The effect of moon and weather on trout

[thorarinna]

Hi there.

Can anyone tell me? the effect of full moon on the behaviour of trout (or the moon in generel) if any?

What about high pressure area or low pressure area?

Does tide have any effect on trout in lakes?

What about light, they are often willing to eat just before the light goes, don't they?

What about wind direction?

This is probable a million dollar question, hahaha.

Just let it all go, schientific, "you think", you heard, in your experience, rumor has it, ...

[DruLeeParsec]

Well, according to Norm Albiston who teaches fly fishing at the University of Utah the moon phase will make a big difference. This is because a fishes eyes are evolved such that they can retract the cones at the back of their eyes to give them better night vision. That means at night they have great light/dark vision but little or no color vision. So fishing a bright colored fly at night makes no sense because they can't see the color anyway.

But they still need light to see. At night it's difficult for predators to see the fish so it's safer for fish to feed at night. But since they need light to see they will tend to feed when the moon is closer to full rather than when it's a new moon.

Norm says that he always plans his big trips around the new moon because if he went around the full moon the fish will have fed all night long. But around the new moon they're hungry.

I heard all this from the "Fly Fish Radio" podcast. There are 4 or 5 episodes with Norm and I think they're a great source for this kind of techy geek view of fly fishing.

Norm talks about the 3 things that will determine where a fish would rather be in a stream. The fish will be where his needs are best met. Those needs are the 3 C's

Current
Cover
Cuisine

He'll want protection from the current
He'll want protection from predators (Cover)
He'll want food (Cuisine)

For example, if you're stumbling around kicking rocks you'll spook the fish. Why did they spook? Because you violated the 2nd C Cover. You made the fish feel threatened.

Ever fished a riffle and noticed that the fish are in little holes in the riffles? Why are they there? Because of the 1st C. Current. If it takes 20 calories to fight the current to eat a caddis fly that gives them 1 calorie then the fish will starve. If they can avoid the current and let the food come to them then they will live.

All the stuff we know about bugs and matching hatches and so on are included in the "Cuisine" part of that equation. But we rarely talk about how a fish sees or smells or how it's lateral line works. Norm thinks that knowledge of those things are very important.

Norm talks a lot about the great sense of smell that fish have. He talks about how we tend to put on our sun screen, put on our waders, and then tie on our fly. When we do that we're putting the smell of sunscreen on our fly. Ever see a fish look right at your fly, he puts his nose on it and he doesn't take it? Norm thinks that's because the fish is thinking that "it looks like pizza but it smells like manure."

Fly fish radio is available here
http://www.flyfishradio.com/podcast.php
as well as via iTunes for free. Norm's episodes are # 1,5 13, 28 and 29
I really enjoyed them. If you're into the science of fly fishing then I think you'll like them too.

Greg

[nighthawk]

Thorarinna,
Interesting questions. I have often wondered about the effects of rising and falling tides as I fish a lot of still waters. It is my understanding that, to a lesser or greater degree, all bodies of water are subject to tides. On small bodies of water we don't even notice the changing tides but it could have some effect on the fish. Does anyone know for certain?

Certain species and subspecies of fish feed primarily at night. Almost all species of fish feed at night to a certain degree. Brown trout tend to be nocturnal feeders but can be caught during the daytime from large, deep pools with lower levels of light. During full moon cycles, at my latitude, I like to fish the first few hours of darkness and the last few hours right up to sunrise. When you have a full moon and the moon is at it's perigee, closest to earth, fishing all night can be productive. Again, it depends on the species and body of water, along with weather conditions. At your latitude things are probably a bit different, being so close to the arctic circle. Perhaps some of our Canadian friends can chime in and help out here?

Wind will act much the same a current, especially on a lake or pond. Fish will move to the sides of structure that are shielded from the wind. This is a "slack" current area. Structure such as docks, pilings for docks and wharfs, submerged trees, underwater points, submerged rock piles and etc... Fish can hang suspended from the bottom in these areas and ambush prey being brought to them by a wind driven current while expending very little energy. This is why sink tip or sinking lines are so important to fishing lakes and ponds. The fish will suspend at a level that meets their temperature, oxygen and other physical needs. Finding the level they are suspended at allows you to put your fly in the strike zone.

Most of what I just posted comes from personal experience and listening to others more knowledgeable than I. I have no scientific data to back it up. It does seem to work though.

[MikieFinn]

Thorarinna:

All of the factors you asking about have impact on all animals fish included.

