanks for the reply, but that is the kind of casual comment myself and others make that doesn't apply to the question I asked. I stated that I am going, so that isn't part of the discussion.
I am looking for some insight form those few who have spent the time & effort to really delve into how the lunar tables affect wildlife. I haven't, I am not qualified to really know if it is worthwhile to choose one day over another, so hence the post.
Team9nine reply :
I've spent a decent amount of time researching them, and about the best I can find are hints of correlation that can not be statistically validated as "significant." Personally, I would look at the long term weather forecast and lean more toward the best local conditions on the days in question over the lunar calendar. If all is equal in that regard, then perhaps it would be worth making the work switch to the "best" day, but I'd caution against letting the calendars drive your decisions about which days to go or not too much.
@Paul Robertsalluded to having some thoughts in this regard on his spawn video, so perhaps he'll chime in.
WRB reply :
It's my personal observation that active bass are easier to catch then inactive bass and that is the foundation my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar was based on. Seasonal periods are well established today and generally accepted. Now we get to how the sun and moon phases affect bass activity independently from weather, it's not possible to predict weather in advance and obviously affects bass behavior.
Solunar tables were developed by Doug Hannon and continue to be published. The sun position in regards to the horizon changes light penetration into water, more light the higher the sun gets over head, less the closer it is to the horizon. Bass being predators use low light to their hunting advantage as they are primarily sight feeders not scent feeders.
The moons gravitational affect on bass is debatable however there is observed evidence a full and new moon affects the spawn cycle and the full moons added light affects summer night fishing by increasing nocturnal terrestrial critter and insect activity that bass feed on.
I try to time my pre spawn fishing around the full and new moon periods and every giant bass that I have caught was during that time period.
Confidence may have more to do with catch rate success, If you believe the bass will be active you tend to focus your efforts on catching them. Pre spawn through summer the lunar phase may have a positive affect, fall and winter the sun tends to have more affect do to warming the water.
You can disregard solunar affects on animals or accept it, no science to prove it other than observation.
Tom
RoLo reply :
On 5/20/2017 at 12:13 AM, WRB said:Solunar tables were developed by Doug Hannon and continue to be published.
I believe John Alden Knight devised the Solunar Tables,
and Doug Hannon introduced the "Moon Clock".
Roger
drew4779 reply :
I use lunar tables only when planning out of town fishing trips. I can't say for certain that it works, but since I've started doing this (about 10 years), I've only had one poor out of town trip. On that weekend, the temperature dropped 35' from when i left to when i arrived. So based on that, i would say weather supersedes the moon.
If it were me, I'd fish the days indicated on your calendar if possible...why not give yourself your best chance?
BassWhole! reply :
On 5/20/2017 at 12:13 AM, WRB said:It's my personal observation that active bass are easier to catch then inactive bass
I don't even know what to type here...
WRB reply :
On 5/20/2017 at 12:31 AM, RoLo said:
I believe John Alden Knight devised the Solunar Tables,
and Doug Hannon introduced the "Moon Clock".
Roger
You are correct.
On 5/20/2017 at 1:17 AM, reason said:
I don't even know what to type here...
You would be surprised how many bass anglers believe bass are always actively feeding and can be teased into striking a lure, no concept in what an inactive bass is.
Tom
RoLo reply :
When still living in New Jersey, I went through a period when I logged all my catches
as they correlated with lunar phases, moonrise and moonset.
I confess that I really wanted to discover a compelling connection, and found myself
giving lunar connections the benefit of every doubt (wishful thinking).
Right around the time I thought I found a valid connection with moonrise and moonset,
the wheels fell off! In non-tidal waters, I pay no attention today to lunar phase,
moonrise or mindset, not even during the bedding season.
Roger
toni63 reply :
I used to look into that kind of thing and would occasionally take days off work around "prime" Solunar days, when the moon is rising as the sun is setting or the sun is rising as the moon sets, or when the sun is directly overhead when the moon is directly opposite, hoping that might lead to improving my success rates when using time off to fish.
