3/31 Full Moon

[RHuff]

 

If you believe this sort of thing plays a roll - is this the one that starts it all? I have always heard that the first full moon of spring is the one that pulls the bass from the deep up into the shallow to begin the pre-spawn/spawn process. We've had cold weather here in WV up until this week. Water temp has been stuck in the mid 40s range for a month now. Today is a high of 74. Tomorrow will be around 60. Saturday is a high of 68. Water should warm up quite a bit over the next few days and with this full moon on Saturday I gotta believe that might be a day to be on the water..... What do you think? 

[Catt]

Well this is our 3rd "spring" full moon ?

 

Just so happens I'm booked for April 4-6 & the night bite has started!

[riverbasser]

I will be fishing, but I'd be fishing even if it wasn't a full moon. 

 

I prefer prespawn over the actual spawn. Just because you can see a female doesn't mean you can catch her. They aren't eating at this point. Anyone who has spent hours on a single bed will tell you the same thing. 

[WRB]

We are in post spawn now, the few days before like now and after like the entire 1st week of April should see pre spawn, spawn and post spawn cycles depending on the water temps at the depth the bass are in, not surface temps. The only down side is Easter break.

Go fishing!

Tom

[lo n slo]

March has been unseasonably chilly here in Western NC but a slow warming trend has swt in the low 50’s. the spots have been ganging up on points, not so much for the docks or shallows yet. 

[NHBull]

This week marks " Bob House" off weekend.

Most lakes are still white and we are hoping for ice out in 2 weeks

Memorial day is when spawn starts in the Northern area of the lake, so we are a full moon and a half away

[Gundog]

IMO water temps are more important than moon phases here in the still chilly NE of the USA. So a full moon to me is basically....

[NYWayfarer]

I am going on my first fishing trip of the season this Saturday. Air temps 55 degrees Water temps high 30's to low 40's in the little open water there is around here. My prediction is the skunk. Hopefully I am wrong.

[Bankbeater]

I’m not going to worry about the moon. It will be hidden by the clouds again anyway. 

[flyingmonkie]

Yeah so it depends on where you are, but a lot of research has shown that full moons do trigger waves of spawning action.  Conditions are right in some of our bodies of water, I imagine this moon will probably trigger some early waves for us.

 

[FishDewd]

"Spring tides" are what they are called, brings in the highest tides, but this really only pertains to oceans. Lakes and ponds are too small to have tides because there is no appreciable difference in gravitational influences from one side to the other. But perhaps it has some other effect I don't know about. Maybe it brings out the crazy fish like it does the crazy people!

[Scott F]

1 hour ago, flyingmonkie said:

Yeah so it depends on where you are, but a lot of research has shown that full moons do trigger waves of spawning action.  Conditions are right in some of our bodies of water, I imagine this moon will probably trigger some early waves for us.

 

Please show me where ANY scientific research shows that a full moon has ANY effect on the spawning activity of fresh water large or smallmouth bass. 

[SWVABass]

From the reading I have done it’s the photoperiod I believe. This translate to hours of sunlight. Most animals are triggered by this. Water temp, fronts, and moon phases probably effect to a degree the amount of activity we see, but they are on beds roughly the same time every year. Any later the young of the year would struggle to survive the winter to soon the eggs don’t hatch as they don’t receive enough sunlight.

[Angry John]

Here in Memphis we have been looking for beds and have not found a single one.  The little bucks have been moving up so I feel the next full moon will be the ticket.  Most water is about 55 and I don't think they are quite ready.  This is prespawn and were getting close.

[Sam]

It ain't over till the fat lady sings. And the dogwood trees bloom.

 

 

Wxrisk.com

· 1 hr ·

ALERT !! NEW SNOWSTORM PODCAST IS NOW UP AND RUNNING ...

*** The April 2 morning threat of ANY accumulating snow for Northern VA, central and eastern MD, including DCA BAL, is now OVER. But good snow is still LIKELY for much of Western MD, southwest - central and northeast PA into northwest NJ, the interior of SE NY and much of CT ---

Major league cold blast coming after APRIL 6 and there is still 1 more threat "out there."

