[slamdunk]

I was fishing this past weekend (full moon weekend, including a rare blue moon) with a group of experienced fishermen/women on a lake we know and have had good success in the past but not this w/e, and the question came up.

Despite being on the lake at 6:00 am, till 11:00 pm - with some breaks mid day, we had a very disappointing w/e of fishing - so why? Hot - record breaking for the area - weather? Huge (in the eyes, in the ears, in the nose) hatches of mayflies - huge quantities of scud along the shoreline, in general huge food supply for the trout. Or was it the full moon effect, which has been a topic of discussion and disagreement for decades.

What has been your experience with full moons.

What do you do different - if anything?

 

[fishortho]

First off, I would like to know where you were fishing? Secondly with all that recognizable food in the system....what methods were you using to fish?
At what point was the lake in "turnover'? Finally what was the temperature of the water
surface
10ft
20ft
30ft. below the surface?
Was there any action from the fish on the feed at any time of the day?
Generally, if you have a full moon, it is a good time to fish. If the weather is decent, with a full moon you can sometimes extend your fishing several hrs. after "dark" and just fish by the light of the moon.........New moon is a good time, too.

 

[hotrod]

Fishing is always best for me on the full moon. Never fail!


Hotrod

 

[marko]

I'll have to aggree w/ hot rod and ortho here....The gravitational pull on the earth and all that inhabits her by a full moon is dramatic. Increased social and physical activity is evident in all walks of life.The same
is true when there is a change in barometric pressure kind of like that gitty feeling when going over the crest of a hill... :happy:.... :beerchug:.....Marko

 

[Fish Finder]

I love fishing after dark. It can be very worth it. Especially in the shallows when trout are cruising for a meal.

Finder

 

[fishortho]

There is proof out there...This is one of 'Finders favourite times........ Ortho 8)

 

[sarg]

when fishing stillwaters at night I find that I have more success when there is cloud cover rather than a clear sky with a lot of moon light. As for the full moon fishing I have not really noticed an impact other than i seem to have my best success in rivers a day or two after the full moon or new moon.

 

[slamdunk]

To answer your questions Ortho - well some of them anyway....

We were up in the Princeton area...

Surface water temp was 62 on Thursday and had risen to 66 on Saturday/Sunday. I don't know what the temps were other than the surface ...

Fishing methods ranged from a belly boater doing a slow float around using both a dry and sinking line. We in boats tried some anchored chronamid on long floating line with float; dry line casting ; sink tip dry line and sink line to the bottom etc. We also trolled with both sink tip dry and sink line. We used all types of flies...

As to action on the feed, very little, although some 2 lb'rs were jumping. Saw very little in the way of bulges or rises...

There was one local fellow who lives on the lake who did exceedingly well and one of our troop got 5 keepers on Saturday morning - largest about 2 lb.- so we all duplicated his fly, location and techniques, but nothing..and he stopped landing them as well.

The fishing did pick up a bit on Sunday around noon. Dark rain clouds came in and the fish became more active ...but still not great...

A lot of us were getting hits, but the fish were gone before you could do anything about it...no time to set the hook - they were hitting, but not biting...

 

[roscoe-pco]

I'm heading to Port Renfrew on a full tide, tides should be rippin!! HANG ON!!!! :happy:

 

[fishortho]

Hey Slamdunk,..........Lakes at various elevations can be affected by changes in the weather...especially drops in atmospheric pressure. One day hot fishing then the next, not.
If you don't have a Fish locator or depth chart of some kind, and you are fishing blind, it can be a bit difficult. Usually fish at this time of the year will be feeding close to the bottom and it is always a good bet to keep your presentations within 1-3 feet of the bottom....Sometimes nothing works and you might have to resort to pulling a flatfish or small wobbling spoon to get a reaction hit....The speed at which you retrieve your line and/ or the spped you troll is VERY important....If you are fishing leaches, for example, you might get a few "hits" and no fish if they are being retrived or trolled too fast, even tho' that particular leach is catching fish from other boats.
The presentations have to mimick exactly the motions the scud, shrimp, chronie, leach would make in the lake.
Too fast or slow and the result can be no fish.
The temperature is also important as the fish will tend to stay in deeper/cooler water early then as the lake turns,, they will tend to stay in the thermocline (transitional area of constant temperature) They do not like changes in temperature and will also stay where the food source is....
Keep an eye on the barometer, find the correct zone, then present all offerings correctly and you catch ratio should also improve........Ortho 8)

 

[Fish Finder]

Good post Ortho. ..That's the beauty of the still water game. Put all the correct peices together, and you get the results. Fishing in the evening can be deadly. Even more so in shallower (40 feet or less) lakes with lots of weed beds and shoals. Under a moon lit sky you can bet there'll be cruisers out foraging for an easy meal. Trout can be huge nocturnal feeders, and this is more evident on the lower elevation lakes of the Thompson and Cariboo regions durring the dog days of the summer months. Sometimes it can only take a drop of a couple degrees in water temp to awaken un interested trout. If you happen to be camping or staying near a lake, it's always worth a go.

Finder