full moon catfishing. Is it best on the night of a full moon

[fishhead]

I have heard many say that catfishing is best on night of a full moon.Personally I have fished many nights of full moon with no luck.what is everyones experience? just curious thanks. oh day or night

[Katmaster Jr.]

So far I have noticed it to be the best on days right before or right after the full moon....but not actually on the full moon. Could just be luck though?

Zakk:)

[Bigmagic]

I find the three days prior and the three days after to be the most productive all other factors being equal. Fish will bite anytime but they do seem to be even more active around the full moon. One thind I don't like about it though is its much more difficult to isolate large fish from small ones. You still catch large fish but you also get more nusance bites.

[Katmaster Jr.]

Also while Shark fishing.....they seem to bite best actually on the full moon night.

Zakk:)

[dinkbuster1]

full moons can be funny, sometimes their great, others not even a nibble. the biggest of the big will be moving around or on the full moon and not much else. this goes for all species of fish, right salmonid? (yesterday). i've noticed that during the "off" times during a full moon you get those little "nibblers" driving you crazy.

[Itch2Scratch]

I personally have had better luck on or around a new moon myself, although I have to admit its a whole lot easier to see your rods with full moon.

[Deltalover]

I think I been skunked more on a full moon more then any other time! I heard that they hide from the light, but I expect it's more to it then that!

[paddle]

I do not get to pick the nights I get to go fishing because of other commitments, but I have found that I have better luck on nights without a lot of moon light.--paddle:0a17:

[dinkbuster1]

i used to hate full moons but i learned that fish feed differently then as opposed to a new moon period. now i love full moon periods. im not sure exactly what causes it but fish seem to feed shallower.

[Desperado]

I have fished a full moon and didn't get a bite. But I can only remember fishing a few of them.

[SilverCross]

I don't pay enough attention to it I guess. I just go when I can and it's either a good night or its a GOOD night.

[Chris]

I dont even watch the moon phases, I just go, the only time that I wont go is when there is heavy lighting and possible tornados, Been fishing a few times when some tornado warning came across, I never been so scared in my life a few big trees fell, the other time I was at a private lake and we left the dock and the waves were getting huge and the wind was shaking the RV around.

chris

[T-Bone]

http://www.catfish1.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3945&d=1137388523
This one came 0.9 days after the full moon of this month.
I like 3 days before or after the full moon, myself. There was some talk about moon phases. You might want to do a search on "moon phases" and read some of that post. Seems like Abilene had some good thought on this subject.

[redneckdrum]

im gonna side with what the wolfman said,if i go channel cattin' on a full moon,i come home empty-handed,however thats on just one lake.i'll try this superstition this summer on the river.

[BIG-G]

Fishin a tidal river like I do. I find that the full moon pushes a lot more water into places that normally aren't that wet. I beleive the fish know this also. On the high tide of a full moon I'll fish some of these areas and do well. I fish for channels cause thats what the river has to offer.

[beeheck]

We fish a river and a lake and a full moon seems to be a harder night to fish. Bites are less aggressive, more timid and the fish seem to be smaller on both bodies of water. We prefer a dark night but like others when I get to go, I go and worry about the moon after I'm there, if at all. We seem to find the fish in shallower water and not as much current if possible. Have tried under trees and snags more with a full moon but really can't say that was any better than the usual places we fish.

[STC T&F]

Our best night on the mIssouri came on a full moon. We were jug fishing between Washington and New Haven. Picked up 15 blues that nightno monsters but mostly between 8-12lbs. The only reason we went was because we knew it would be easier to navigate.

MJO

[primitivefrn]

Many years ago, I knew some guys that set nets\, One experance netter said , where the moonlight hits the water you wont catch any fish.
seems he was right,. shadows or under trees, hanging out over water the fish would run, not in the moonlight.

[beeheck]

I guess I would agree with that, primitivfrn we always look for the darkest water when fishing with a moon.

[Phil Washburn]

i've tried fishing by the moon phases, and reading the farmers almanac, and it just never seems to work for me.

here is my advice on how to catch fish...go often...day or night, the more you go the more you improve your chances for being there when they bite:)

[Phil Washburn]

oh yeah.... and take more than one bait

[Bigmagic]

The MDC conducted a study and concluded that catfish turned off if they saw a shadow on the water in any kind of light. I haven't found that to be true although back when I fished nights I always had the lines well out of the boat lights. Black lights work well if your using flouresent mono I have two of them on the back of my boat.(raredly if ever used). Daylight fishing is productive enough although I miss all the Mosquitos,floating logs and the like.

[Whistler]

I think almost all of my biggest fish have come on the full moon. Seems to be no difference for me. We fish mostly in water more than 30 foot deep and murky at best. Shadows and lights make no difference either. We've pretty much stopped using a lantern lately only because of bugs, but lights never seemed to make much difference one way or the other for us.

[timpndr20]

Some of the largest blues I have caught have come the day of the full moon phase,but I have no luck the night of the full moon.I agree with bigmagic that day time is productive enough.I do most of my fishing through the day and catch large numbers of fish anywhere from 3 lbs up to 40 lbs.