Fishing almanac

[jerkw8nonajerk01]

Hey I was wondering if any of you have ever tested these theorys http://www.farmersalmanac.com/best_days/fishing

check it out

[Jaben]

Great info!!!!!

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

Not any official testing but I have noticed these past few months that the first few and last few days of each month I get more bites than usual... some of the pros watch it closely and change their game plan accordingly.

[zero limit]

Enter your zipcode to find your local fishing forecast

http://www.weather.com/activities/recreation/outdoors/fishing/?role=

[SirSnookalot]

another........not sure if there is a difference

http://www.solunarforecast.com/solunarcalendar.aspx

[jerkw8nonajerk01]

I was reading Hank Parker swears by this almanac thing...and moon phases..I went this morning from 9-12ish..no bites will update on my 330- sundown run....gotta find em  :o

[bass or bass ?]

I plan my fishing trips , when possible, by moon phases. I prefer new moon phase, but also fish full moon phase.

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

I fish when I get the chance... catching something is just an added bonus  ;D

[jerkw8nonajerk01]

Nice point Mike....you know sometimes I get so caught up in catching and why I'm not catching I forget the reason I enjoy it so much.....the peace...

[SirSnookalot]

I have been watching those fishing calenders for years and I'm not convinced.  Some days they seem to be right on and other days they are way off.  Yesterday the fishing forecast was for a poor day and it was, managed 1 fish for an hour of fishing, happy to to the lmb went between 7-8.

I have had way better success on the new moon rather than the full moon.

[D4u2s0t]

I have been watching those fishing calenders for years and I'm not convinced. Some days they seem to be right on and other days they are way off. Yesterday the fishing forecast was for a poor day and it was, managed 1 fish for an hour of fishing, happy to to the lmb went between 7-8.

I have had way better success on the new moon rather than the full moon.

exactly what I would have said... Last year I did a test, I would go out, keep track of my results, go home, and THEN check the reports to see how accurate they were.  For testing purposes, I didn't want to have a different attitude because I "knew" between 1-3pm would be the best bite, or because 3-5 would be terrible.  Sometimes they were spot on, sometimes they were totally wrong.

[bear7625]

Moon phases may have some effect on fishing, but I believe weather is more of a factor. The barometer is the key! I have tried to keep a journal when I fish, but like everyone, when the fish are on the bite my good intensions go by the wayside. I have found that when the barometer is falling, the bite gets tougher. I'm going to try to work harder on other techniques like dropshot, shakeyhead jigs, and fishing slower. Hopefully I will keep track of what works.

[Big Fish Rice]

I think a lot of people forget, that even though we can watch weather patterns, and almanacs, you still have to use the right bait with the right presentation.

Full moon or not...the fish will tell you what they want. If you're not getting the bite, then change your depth first and go from there.

I'm not dogging on the almanac, just saying that we all still have to find the successful pattern.

[salmicropterus]

I had a non-boater in a tournament one time kinda dogging it in the morning. I asked him what was up and he said he was waiting until about 12:10 and then he would focus as that's what the tables said was the best time to fish. Thankfully this dude was not my partner in a team tournament!

I guess my larger point would be fish when you can and fish as hard as possible all the time when you are on the water.

[Big Bass Chaser]

I am less than a year into serious bass fishing and already the amount of variables to consider each time I go out gets complicated (heck, I can't even tell you how half of it affects the bass yet):

Body of water : size, shape, depth, fishing pressure, etc

Strain of bass : Northern, Florida, Spot, Striper

Photoperiod : getting longer, shorter

Moon phase : now, today, where it was past few days, where it is going

Temp : same as Moon

Weather : same as Moon

Barometer : same as Moon

Water : Depth, Clarity, Turbidity, Surface, Current, Runoff

Seasonal cycle : pre-spawn,spawn,post-spawn,summer,fall, winter

Physical approach : on foot, on boat, on float, noise, shadow, etc

Forage : speed, size, depth, seasonal cycle

Rod : size, action, tip

Line : size, strength, visibility, leader

Hook : size, style, strength, etc

Lure : speed, depth, presentation

Structure : mud and rock, wood and weeds, open water, etc

Cover : Rock, wood, mats, weeds, docks, wrecks, trees, etc

on and on and on.... X100

And then you have to take into consideration how each variable affects each other variable and which have priority and the ability to trump one another. Of course each variable probably has 1000 research papers and 50 books written about it.