# Moon and tides.



## Tom-TN (May 3, 2013)

I need to submit my vacation request for next spring, and I plan to take my annual cobia/ kingfish fishing trip to the Panhandle in April 2015. The last couple years have been around the full moon. I was looking at the moon phases and tide tables, and a question entered my mind. What about fishing during the new moon? Looking at the tables, it appears on paper that the few days following the new moon seem to be better then those around the full moon. Just curious to know if anyone has actually studied this and has opinions about the preferred days. How are the baitfish effected by this too? I like to optimize my vacation fishing days, as this is all I will be doing during this trip. Thanks.....................


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## kanaka (Oct 3, 2007)

How did YOU do around the full moon? I can't catch a cold around that moon phase, others can. I like the dark side......


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## panhandleslim (Jan 11, 2013)

In April, come between the 15th and the 20th. If you have to deviate, move to starting on the 13th. 

Baitfish numbers are going to be a function of the warmth of the ocean and can't be predicted with Tide and Lunar charts.


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## Tom-TN (May 3, 2013)

@kanaka, we did very well during the full moon.

Last spring I fished Navarre from April 12-19. I waited for the Neap tides to end, and it was during the full moon phase. We hit it perfect. We caught several very nice kings, spanish, bonita, redfish and a few pompano. I didn't catch any cobia, but I had one miss and a looker. I did see several get gaffed, including a 63# that Mr. Moore let my son gaff. This was my son's first pier fishing trip, and did he ever love it. He must have gaffed 20+ kings and that big cobia. He learned very fast, and had a blast doing it. I made a day trip to Pensacola to fish with Obie Hill, and try out my new cobia rod he made me. I saw 2 cobia caught there, but didn't really care for my first experience with the first shot rule. So much drama and arguing about who got the first cast. I remember hearing that the fishing slowed down after we left, but picked back up during the new moon a couple weeks later. I also remember that there was a very late winter, and I was a little nervous that the water temps would not be warm enough during my trip, but there was a quick warm up right before I got there. I was thinking about driving down on April 15th, and leaving around the 21st next spring.


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## Tom-TN (May 3, 2013)

panhandleslim said:


> In April, come between the 15th and the 20th. If you have to deviate, move to starting on the 13th.
> 
> Baitfish numbers are going to be a function of the warmth of the ocean and can't be predicted with Tide and Lunar charts.


The new moon phase is coming in during that time frame, and that is when I thought about coming down. Thanks................


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## Charlietuna (May 2, 2014)

Tom-TN said:


> I need to submit my vacation request for next spring, and I plan to take my annual cobia/ kingfish fishing trip to the Panhandle in April 2015. The last couple years have been around the full moon. I was looking at the moon phases and tide tables, and a question entered my mind. What about fishing during the new moon? Looking at the tables, it appears on paper that the few days following the new moon seem to be better then those around the full moon. Just curious to know if anyone has actually studied this and has opinions about the preferred days. How are the baitfish effected by this too? I like to optimize my vacation fishing days, as this is all I will be doing during this trip. Thanks.....................


 For me Tom, my experience has been a few days after the full moon and a few days prior to the full moon. If I fish on a full moon day the bite is more in the evening vs morning...just my experience.

Also, I have noticed a better fish bite when there is a higher barometric pressure...low means slow fishing. I think I read storm systems produce high barometric pressures...then again barometric pressures change all the time.

Done some reading on that a while back...

Tides, water temp, light level, moon phase have impacts, and so does barometric pressure.


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