 

1ST GUESS MAP OUT LATER THIS SATURDAY EVENING

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See More

The SNOWSTORM Page | WxRisk.com

 

And with the full moon watch out for werewolves!  

 

[flyingmonkie]

On 3/30/2018 at 11:31 PM, Scott F said:

Please show me where ANY scientific research shows that a full moon has ANY effect on the spawning activity of fresh water large or smallmouth bass. 

 

• 15 yr old study from Lake Fork Biologist: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/lunar-phases-and-bass-fishing-results/
• Not necessarily scientific, but the BOAT: https://rahfish.com/kevin-vandam-moon-phases/
• https://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/how-fish/2007/11/going-deep-name-bass-research
• Bob Underwood writes about it in his book "Lunker!", as does Larry Lawson and "Bass Fishing Facts",  and Doug Hannon the Bass Professor was also a believer.

 

Now, to be clear, you can find just as much "research" to the contrary, and to my knowledge, nobody has conclusive evidence for either side. Guess this just further emphasizes the fact this is one of the most debated topics in the fishing world.

 

[Scott F]

7 hours ago, flyingmonkie said:

 

• 15 yr old study from Lake Fork Biologist: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/lunar-phases-and-bass-fishing-results/
• Not necessarily scientific, but the BOAT: https://rahfish.com/kevin-vandam-moon-phases/
• https://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/how-fish/2007/11/going-deep-name-bass-research
• Bob Underwood writes about it in his book "Lunker!", as does Larry Lawson and "Bass Fishing Facts",  and Doug Hannon the Bass Professor was also a believer.

 

Now, to be clear, you can find just as much "research" to the contrary, and to my knowledge, nobody has conclusive evidence for either side. Guess this just further emphasizes the fact this is one of the most debated topics in the fishing world.

 

First of all, none of the 4 items you listed could be classified as scientific studies.

Second, the first study you listed compares fishing success to moon phases, not spawning activity

The others merely repeat what they have heard or believe about moon phases and the spawn. None of them did anything to prove or disprove that moon phases effect spawning activity.

There is actually conclusive evidence that moon phases have no effect on the spawn. The book "Black Bass: Ecology, Conservation and Management" edited by David P. Philip and Mark S. Ridgway, is a collection of scientific studies done over the years concerning large and smallmouth bass. None of the studies referenced could show any connection to moon phases and the spawn. The effects of water temperature, photo periods, and water levels were all shown to influence the spawn but the phase of the moon has never shown to have any effect at all on fresh water black bass spawning activity.

[soflabasser]

20 hours ago, flyingmonkie said:

 

• 15 yr old study from Lake Fork Biologist: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/lunar-phases-and-bass-fishing-results/
• Not necessarily scientific, but the BOAT: https://rahfish.com/kevin-vandam-moon-phases/
• https://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/bass/how-fish/2007/11/going-deep-name-bass-research
• Bob Underwood writes about it in his book "Lunker!", as does Larry Lawson and "Bass Fishing Facts",  and Doug Hannon the Bass Professor was also a believer.

 

Thank you for posting this. I agree with you that the moon definitely effects bass fishing, especially spawning bass. That's a beautiful bass in your avatar, how much did it weigh?

[N Florida Mike]

I've watched bass spawn around the full moon in the spring for 40+ years. Scientific study or not, it happens.Got 5 beds around my property right now to prove it.

It doesn't mean they don't bed at all unless there's a full moon because they do. It's just at PEAK during full moons.

[the reel ess]

On 3/29/2018 at 9:45 AM, RHuff said:

 

If you believe this sort of thing plays a roll - is this the one that starts it all? I have always heard that the first full moon of spring is the one that pulls the bass from the deep up into the shallow to begin the pre-spawn/spawn process. We've had cold weather here in WV up until this week. Water temp has been stuck in the mid 40s range for a month now. Today is a high of 74. Tomorrow will be around 60. Saturday is a high of 68. Water should warm up quite a bit over the next few days and with this full moon on Saturday I gotta believe that might be a day to be on the water..... What do you think? 

They've been shallow since mid Feb here. But the month of April is generally when most of the spawning happens here as well.