There is such a thing as solunar tables that determine animal activity cycle as determined by relative position of Earth, Sun and Moon.
They do work!!!!. I know from 5 years of expirience using them. Moon visibly affects large water bodies but it does have further reaching effects on live here on this rock. You can use the solunar table as the basic life rythm that is further influenced by weather, season etc.
Dropping pressure will have a positive effect on fish while rising pressure will turn fish off. low light is better for fish (limited visibility means better concealment from enemy).
Sudden drop in temperature will also turn fish off.

As to the wind it has not mush effect on the moving water but it has serious impact of fish behavior on lakes.

Wind moves the top layer of water and with it the microscopic life that is basis for food chain in the water. So when wind blows for long time in one direction all of this soup will be in the downwind end of the lake. The small fish that feed on it will follow and the bigger fish will follow them.
Now it does not mean that all of the fish are at that end of the lake. It simply means that when fishing in that situation you might have best luck if that's where you start. Add to that the light conditions, natural cover time of day etc and your expirience and you get the recipie for findin fish. maybe...

[DruLeeParsec]

Dropping pressure will have a positive effect on fish while rising pressure will turn fish off.

I wonder if that also has to do with the fact that dropping pressure usually means that a storm is coming in so the sky will be a bit darker and cloudier and the wind will be picking up which will make the surface a bit choppier. Both of those situations add to the "Cover" of the fish. A rising pressure usually means the sun is coming out and that means brighter, warmer days and less wind which mean less cover for the fish.

It just makes me wonder if it's the pressure itself that effects the fish, or the side effects of the changing pressure that causes the change.

[Trout-Dawg]

I Fish alot during certain periods affected by these and what I notice is that:
Rivers...not affected as much!
Lakes definitely affected especially by the larger moon phase (ie: full moon)
The best period to fish stillwater is between the first 4-8 days of a new moon phase!

[thorarinna]

Hi guys.

This is very interesting.
I have been listening to "Fly Fish Radio" podcast with big interest.


To sum up what you said:

Fish have great light/dark vision, it's safer for fish to feed at night. But since they need light to see they will tend to feed when the moon is closer to full rather than when it's a new moon.
So plan your big trips around the new moon because if you go around the full moon the fish will have fed all night long. But around the new moon they're hungry.

Brown trout tend to be nocturnal feeders but can be caught during the daytime from large, deep pools with lower levels of light.
During full moon cycles, at nighthawk's latitude, he likes to fish the first few hours of darkness and the last few hours right up to sunrise.
When you have a full moon and the moon is at it's perigee, closest to earth, fishing all night can be productive.

There is such a thing as solunar tables that determine animal activity cycle as determined by relative position of Earth, Sun and Moon.
They do work!!!!. MikieFinn knows from 5 years of expirience using them.
You can use the solunar table as the basic life rythm that is further influenced by weather, season etc.



Wind will act much the same a current, especially on a lake or pond. Fish will move to the sides of structure that are shielded from the wind.
This is a "slack" current area. Structure such as docks, pilings for docks and wharfs, submerged trees,
underwater points, submerged rock piles and etc... Fish can hang suspended from the bottom in these areas and
ambush prey being brought to them by a wind driven current while expending very little energy.
This is why sink tip or sinking lines are so important to fishing lakes and ponds.

As to the wind it has not mush effect on the moving water but it has serious impact of fish behavior on lakes.

Wind moves the top layer of water and with it the microscopic life that is basis for food chain in the water. So when wind blows for long time in one direction all of this soup will be in the downwind end of the lake. The small fish that feed on it will follow and the bigger fish will follow them.



Dropping pressure will have a positive effect on fish while rising pressure will turn fish off. low light is better for fish (limited visibility means better concealment from enemy).
Sudden drop in temperature will also turn fish off.

DruLeeParsec wonders if that also has to do with the fact that dropping pressure usually means that a storm is coming in so the sky will be a bit darker and cloudier and the wind will be picking up which will make the surface a bit choppier. Both of those situations add to the "Cover" of the fish. A rising pressure usually means the sun is coming out and that means brighter, warmer days and less wind which mean less cover for the fish.
It also makes him wonder if it's the pressure itself that effects the fish, or the side effects of the changing pressure that causes the change.



And Trout-Dawg says; I Fish alot during certain periods affected by these and what I notice is that:
Rivers...not affected as much!
Lakes definitely affected especially by the larger moon phase (ie: full moon)
The best period to fish stillwater is between the first 4-8 days of a new moon phase!


Although during June and July at my lattitude there is more or less light 24 hours, moonlight will have effect on the spring and autumn.
I will have a better look at the solunar tables and listen to the "Fly Fish Radio" podcast.

[MuddlerMinnow]

I love that podcast! For some my iTunes didn't pick up an episode from October until the one released two weeks ago. I was going through withdrawal!