David asks…
What effect does the moon have on ocean fishing?
I live in southern California, and have been out on alot of half day to 2 day trips. I’m planning on going out on a 3/4 day trip out to Catalina Island for calico bass, and yellowtail, as the bite is starting to heat up with the weather. I follow the fish reports, and it’s been hit or miss lately(it’s a little early in the season). The weather is pretty constant now, so thats not an issue. I was wondering if I could improve my odds of having a good trip by going out on a certain day of the moon cycle.
Joy answers:
The moon can affect some fish, but not others. It seems that white seabass bite better for a few days before a full moon, and bluefin tuna seem to, too — but other fish don’t seem to care that much.
One theory I heard was that when the night is dark, gamefish can find baitfish by the disturbances in the plankton at night (they glow when disturbed), so that when the moon is full, the fish have a harder time feeding at night, so they continue to feed into the daytime. Another theory is that when the moon is full, the tides are higher, so the currents are stronger, and it’s well known that fish feed better when a current is flowing.
When I was a kid, I actually kept track of the daily fish counts and the moon phases and the water temperature, and I found that (like I said above) the bluefin and white seabass tended to bite better under the full moon.
On the other hand, I’ve had plenty of good trips when the moon or tide were “no good”, and bad ones when everything should have been perfect.
My suggestion is to go whenever you can, a weekday if possible (for less crowding on the boat, as well as fewer weekend warriors in their skiffs following the partyboat around and putting down the fish). Watch the reports and pick a boat which consistently makes good catches — a good skipper is more important than anything else. (You can get the breakdowns at http://www.sportfishingreport.com/ )
Right now, it seems that an overnight trip to Clemente would give you a better chance at the yellowtail.
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