Timing is Everything: Atmospheric and Lunar phenomena

[BeeGuy]

Well, I can admit as a life long fish seeker that I have never put much thought or care into how the weather or lunar cycles affect the bite.

Although I suspect they contribute significantly to those days when the bite is fast and furious or when the fish won't move at all.

Perhaps this is why my pa always gets the farmers almanac.

Please post your traditional knowledge on this topic with respect to any fish species or waters.



I'll start by suggesting that we always have better success pickeral (Albertan Walleye) fishing when there is a good chop on the water or reduced visibility.

Would love to get some insight into the lunar cycles.

Have at'er!

[Gust]

We have two barometers as there are micro-systems even a breath from cowtown,,, the one at the house has one arm perfectly lined up with the best days over the last 30+years. Bow River at night with a full moon at the height of Summer and Fall has always been good. If the bite is on one day, I note the moon and it's phase to the bite, if I come back the next day it will be an hour later and so forth,, new moons tend to be the best on lakes.

An old native saying on the coast is;

If the moon can hold water like a cupping hand then they will be plentiful but not if the hand can let the water go.

I added the cupping bit to help the visuals

[BeeGuy]

Great stuff.

I totally read the last part with a strong Tsimshian accent!

New moon here I come.

[Kokanee9]

Work doesn't let me take time off according to the moon, so whenever I can disappear fishing, I'm gone. ALready have 1 guy down there with the nickname of "moonbeam" so I can only imagine what they would say if I gave the moon as a reason to book off.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Kokanee9

Work doesn't let me take time off according to the moon, so whenever I can disappear fishing, I'm gone. ALready have 1 guy down there with the nickname of "moonbeam" so I can only imagine what they would say if I gave the moon as a reason to book off.

Hahaha, same here, any day I can get on the water is a good one!

[Gust]

the rockies are biting now but the best guage has always been when the poplars are losing enough leaves to cause raking.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by GustavMahler

the rockies are biting now but the best guage has always been when the poplars are losing enough leaves to cause raking.

Biting where?

Don't say the end of your line.

[Speckle55]

The Mayan and other coastal tribe's swear by them.. and they work for animals too. I have use a storm front too, hunt just prior to and into the storm..very good success

Food for Thought
David

[Unknown303]

If you have a Garmin GPS they tell you which days at which times are the best for fishing bases off the cycles.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Unknown303

If you have a Garmin GPS they tell you which days at which times are the best for fishing bases off the cycles.

I have a couple Garmins.

I'm guessing you need a boat or fishing gps.

Mine dont have those functions.



So, what does your gps tell you about the cycles?

[ORV]

personally i think pressure affects them more than moon phases.
at least here. i think a low pressure sytem really turns off the bite.
thats why i think ice fishing was bad for so many . we were
almost always under a low pressure system last winter.

my opinion anyway.

orv.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by ORV

personally i think pressure affects them more than moon phases.
at least here. i think a low pressure sytem really turns off the bite.
thats why i think ice fishing was bad for so many . we were
almost always under a low pressure system last winter.

my opinion anyway.

orv.

What exactly do you mean by low pressure system?

[Unknown303]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

I have a couple Garmins.

I'm guessing you need a boat or fishing gps.

Mine dont have those functions.



So, what does your gps tell you about the cycles?

There's a "fishing" calendar that I can view that tells you overall whether or not the day will be productive and also it gives the ideal times of day, there's normally one sometime during the morning and one during the afternoon/evening. I'll go grab the GPS and snap a picture so you can see what I'm talking about here.

[ORV]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

What exactly do you mean by low pressure system?

barametric pressure. i.e. on the weather station we
have a low pressure system over south alberta.

hope this helps.

orv.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by ORV

barametric pressure. i.e. on the weather station we
have a low pressure system over south alberta.

hope this helps.

orv.

Would everyone agree that a low pressure system in the calgary area is less than 101kpa?

[Kokanee9]

I dont think there is a certain level like 101 that defines a low pressure. I think it is more in comparison to the pressure at the moment in a particular region. If the barometer is falling, then you can say that a low is moving in. When it starts to rise, a high would be moving in.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Kokanee9

I dont think there is a certain level like 101 that defines a low pressure. I think it is more in comparison to the pressure at the moment in a particular region. If the barometer is falling, then you can say that a low is moving in. When it starts to rise, a high would be moving in.

OK, I was basing 101kpa on the average pressure in cowtown. It varies from about 97 on the low side to maximums of about 104.5.

So, a rising barometer might be a sign that the bite will be on?

I'm finding it difficult to understand how we could be under a low pressure system (falling barometer) for a majority of the last hard water season.

If the barometer goes down, it has to go back up because there isnt a huge amount of fluctuation in the measurements.

And if the bite is affected by the change in pressure and not necessarily by the absolute pressure itself, then we must experience about equal increases and decreases in pressure around whatever the avg pressure is (~101kpa).

Thoughts?

