Full Moon - any thoughts

[Jon Whelan]

My fishing is at a premium at the moment & the only time I have managed to get out so far this season has coincided with full moons. And surprise, surprise, the cage door is open from Friday eve till Sunday - definite all nighter on Saturday & it is a full moon.

BBC weather predicts that the pressure should drop at the weekend, winds swing round so slightly warm south westerlies & having a little rain across the week (prob not enough to make any discernible effect on levels mind) so things were looking better until I had my evening cigarette looking up at the sky thinking that blooming moon again.

Still fishing & will definitely make the most of it & will be out the following weekend too.

Cheers, Jon

 

[Paul Boote]

Not so much the state of the moon, in my experience, but the amount of light that moon is shining down on the river.

Both barbel and sea-trout, in my experience, after an initial dusk "bite", will go very quiet if there's a big moon beaming down. If there's cloud to stop that big moon's light, however, the fish will continue being "on" until the early hours.

 

[David Hall]

turns people mad don't it.

 

[Stephen Whyte]

turns people mad don't it.

Not if you are already mad it don't

 

[Paul Boote]

Addition to my one above: Light level plus the way heavy cloud-cover "keeps the heat in" after dark - stops air temperatures from crashing and producing a "steaming river", another kiss of death for late-night fishing.

 

[George Maltby]

not a fan of full moons, spend a lot of time bass fishing and they hate it...having said that we have caught in bright moon light on the odd occassion, same with sea trout...mind you my biggest ever was caught last week in scotland and came in full daylight (11lb!), so who knows. its always worth a try and don't let the conditions get you too downhearted.

 

[Paul Boote]

Something of a long-time speciality of mine - daytime fishing for sea-trout, in all lights and water levels. Nothing particularly secret-squirrel, at least among sea-trout fishers who could fish in any conditions and who shared their skills freely - at least until the Internet arrived, when newbies began putting up postings like "FAO Paul Boote", requesting chapter and verse on something they desperately wanted to do "like yesterday", then cr@pping all over me when I wouldn't go public. So sad when fish become must-do megamoney fashionable...

 

[Jon Whelan]

Not so much the state of the moon, in my experience, but the amount of light that moon is shining down on the river.

Both barbel and sea-trout, in my experience, after an initial dusk "bite", will go very quiet if there's a big moon beaming down. If there's cloud to stop that big moon's light, however, the fish will continue being "on" until the early hours.

Addition to my one above: Light level plus the way heavy cloud-cover "keeps the heat in" after dark - stops air temperatures from crashing and producing a "steaming river", another kiss of death for late-night fishing.

Two gems there Paul, thank you. My experience too on the steaming river consideration & follows for still waters too - late at night, sky clears, all goes still & ambient temperature drops fast; a promising session slows right down until the sun breaks through later morning.

Agree that initially constructive advice/pointers can end so maligned. Frustrating is an understatement...

not a fan of full moons, spend a lot of time bass fishing and they hate it...having said that we have caught in bright moon light on the odd occassion, same with sea trout...mind you my biggest ever was caught last week in scotland and came in full daylight (11lb!), so who knows. its always worth a try and don't let the conditions get you too downhearted.

Agree on the odd better fish on the full moon - I have been lucky over the years, but when one goes without for a longer while without a session than preferred I'd like conditions to be more so!

Fishing one area on Friday night & another on Saturday thru till Sunday eve so plenty of time to go for the barbs & the opportunistic marginal carp. One thing about the clear night is how quiet the countryside gets & the smallest of noise amplified.

Cheers, Jon