My conclusion? Never saw any difference. Now I don't even bother to look. Either you find em and they biting or they ain't. I would agree with the poster above who said weather conditions are going to be a huge factor. Where the moon is at in relation to the Sun is so insignificant in comparison, to me its not worth planning anything around.
Paul Roberts reply :
I think that local conditions and circumstances are the most important. They would likely mask any "celestial" events. Statistically, such events just don't hold up. I suspect that the search for one big factor -and thereby make things easier to grasp- underlies this. That's just a supposition.
That's my current belief. However, I'm still holding out that there might be a lunar effect influencing the spawn. But I'm still not convinced either way. I just don't have the data, nor have seen any that is convincing.
Catt reply :
On 5/20/2017 at 2:29 AM, RoLo said:
When still living in New Jersey, I went through a period when I logged all my catches
as they correlated with lunar phases, moonrise and moonset.
I confess that I really wanted to discover a compelling connection, and found myself
giving lunar connections the benefit of every doubt (wishful thinking).
Right around the time I thought I found a valid connection with moonrise and moonset,
the wheels fell off! In non-tidal waters, I pay no attention today to lunar phase,
moonrise or mindset, not even during the bedding season.
Roger
I've logged over 50 years of detailed information with most of that being night fishing. When night fishing I tended to pay attention to the New & Full moon, believing these to be peak times. Night tournaments were even scheduled around both major moon phases.
About 20 something years ago I started night fishing every possible moon phase & the only constance I've noticed is there aint one!
Tidal waters are affected only because of tides which has an direct collation to moon phase.
Roger, I do show an upswing in activities round moonrise & moonset very similar to sunrise & sunset.
Does it hurt to schedule trips around these charts/calendars?
Nope! Did it for years until I realized the supposed off days were as good as any.
As for activity feeding bass
A bass's metabolism is finely tuned to its circulatory system temperature which is the same as the surrounding water temperature. In warmer water bass digest their food fast requiring them to eat more. Being a predator they will not pass up an easy meal!
How's that for rambling 
RoLo reply :
On 5/22/2017 at 6:19 AM, Catt said:
Roger, I do show an upswing in activities round moonrise & moonset very similar to sunrise & sunset.
Does it hurt to schedule trips around these charts/calendars?
Nope! Did it for years until I realized the supposed off days were as good as any.
Doesn't surprise me that we both notice a perceptible upswing in activity
correlative to moonrise & moonset. In the grand scheme, it all tends to point to "light level",
not unlike warm fronts and cold fronts.
We've both paid our dues, so there ain't no ramblin here, buddy 
Roger
OCdockskipper reply :
**UPDATE**
So I went ahead & flipped my schedule to go fishing today. Conditions seemed really good, we had overcast skies and a 3-6 mph wind all day to put a mild chop on the water. Air temperature was in the 60's all day and water surface temps stayed steady at 76 degrees thru most of the lake. The previous 3 days had been warm & sunny, and with the bass in post spawn, my expectations were for some active fish.
The results, not so much...Statistically, I had a slightly below average day (for this lake), catching 15 bass, with the best five being in the 14 lb range. However, the fish were not chasing and I never really put together much of a pattern. The only lure/technique that resulted in multiple fish was a 1/15 oz TRD fished in 6-7 feet of water out beyond some of the main lake docks. I used a hop/swim/stop technique & most of the strikes came when the lure was not being moved. 11 of the bass, including the 5 largest all came from this Ned rig, the rest were all just one-offs, caught on other slow moving lures in other locations.
As a reminder, today was rated as a 95 (out of 100) on the Bassmaster astro tables, with the primary time being 11:30 am until 2:30 pm. Only 2 of my fish came at that time, most were caught from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The first few hours be fore 9:00 am were extremely slow.
