Moon phases and fishing: what really matters

Moon phases in two minutes

The moon takes about 29.5 days to go through its phases. Its shape doesn’t change; what changes is how much of its sunlit side we see from Earth. For fishing, the most useful thing to know is when the moon is actually in the sky:

• New moon: the moon sits between the Earth and the sun. It rises and sets with the sun, so it’s up during the day and the night is dark.
• First quarter: rises around midday and sets around midnight. It lights the first half of the night.
• Full moon: on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. It rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, lighting the whole night.
• Last quarter: rises around midnight and sets around midday. It lights the second half of the night and hangs in the morning sky.

Each day, the moon rises about 50 minutes later than the day before. With that and the phase, you can tell at a glance whether your night on the water will be bright or dark.

Effect one: the moon drives the tides

This is the clearest effect, and nobody disputes it. Around the new moon and the full moon, the sun and moon pull together and bring spring tides: higher highs, lower lows and, above all, stronger currents, because more water has to move in the same time. Around the quarter moons come neap tides, with a smaller range and gentler currents. Our guide to spring and neap tides walks through the numbers.

If the moon is also near perigee, the closest point of its orbit, spring tides get bigger still. Those are the perigean spring tides behind many king tide days.

For fishing, that means:

• Spring tides: more moving water, more bait swept along, and predators working points, inlets and channel edges. On the other hand, the current can make bottom fishing in deep water nearly impossible, and sandy beaches and inlets tend to get murkier.
• Neap tides: calmer and often clearer water. They’re easier for bottom fishing from a boat, since you drift less, and for estuaries where spring tides stir things up too much.

Effect two: the moon changes the light at night

A full moon in a clear sky lights up shallow water surprisingly well. That can change how fish behave:

• baitfish can see predators coming and tend to school tighter or hide;
• predators can hunt more easily through the night;
• your line, your silhouette and your lure are easier to see too.

That’s where the dock talk comes from. Many anglers say that under a full moon fish feed all night and the dawn bite slows down, while on dark nights the action bunches up around first and last light. Plenty of surfcasters chasing striped bass in the Northeast swear by dark nights; others like a bright moon because they can see the white water they’re working.

Preferences line up most around fishing under lights. For squid at the docks, many anglers prefer moonless or nearly moonless nights, believing dock lights and lanterns stand out more in the dark. What’s clear is that light draws squid in: the FAO notes that squid jigging mostly takes place at night under bright lights.

Don’t forget the clouds. A full moon behind a thick overcast is closer to a dark night than a moonlit one.

Effect three: solunar periods

Solunar theory adds a third route. It holds that fish are more active when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot (major periods) and when it rises or sets (minor periods), and a bit more so near the new and full moon. It isn’t proven, but it can work as a tiebreaker. We cover it in detail in our guide to solunar theory.

Which phase many anglers pick

There are no fixed rules, but these preferences come up again and again along US coasts:

What you’re doing	Phase many anglers prefer	Why
Redfish on flood tides in the marsh	Around the new and full moon	Spring high tides push water up into the grass flats
Bottom fishing offshore or on wrecks	Quarter moons	Neap tides, less drift, lighter weights
Tarpon and snook at passes and inlets	Around the full and new moon in summer	Strong outgoing tides flush bait through the passes
Squid under dock lights	Moonless nights	Artificial light stands out more
Clamming and tide pooling	Spring tides	Lower low tides, but the water comes back faster

The flood tide redfish game in the Lowcountry marshes of South Carolina and Georgia is a good example: it needs tides high enough to flood the grass, and South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources notes that the high marsh floods only on the twice-monthly spring tides and in storms. If you’re digging clams or exploring tide pools on a big low tide, read our guide to tide safety first: extreme lows uncover more ground, but the water also returns faster.

An example: two weeks of moon in Charleston

Say the full moon falls on a Friday. Here’s how an angler around Charleston might plan:

• Saturday and Sunday: a day or two after the full moon, the biggest tides of the cycle arrive. Good timing for the marsh flood tides on the morning highs, and the nights are bright.
• The following Friday or so (last quarter): neap tides with a small range. A calm, easy day to run offshore and fish the bottom.
• About two weeks after the full moon (new moon): spring tides return, this time with dark nights. A good time to try the docks for squid or to fish the inlets after dark.

Those are examples. Every cycle is different, so check the tide table for each day.

Myths and facts

• “Fish don’t bite on a full moon.” There’s no evidence that’s true in general. Every phase has good days and bad ones.
• “The phase decides the day.” In a study of more than 340,000 muskellunge catches across North America, fishing only on the best day of the lunar cycle produced about 5% more fish on average than fishing on random days. NOAA, on the other hand, notes that water temperature, light or current can change catch rates as much as tenfold. Weather and season count too.
• “The moon works the same everywhere.” Where tides are small, as along much of the Gulf Coast, the moon’s effect through the tide shrinks, and the wind can move a lot of water too. More on that in why some seas have almost no tide.
• “Fish follow the lunar cycle.” Partly true: some species time their spawning to certain phases of the moon, and in some places seasons and closures take those cycles into account. Always check your state’s regulations.

In practice

• Use the phase to plan the week: spring tides near the new and full moon, neap tides around the quarters.
• Decide whether you want bright or dark nights for the fish you’re after.
• On the day itself, the tide table and the forecast have the final say.
• Write the phase in your fishing log. Over time, you’ll see what works where you fish.

Since light matters so much, keep going with our guide to dawn, dusk and golden hour.