Fishing the full moon at night

[scaleface]

Weather permitting I will be fishing the  full moon next weekend .    If you look at the calendar it will be listed on July 9th .  Thats in the AM. If you want to fish it , go on the evening of the 8th . I have my best luck when the moon is high and bright all night  and that will be this Saturday evening and Sunday morning . If the bass are cooperating, big ones will be cruising the shallow flats . If its going to be cloudy or stormy then I will try the  night before or after . My big four lures for a brightly lit night are soft plastics , buzzbaits , crankbait , and spinnerbait .  These four precisely will be tied on .

 

 

Its not unusual for the bass to stop biting around 9:30 -10:00 then pick up an hour or two later .

[NHBull]

I will be going mostly with top water and swimmers.

The rat really shines st night

[Bluebasser86]

I don't like fishing during a full moon, never have as much as I do during other moon phases. I do tend to catch a big one on full moon night fishing excursions, but numbers are always way down. 

 

I have found in the last few years that I have better luck with white or natural colors during the full moon versus the dark colors I normally use. 

[scaleface]

10 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I don't like fishing during a full moon, never have as much as I do during other moon phases. I do tend to catch a big one on full moon night fishing excursions, but numbers are always way down. 

 

I have found in the last few years that I have better luck with white or natural colors during the full moon versus the dark colors I normally use. 

 

Are you fishing clear or stained water ? I tried other moon phases and have not done as well . I'm fishing heavily stained water . 

The day before the full moon the moon will be out earlier .The day after it will be out later . I prefer the day before .

[Bluebasser86]

10 minutes ago, scaleface said:

 

Are you fishing clear or stained water ? I tried other moon phases and have not done as well . I'm fishing heavily stained water . 

The day before the full moon the moon will be out earlier .The day after it will be out later . I prefer the day before .

I fish both but prefer to stick to the stained water during the summer months. I've never paid attention to whether I was fishing the day before or the day after, I'll have to give that some thought next time. My night fishing is on hold until the baby is sleeping through the night unfortunately. Hopefully that will be soon, getting too hot for me to want to be fishing all day. 

[A-Jay]

 

Timely Topic & Post Sir ~ Nicely done.

"Once the dog days of summer hit - and the lakes are getting a fair share of recreational boating, jet ski & fishing pressure, mid-week night ops are often times my best opportunity for any decent action.  

Then there’s the Moon.  Is it good or bad?  Does it help or hurt ?  And what about artificial lights like dock lights and street light etc.    May be No definitive answer.  The water's here in northern MI are for the most part Very Clear - often 15 feet plus of daytime visibility.  As much as this plays a role during the day, it matters at night as well.   Fish can still see me on nights with a big moon or in areas where there is sufficient ambient light.  And the Shadow the boat makes on a brightly lit night sticks out like a sore thumb.   If I disregard this, it definitely negates the effectiveness of being there after dark.  Moonless nights are by far The Best for Fishing but were hardest to learn to fish in.  Even nights where I can be out there before the moon comes up or after it goes down are always much better for both numbers & size.   However, some my best nights have been Full Moon events BUT there was sufficient cloud cover to obscure it.  Even a partially cloudy condition is often enough to do the trick.    

  Clearly, some full moon nights are almost like day time.  You may not even need a light of any kind, it’s so bright.  These times are definitely easier to get around in, cast and fish in.  I say cast because there may have been an occasion or two where a lure was launched across two or three docks or even 50 feet or so into the woods.  If the waters you fish have color & / or limited visibility, you could be golden & be able to hammer fish while having the benefits of the moons brilliant glow. "

 

A-Jay

[scaleface]

Most of the articles that I have read  recommend fishing on a new moon .That hasnt worked great for me . It could be that I am more comfortable on bright nights and fish better . In any case full moons have  been best for me . 

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Most of the articles that are written recommend fishing on a new moon .That hasnt worked great for me . It could be that I am more comfortable on bright nights and fish better . In any case full moons have  been best for me . 

 

I hear ya ~ you gotta do what works.  

Either way, fishing The Late Shift is pretty cool.

A-Jay

[Catt]

I normally prefer fishing during the full moon vs. the new moon only because it is harder to keep my boat off of stumps that are quite numerous. If I fish a new moon I will usually fish open water and avoid shoreline areas. The light from the full moon illuminates the bait against the surface for more contrast. 

 

Contrast is more important by far than color at night. If you fish water where shad or minnows are the predominate prey species, then try white spinnerbaits with a white grub. The usual night time favorite black is the second choice in shad populated lakes. Black or dark hued lures give maximum contrast at night when run on or near the surface. 

 

Shallow verses deep water: I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best results. However shallow water does offer a greater opportunity to use different lures.

 

Which moon phase has been the most productive for me...all of em!