Now here is the plot twist. As I was at my dock cleaning my boat, the lake maintenance supervisor cruised by. He asked how my day went and when I replied it was a little slower, he dropped a scenario changer. He told me that yesterday (Wednesday morning), he had done a crawdad stocking around the lake, splitting up the 4 full gunnysacks of crayfish at 16 locations around the 100 acre lake. A light bulb went off in my head, the color of the TRD I was using was California Craw, with crawdad scent and most of the fish had full bellies. Further, most of the other methods I was using that didn't work were ones imitating the small fry and baitfish that are currently up shallow. It is indeed possible that the crawdad stocking 1) keyed the fish to this suddenly abundant food source and 2) left many of them satiated to the point that while they would still eat, they weren't aggressively chasing down the mudbugs.
So once again, I am in limbo in regards to these tables, albeit like most of you who responded, I am leaning towards them not making a huge difference. As a double check, I am going to go out again Saturday, which is still rated as an excellent day (75). However, this time I am rigging up a half dozen different type of crawdad imitations to see if that is indeed their focus.
WRB reply :
Just a reminder that published solunar tables are time zone specific.
Tom
Subaqua Adinterim reply :
On 5/22/2017 at 5:35 AM, Paul Roberts said:I suspect that the search for one big factor -and thereby make things easier to grasp- underlies this. That's just a supposition.
This ^
There was an upstate NY deer expert that tried to differentiate his expert advice (make a name for himself) by claiming that deer breeding behavior was tied in with a specific moon phase. He did speeches and wrote a book on this.
He's a nice guy, however, actual data never really supported his theory. Deer breeding behavior happens at the same time every year in our area, give or take a few days, and is impacted by a number of seasonal factors - length of day, temperature, etc.
For bass fishing, there is probably the same type of hoped for simple theory so that fisherman with limited time available can maximize their productivity. Again, as with deer hunting, if you're not out there your chances are zero; and some of the biggest deer are taken outside the non peak rut activity period.
With all of the above being said, if you are fishing in waters that are affected by ocean tides - primarily saltwater fishing, then the timing of the moon's pull each day will come into play.
OCdockskipper reply :
On the Bassmaster tables, the moon rise & moon set times are about 20 minutes off for my location (each occurred 20 minutes earlier than listed on the table). I though the variance was based on the exact location of my lake as opposed to the general listing for a time zone (i.e., the sun/moon rise is later the further west you are within a time zone, so Las Vegas & Los Angeles will have different rise & set times even though they are both PST or PDT).
Being that the times were that close, do the predictions apply to my time zone or does it kind of wash them out?
WRB reply :
I don't look at those charts and prefer using the 4 days of full and new moon phase and sun position within 30 degrees of the horizon and watching animal activity while on the water. Broader time frames and have settled into this frame of thinking. The daily and hourly cycle of activity rythym usually starts within the low light period repeating about every 3 to 4 hours. Determining what the lakes rythym is requires time on the water. I believe it's good to have some idea what to look for instead blindly going fishing and hoping to catch fish. There isn't any panaceas to bass fishing but you can put some of the odds in your favor.
Tom
scaleface reply :
Aug 21 , 2017 . A total solar eclipse . I live 100 mile away from the epicenter . I wonder how good the fishing will be for those two and a half minutes .
OCdockskipper reply :
On 5/27/2017 at 4:25 AM, scaleface said:Aug 21 , 2017 . A total solar eclipse . I live 100 mile away from the epicenter . I wonder how good the fishing will be for those two and a half minutes .
My guess is that it will be lights out... 
Gundog reply :
I carry a dirty, old sock with me when I'm fishing to scary away the lions. It must work cause I ain't seen a lion in years.
wdp reply :
On 5/28/2017 at 8:50 AM, Gundog said:I carry a dirty, old sock with me when I'm fishing to scary away the lions. It must work cause I ain't seen a lion in years.
??? I'm glad I wasn't drinking a beverage when I read this.
