Fishing guides › Moon phases
Ask ten anglers about the moon and you'll get ten answers. Here's the honest version: the moon matters, but mostly because of what it does to the tide. Its direct effect on feeding is real for some fish, but smaller than most people think.
Tides come from the pull of the moon and, to a lesser degree, the sun. At the new and full moon, the sun, earth and moon line up and their pulls add together. You get higher highs, lower lows and faster current in between. These are called spring tides. At the quarter moons, the sun and moon pull at right angles and partly cancel out, so tides are smaller. Those are neap tides.
Since inshore fish feed best on moving water (see how tides affect fishing), the days around the new and full moon often fish better. A big tide moves more bait and pulls fish into predictable spots like passes, points and creek mouths.
Solunar theory was made popular by John Alden Knight in the 1920s and 30s. The idea is that fish and game are more active at certain points in the moon's daily trip across the sky:
| Period | When | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Moon directly overhead, and directly underfoot (on the other side of the earth) | About 2 hours |
| Minor | Moonrise and moonset | About 1 hour |
There are usually two majors and two minors every day, and they shift later by roughly 50 minutes each day, just like moonrise does.
Do they work? Plenty of anglers swear by them, and the timing often overlaps with real tide changes, which makes them look good. On their own, they're a nudge, not a guarantee. The best windows are when a solunar period lands on top of moving water and low light. When all three line up, that's the trip you don't want to miss.
A bright full moon lets fish see and hunt at night. Snook fishing around lighted docks and bridges can be very good on full moon nights in the warmer months. Some anglers find the early morning bite slower the day after a bright full moon night, since fish fed overnight. It's not a hard rule, but if the night was bright and the morning is slow, try the late afternoon or the next tide change.
Both are catch-and-release situations for a lot of anglers. Check FWC rules for seasons, sizes and permits before you keep anything.
Put the moon behind the tide and the light. If you can only fish one window today, pick moving water first, early morning or late evening second, and use the solunar times to choose between two windows that are otherwise close. Weather beats all of it. A cold front or a blown-out day will shut fish down no matter what the moon is doing.
How Turnwater uses the moon. Turnwater shows the moon phase and the major and minor feeding times every day. In the score, solunar periods are a smaller factor than tide and light on purpose. They can push a good window higher, but they can't carry a bad one. Tap any score to see exactly how many points came from the moon.