Would the bite be better at a static 102kpa? or better while rising from 99kpa to 102kpa?

[Gust]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Biting where?

Don't say the end of your line.

Sheep, Bow, Highwood,,, give it a couple more weeks and it will be virtually impossible not to catch a rockie or a hundred,,, if your fingertips need warming every 5 casts, then the fishing is perfect,, frosty days. And deep pools and slower water doesn't get the bite on in my opinion,, fast 10 inch to 24 inch riffles seadying on to swifter deep water is what I look for. I can give you a sheep spot that most newbies to rockies would walk right past.

[Gust]

last winter the valleys and peaks of the low/high wasn't a rolling hill/wave type, it was more a long consistent low, then a high spike, then another long consistent low. When I get home I'll write down our ideal pressure that has rarely been wrong for us and then the range of our worst days.

As for the lunar thing,,, we don't have big enough bodies of water to see tide action but it's there it's just a micro-tide.

Whether some beleive in it or others think it's hocus pocus,, all will probably admit that there are certain weather days that makes one think "gooooooood fishin"

[DanaS]

My (limited) understanding is that with the moon phases, you have better fishing at specific times due to the influence on tides. This is particularly true on the ocean or very large bodies of water. As GustavMahler indicates, there are not too many bodies of water in the southern portion of Alberta to have much, if any affect. I have had success on full moon nights on the river though, but I figure that is more to the lighting affect.
As for pressure, again, very minimal knowledge here. I have not experienced anything specifically on this becuase I don't get out enough to Test it. I do have a watch now that tracks barometric pressure, so I am starting to look for the trends. The theory is that raising baromtric pressure will mean a stronger bite. When pressure drops, the bite stops. Maybe I will know more in the next couple of years.
And like someone said, any day out fishing is a good day indeed!!!

[BeeGuy]

Well, I suspect that the moon could play a bigger part in providing different levels of illumination for night feeding fishes in Alberta than it would have as a source of tidal influence.

Also, I think invertebrates (fish food) are tightly tuned to the moon and often undergo their metamorphosis and mating in tight correlation with the lunar schedule.

[BeeGuy]

I think from now on I'll take conscious note of those really good days and really fishless days (never happened to me before) and see if there are any trends.

[BeeGuy]

Looking at the forecast, it looks like we'll be in for some ups and downs over the next week. Both temperature and barometric levels.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by DanaS

My (limited) understanding is that with the moon phases, you have better fishing at specific times due to the influence on tides. This is particularly true on the ocean or very large bodies of water.
And like someone said, any day out fishing is a good day indeed!!!

Totally, on the ocean it is a big deal. Especially during migrations and for anadromous fishes. Also, for feeding schedules of resident fishes.

I recall hunting for giant octopuses on the west coast years ago and it is always best according to the moon, not because the bite is on, but because at the lowest tide you can get out to the big 'puses dens, and "have at'er!"

[Gust]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Well, I suspect that the moon could play a bigger part in providing different levels of illumination for night feeding fishes in Alberta than it would have as a source of tidal influence.

Also, I think invertebrates (fish food) are tightly tuned to the moon and often undergo their metamorphosis and mating in tight correlation with the lunar schedule.

I think we're new moon now,,, you're a scientific fellow,,, go fish a hole that does well'ish for you,,, fish it from the same spot, everyday for say 30 days, same rig same hat same casting technique same everything same time no matter the weather even if it is 1 hour per day, keep notes,, yesterday I wanted to be shore fishing travers for big pike, just a feeling? or a repeat of a type of day that has been fished over and over again and that has produced,,, stupidly I squandered my day on AO argueing with ostriches

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by GustavMahler

I think we're new moon now,,, you're a scientific fellow,,, go fish a hole that does well'ish for you,,, fish it from the same spot, everyday for say 30 days, same rig same hat same casting technique same everything same time no matter the weather even if it is 1 hour per day, keep notes,, yesterday I wanted to be shore fishing travers for big pike, just a feeling? or a repeat of a type of day that has been fished over and over again and that has produced,,, stupidly I squandered my day on AO argueing with ostriches

mwahahahaha.

I get the idea, but after about 10 days, all the fish would look like the pics of 28"+ trout on here from the Bow.....no lips.

I'll need at least 9 unique locations, and fish them completely through say, 36 lunar cycles to have clear results.

I'll talk to the wife about it.

[MoFugger21]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

mwahahahaha.

I get the idea, but after about 10 days, all the fish would look like the pics of 28"+ trout on here from the Bow.....no lips.

I'll need at least 9 unique locations, and fish them completely through say, 36 lunar cycles to have clear results.

I'll talk to the wife about it.

Let us know how you make out....

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by MoFugger21

Let us know how you make out....

any other bright ideas?

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Great stuff.

I totally read the last part with a strong Tsimshian accent!

New moon here I come.

I still hear this Tsimshian's voice....




I can't recall what phase the moon was in during this trip to Metlakatla, oh well....

[BeeGuy]

Is that first one a coho?