[Raul]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

Weather permitting I will be fishing the  full moon next weekend .    If you look at the calendar it will be listed on July 9th .  Thats in the AM. If you want to fish it , go on the evening of the 8th . I have my best luck when the moon is high and bright all night  and that will be this Saturday evening and Sunday morning . If the bass are cooperating, big ones will be cruising the shallow flats . If its going to be cloudy or stormy then I will try the  night before or after . My big four lures for a brightly lit night are soft plastics , buzzbaits , crankbait , and spinnerbait .  These four precisely will be tied on .

 

 

Its not unusual for the bass to stop biting around 9:30 -10:00 then pick up an hour or two later .

 

Where are the "Traps" ? 

[scaleface]

2 minutes ago, Raul said:

 

Where are the "Traps" ? 

 

They are waiting in reserve .

[Bucky205]

Full moon might not be the best bite, but it is a lot easier on me to fish than a new moon.  I like slow rolling a 1/2 oz black/blue spinnerbait with a big Colorado blade.  I crank just fast enough to feel it thumping.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Raul said:

 

Where are the "Traps" ? 

 

Don't want that thing whizzing around my head

[Bluebasser86]

13 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Don't want that thing whizzing around my head

Agreed, I avoid trebles if at all possible at night. It's hard enough not to get hooked in the daylight. 

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Agreed, I avoid trebles if at all possible at night. It's hard enough not to get hooked in the daylight. 

 Yup - leave the Hardware home.

A-Jay

 

[Catt]

No doubt that a big ole Musky Jitterbug is deadly at night but I can't tell ya how many hooks I removed from every part of the human anatomy.

 

I've had a buzzbait hook through & through my elbow!

[A-Jay]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

No doubt that a big ole Musky Jitterbug is deadly at night but I can't tell ya how many hooks I removed from every part of the human anatomy.

 

I've had a buzzbait hook through & through my elbow!

 

You're doing it wrong ~

A-Jay

[lo n slo]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

No doubt that a big ole Musky Jitterbug is deadly at night but I can't tell ya how many hooks I removed from every part of the human anatomy.

 

I've had a buzzbait hook through & through my elbow!

i see you've been fishing with my cousin ; - )

[Raul]

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Agreed, I avoid trebles if at all possible at night. It's hard enough not to get hooked in the daylight. 

 

REAL MACHO MEN DON'T FEAR NUTHIN' !

 

that's why they're macho ..... just like me. 

[WRB]

Where are the jigs?

The lakes in SoCal we can fish at night are all very clear water and I tend to fish the full moon phase a lot because that is when our are open for night fishing.

I prefer darker colors with contrast fished on or near bottom, same as daytime except 9" to 13" worms in lieu of 5" to 6" during the day in the summer.

Wake baits like rats are very good at dusk then tend to tapper off later.

Deep diving crankbaits like DD22's in Shad colors or Black/red craw colors work for me.

Did I say jigs, only use them all the time day or night, first choice.

Tom

 

[NorcalBassin]

No treble hooks at night = no whopper ploppers or other treble hook topwaters for you guys at night?

As Tom mentioned, it seems like the guys at Clear Lake almost exclusively use jigs at night. I'm not very good with them even during the peak of the season and don't have much confidence with them, but I realize I need to spend some dedicated time with them since I'm missing a huge opportunity (day and night).

[Raul]

7 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

No treble hooks at night = no whopper ploppers or other treble hook topwaters for you guys at night?

 

Nope cuz they ain't REAL MACHO MEN, me ? my man ---> musky size Jitterbug is the way to go ! 

[scaleface]

40 minutes ago, WRB said:

Where are the jigs?

The lakes in SoCal we can fish at night are all very clear water and I tend to fish the full moon phase a lot because that is when our are open for night fishing.

I prefer darker colors with contrast fished on or near bottom, same as daytime except 9" to 13" worms in lieu of 5" to 6" during the day in the summer.

Wake baits like rats are very good at dusk then tend to tapper off later.

Deep diving crankbaits like DD22's in Shad colors or Black/red craw colors work for me.

Did I say jigs, only use them all the time day or night, first choice.

Tom

 

 

Jigs may very well get used , they just were not in my top 4 .

[WRB]

Wake baits and deep diving crankbaits have big treble hooks and bass at night are extremely hyper around the boat so use a net! Single hook lures are a lot safer at night.

Tom

 

[papajoe222]

I fish all the moon phases and years of keeping logs he proven to me it makes little difference. What matters more is the moon's position in the sky. I've always done better when it's descending rather than rising. Not a big difference, but enough to be discernible. 

Regardless, I always fish alone at night and only take three rigged rods. One with a black buzzbait, one with a black single Colorado blade spinnerbait, and the last with a black or dark blue T-Rigged ribbon tail worm.