Lunar Calendar question *UPDATED 5/25*

[Paul Roberts]

Thought I'd chime in to add some "evidence" illustrating the "one big factor" we'd love to have explain everything vs the little details that nettle us hour by hour through each fishing day. These are the “devils details” that few of us are able to follow closely enough to fathom there effects. The resulting confusion and frustration incites an even more fervent search for the "Big Easy Explanation”, the panacea -a cure-all as Webster's puts it.

 

I've been watching and video recording aerial dragonfly hunting bass. I thought it interesting from an energetics perspective. When they hunt flying dragons is when the dragons are most dense and active -air temperature is critical- but also when water surface conditions allow -when it is flat calm. If a breeze rolls up, which most often appears in the afternoons, the bass quit. What’s interesting is, after a busy morning of attacking dragons aerially -pretty exciting to see, esp in slow-motion- the bass hunker down to rest, likely even sleep, under cover. They can crowd into top cover pieces like cows under a shade tree.

 

If you were closely following celestial prognostications to delineate your fishing times, you’d likely wind up frustrated when the tables didn’t pan out.

 

Burnin' some energy here!

 

There were an even dozen dragonfly hunters hunkered up under this matted deadfall, tightly bunched like cattle -apparently asleep- after a stiff breeze came in.

[WRB]

Great photos Paul!

It's the Darner nymph that dragon flies hatch from that bass like to chow down on. It's fasinating to watch bass in a clear prestine environment. I spent a lot of hours during my youth fishing for bass in a local rock quarry pond and watching them under the marina boat docks I worked for during the summers.

How all this ties into moon lite summer nights, bass are very active with the added full moon light and it very quite during new moon darkness near the waters surface.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks, Tom! The bass here like those nymphs too. Got some video of them hunting them too. Nymphs don't seem to require the energy expenditure that the adult dragons do.

[MichaelCopeland]

On 5/28/2017 at 6:38 AM, ksboy said:

I feel that fishing is worth doing no matter what!!!  Catching fish is an added benefit to being on the water. Go!!! Enjoy the wonderful day God has given you and if you can, catch a couple of lunkers. Be glad of the opportunity you have to be there.

Amen! Totally agreed. I have been trying to use a solunar table app I have on my phone. However the only times I really get a chance to test it is either after work during the week or on weekends. I'm on vacation this week so I'll get a chance to test it a little better. Regardless though I will feel Blessed by just being on the water and getting an opportunity to further my bass fishing skills, what little I have. This Wednesday coming up a friend and me are going fishing and with any luck it will at least be in a John boat or possibly even his dad's bass boat. Will be my first boating trip for bass. 

On 5/28/2017 at 4:57 AM, Catt said:

There have been numerous books, articles, charts, ect. published on this great mystery of bass fishing. A lot of the authors of these publications go through great lengths explaining how difficult it is to determine these times. It is really quiet simple to determine these times for your self with a little inside information. 

 

The moon's phases are divided into four quarters, two of which are your minor times, and two of which are your major times.

 

The times for the major periods are as follows: An hour and a half prior the moon reaching its apex. An hour and a half prior to the moon reaching its perigee. The major periods are the first quarter new moon and the third quarter full moon.

 

The times for the minor periods of these moon phases are as follows: An hour and a half prior to the raising of the moon on the horizon. An hour and a half prior to the setting of the moon.

 

Now take into consideration the above listed times you end up with 3 hrs. of major time periods and 3 hrs. of minor times periods.

 

This does not take into account weather, seasons, water conditions, or your ability to locate fish!

I'm at my limit for likes today. That being said...?!

On 5/27/2017 at 7:50 PM, Gundog said:

I carry a dirty, old sock with me when I'm fishing to scary away the lions. It must work cause I ain't seen a lion in years. 

Lmbo! ?

[OCdockskipper]

On 7/14/2017 at 10:56 AM, Paul Roberts said:

...What’s interesting is, after a busy morning of attacking dragons aerially, the bass hunker down to rest, likely even sleep, under cover...There were an even dozen dragonfly hunters hunkered up under this matted deadfall, tightly bunched like cattle -apparently asleep- after a stiff breeze came in.

 

Here in Southern California, dragonflies become more noticeable and active in late June/early July, typically a few weeks after the emergence of June bugs.  One thing that is different on my home lake, the dragonflies are less active in the mornings (when the offshore breeze is negligible), but start zipping around as the day warms up, even though there is a steady 5-7 mph breeze.  If it is a sunny day, I'll skip the numerous docks with a 4" senko & and have dragonflies try to fight/mate with it between casts.  They land on my rod tip and then zip back & forth around the wacky rigged worm.

 

Regardless of a breeze or not, during these bright summer days, a good number of bass do hide out under docks & pontoon boats (we don't have any other matted vegitation or cover with lids).  I used to think the skipped senko's they bite resembled small minnows or bluegill, but I am now convinced they are being mistaken for the brown or orange dragonflies.  Yesterday, I had a 3 lb fish intercept a senko mid-skip halfway under a dock, with an explosion that would rival any whopper plopper strike.  The fact that I couldn't see it and was amplified by the acoustics from under the dock made it that much more awesome.

 

A side note on on my experiences of fish caught under docks or other matted cover.  If the fish is very dark colored, I believe he has been there a while and is most likely solitary, having staked out that area for himself.  I call these fish "dock fish" and rarely catch a 2nd fish from their locations.  If I catch a lighter covered fish from a similar location, I will often catch a 2nd or 3rd fish on consecutive casts back under there.  I believe these fish are like the ones in your picture, fish that have either temporarily stopped under the cover to rest or were in the midst of passing thru/feeding when I intercepted them.

[WRB]

Darner nymphs are about ***/4" to 2 1/4" long anywhere from 1/4" -3/8" diameter, dark greenish brown to light olive green, sound familiar*? The Darner nymph hides under rocks and wood, then when ready to hatch they crawl out of the water attaching to wood like docks and hatch a large dragon fly out the back. You can see the empty shells and find live nymphs around the shoreline. 

As a kid I caught and sold Darner nymphs for live bait to fisherman, they catch everything in a lake. 

* green pumpkin or water melon color Ned rig , small Senko or paddle tail grub ring a bell! 

What Pauls weed mat shot shows isn't sleeping bass, they don't have eye lids and can't sleep, there are in a state of being inactive.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

12 minutes ago, WRB said:

What Pauls weed mat shot shows isn't sleeping bass, they don't have eye lids and can't sleep, there are in a state of being inactive.

Tom

Fish don't have eye-lids, but they can and do sleep. This was only an assumption until recently when researchers used fluorescent markers to observe brain activity in the brains of transparent larval fish. Apparently they do indeed sleep, the function of which is to build and reinforce neuronal trackways in the brain related to learning.