Most beings in the natural world move, grow and evolve around moon cycles. It would be very surprising if fish were an exception. When it comes whether the moon affects fishing, there are four lunar phases to be aware of: the new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter.
How does the moon affect fishing?
The common belief amongst anglers worldwide, is that fishing success rates are higher around the full moon and new moon. However, it must be noted that there has been little to no empirical evidence to support the theory that moon phases affect fishing.
How do tides affect fishing?
These moon phases also coincide with strong tidal flows. Tides are strongly influenced by moon phases, and the strongest tides happen twice a month. Around a new moon, the sun and moon are pulling in the same direction (rising and setting at around the same times). During a full moon, the sun and the moon are pulling on either side of the planet. This results in a combined gravitational pull which leads to stronger tides and currents.
The bigger the tides and water movement, there is more bait movement and fish feeding activity. Strong currents which can be caused by stronger tides, also stir up nutrients from the seabed to the surface. This pushes baitfish up towards the surface, and consequentially the gamefish follow.
How about time of day?
Most anglers understand that the best time to go fishing is when the fish are feeding. Providing that weather and water conditions are stable, this tends to happen around sunrise or sunset. During a full moon, the moon is like a giant lantern in the sky causing increased feeding activity at night. So daytime fishing on the day of full moon doesn’t tend to be too great.
Myth or reality
There is skepticism around the effects of moon phases on fishing, and unfortunately, there is also a lack of scientific evidence to support it. This leaves many believing that the moon phase is just something anglers can complain about for not getting a bite. However, the popular consensus amongst experienced anglers is that big fish bite more a few days before and after full moon and around new moon. Also, moon phases or tides are likely to affect different species in different ways. It is said that for billfish, the new moon is better, as marlin would feed all night when it’s bright on full moon. For tuna, they don’t require additional light from a full moon to capture prey, they will feed day and night no matter what.
Just go!
We would say, if you were to pick one day of the month to not go fishing, it would be the full moon day. But ultimately, we are of the belief that if the fish are there, you’ll catch them no matter the moon phase is. Given the little empirical evidence from statistical analyses to support the theory, our advice is just go fishing whenever you have the opportunity to, and use the moon phase as a useful indicator for understanding the tides. We use the following lunar calendar to check the moon phases.
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