Catt reply :
There have been numerous books, articles, charts, ect. published on this great mystery of bass fishing. A lot of the authors of these publications go through great lengths explaining how difficult it is to determine these times. It is really quiet simple to determine these times for your self with a little inside information.
The moon's phases are divided into four quarters, two of which are your minor times, and two of which are your major times.
The times for the major periods are as follows: An hour and a half prior the moon reaching its apex. An hour and a half prior to the moon reaching its perigee. The major periods are the first quarter new moon and the third quarter full moon.
The times for the minor periods of these moon phases are as follows: An hour and a half prior to the raising of the moon on the horizon. An hour and a half prior to the setting of the moon.
Now take into consideration the above listed times you end up with 3 hrs. of major time periods and 3 hrs. of minor times periods.
This does not take into account weather, seasons, water conditions, or your ability to locate fish!
ksboy reply :
I feel that fishing is worth doing no matter what!!! Catching fish is an added benefit to being on the water. Go!!! Enjoy the wonderful day God has given you and if you can, catch a couple of lunkers. Be glad of the opportunity you have to be there.
Paul Roberts reply :
Thought I'd chime in to add some "evidence" illustrating the "one big factor" we'd love to have explain everything vs the little details that nettle us hour by hour through each fishing day. These are the “devils details” that few of us are able to follow closely enough to fathom there effects. The resulting confusion and frustration incites an even more fervent search for the "Big Easy Explanation”, the panacea -a cure-all as Webster's puts it.
I've been watching and video recording aerial dragonfly hunting bass. I thought it interesting from an energetics perspective. When they hunt flying dragons is when the dragons are most dense and active -air temperature is critical- but also when water surface conditions allow -when it is flat calm. If a breeze rolls up, which most often appears in the afternoons, the bass quit. What’s interesting is, after a busy morning of attacking dragons aerially -pretty exciting to see, esp in slow-motion- the bass hunker down to rest, likely even sleep, under cover. They can crowd into top cover pieces like cows under a shade tree.
If you were closely following celestial prognostications to delineate your fishing times, you’d likely wind up frustrated when the tables didn’t pan out.
Burnin' some energy here!
There were an even dozen dragonfly hunters hunkered up under this matted deadfall, tightly bunched like cattle -apparently asleep- after a stiff breeze came in.
WRB reply :
Great photos Paul!
It's the Darner nymph that dragon flies hatch from that bass like to chow down on. It's fasinating to watch bass in a clear prestine environment. I spent a lot of hours during my youth fishing for bass in a local rock quarry pond and watching them under the marina boat docks I worked for during the summers.
How all this ties into moon lite summer nights, bass are very active with the added full moon light and it very quite during new moon darkness near the waters surface.
Tom
Paul Roberts reply :
Thanks, Tom! The bass here like those nymphs too. Got some video of them hunting them too. Nymphs don't seem to require the energy expenditure that the adult dragons do.
MichaelCopeland reply :
On 5/28/2017 at 7:38 PM, ksboy said:I feel that fishing is worth doing no matter what!!! Catching fish is an added benefit to being on the water. Go!!! Enjoy the wonderful day God has given you and if you can, catch a couple of lunkers. Be glad of the opportunity you have to be there.
Amen! Totally agreed. I have been trying to use a solunar table app I have on my phone. However the only times I really get a chance to test it is either after work during the week or on weekends. I'm on vacation this week so I'll get a chance to test it a little better. Regardless though I will feel Blessed by just being on the water and getting an opportunity to further my bass fishing skills, what little I have. This Wednesday coming up a friend and me are going fishing and with any luck it will at least be in a John boat or possibly even his dad's bass boat. Will be my first boating trip for bass.
On 5/28/2017 at 5:57 PM, Catt said:There have been numerous books, articles, charts, ect. published on this great mystery of bass fishing. A lot of the authors of these publications go through great lengths explaining how difficult it is to determine these times. It is really quiet simple to determine these times for your self with a little inside information.
The moon's phases are divided into four quarters, two of which are your minor times, and two of which are your major times.
The times for the major periods are as follows: An hour and a half prior the moon reaching its apex. An hour and a half prior to the moon reaching its perigee. The major periods are the first quarter new moon and the third quarter full moon.
The times for the minor periods of these moon phases are as follows: An hour and a half prior to the raising of the moon on the horizon. An hour and a half prior to the setting of the moon.
Now take into consideration the above listed times you end up with 3 hrs. of major time periods and 3 hrs. of minor times periods.
This does not take into account weather, seasons, water conditions, or your ability to locate fish!
I'm at my limit for likes today. That being said...?!
On 5/28/2017 at 8:50 AM, Gundog said:I carry a dirty, old sock with me when I'm fishing to scary away the lions. It must work cause I ain't seen a lion in years.
Lmbo! ?
OCdockskipper reply :
On 7/15/2017 at 1:56 AM, Paul Roberts said:...What’s interesting is, after a busy morning of attacking dragons aerially, the bass hunker down to rest, likely even sleep, under cover...There were an even dozen dragonfly hunters hunkered up under this matted deadfall, tightly bunched like cattle -apparently asleep- after a stiff breeze came in.
Here in Southern California, dragonflies become more noticeable and active in late June/early July, typically a few weeks after the emergence of June bugs. One thing that is different on my home lake, the dragonflies are less active in the mornings (when the offshore breeze is negligible), but start zipping around as the day warms up, even though there is a steady 5-7 mph breeze. If it is a sunny day, I'll skip the numerous docks with a 4" senko & and have dragonflies try to fight/mate with it between casts. They land on my rod tip and then zip back & forth around the wacky rigged worm.
Regardless of a breeze or not, during these bright summer days, a good number of bass do hide out under docks & pontoon boats (we don't have any other matted vegitation or cover with lids). I used to think the skipped senko's they bite resembled small minnows or bluegill, but I am now convinced they are being mistaken for the brown or orange dragonflies. Yesterday, I had a 3 lb fish intercept a senko mid-skip halfway under a dock, with an explosion that would rival any whopper plopper strike. The fact that I couldn't see it and was amplified by the acoustics from under the dock made it that much more awesome.
A side note on on my experiences of fish caught under docks or other matted cover. If the fish is very dark colored, I believe he has been there a while and is most likely solitary, having staked out that area for himself. I call these fish "dock fish" and rarely catch a 2nd fish from their locations. If I catch a lighter covered fish from a similar location, I will often catch a 2nd or 3rd fish on consecutive casts back under there. I believe these fish are like the ones in your picture, fish that have either temporarily stopped under the cover to rest or were in the midst of passing thru/feeding when I intercepted them.
WRB reply :
Darner nymphs are about ***/4" to 2 1/4" long anywhere from 1/4" -3/8" diameter, dark greenish brown to light olive green, sound familiar*? The Darner nymph hides under rocks and wood, then when ready to hatch they crawl out of the water attaching to wood like docks and hatch a large dragon fly out the back. You can see the empty shells and find live nymphs around the shoreline.
As a kid I caught and sold Darner nymphs for live bait to fisherman, they catch everything in a lake.
* green pumpkin or water melon color Ned rig , small Senko or paddle tail grub ring a bell!
What Pauls weed mat shot shows isn't sleeping bass, they don't have eye lids and can't sleep, there are in a state of being inactive.
Tom
Paul Roberts reply :
On 7/17/2017 at 6:26 AM, WRB said:What Pauls weed mat shot shows isn't sleeping bass, they don't have eye lids and can't sleep, there are in a state of being inactive.
Tom
Fish don't have eye-lids, but they can and do sleep. This was only an assumption until recently when researchers used fluorescent markers to observe brain activity in the brains of transparent larval fish. Apparently they do indeed sleep, the function of which is to build and reinforce neuronal trackways in the brain related to learning.
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