Fishing charters around Cocoa Beach and other spots
throughout Florida have to keep a close eye on weather conditions and other
factors that can affect their trips. They not only do this for the safety of
their patrons, but also to get an understanding of how the fishing will be and
whether they should make any adjustments to their plans.
One factor that can affect fishing is the moon phase (i.e.
full moon, new moon, first quarter and third quarter).
Although other conditions like the weather also play a role,
many anglers like to time their outings around certain times during the lunar
cycle when fish will be more active.
We invite you to continue reading to learn more about how
certain phases during the lunar cycle can help improve your odds of hauling in
a sizable catch aboard fishing charters in Cocoa Beach.
It’s not the moon itself that affects fishing on the flats, but rather the
moon’s effect on the tides…
If you’re flats fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, the
moon’s phase can have a pretty significant impact on what’s biting.
Experienced anglers know that the best fishing occurs when
the gamefish are feeding on crabs, shrimp, bait fish and other food sources. On
a daily basis, the 90 minutes around the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset
are prime feeding
times for Speckled Trout, Redfish, Snapper and other inshore species.
However, if it’s a full moon or new moon, the chances of
encountering more gamefish increase dramatically according to many anglers.
This is due to the impact the full and new moons have on
making tides stronger.
When tides are coming in or going out during these periods,
the tidal flow, or current, is much stronger. This means that bait like crabs,
shrimp and small fish will move at a much higher rate as well.
Fish will be able determine when this is occurring. They
will then move to spots where they will find high concentrations of their bait
(food) and feast on the smorgasbord.
Many gamefish are unable to reach many parts of the grass
flats due to how shallow the water typically is. Bait like shrimp and crabs
live in these areas – for most of the month, they are protected from predators.
However, when the tide washes in, the fish will be able to reach these spots
and enjoy a good meal.
If fishing offshore,
the full moon will illuminate the water and allow large gamefish like Marlin,
Sailfish and Tuna to see their bait throughout the night. This also allows
anglers to get a better view of what’s in the water. However, the caveat here
is that the weather must be clear in order for the moon’s light to get through.
Fishing charters and general anglers need to read lunar tables to
determine when the full and new moon will take place in a given month…
The entire lunar phase or cycle occurs like clockwork every
28 days, so it’s pretty easy to determine when the full and new moon will take
place. While it is possible to figure this out on your own, there are various
tables online and in fishing magazines that will help you pinpoint the best
time to come.
It’s important to remember that other factors besides the moon phase can affect the fishing too.
For example, if any severe weather events are about to occur
or just ended, the fish will be feeding even more vigorously. An approaching
cold front on the other hand will cause the fish to move to deeper water and be
less active until the weather warms back up.
Another factor that can affect the bite is the changing of
the seasons. While the change of seasons isn’t as noticeable as they are in locations farther north, the fish certainly know the weather is changing
because of the water temperature.
According to years of careful observation, many anglers
believe the change from winter to spring and summer to fall present some amazing
opportunities to catch popular gamefish.
It’s understandable that planning your trip around the
phases of the moon can be difficult. For most us, we go when our schedule
allows. While it’s still likely you’ll catch a nice Redfish, Permit or Tarpon
if you go on a “regular” day, timing your trip around the full and new moon
phases and being in the spots where the fish are feeding will dramatically
increase your odds of hauling in a nice catch.
Fortunately, it’s easy to find a lunar table online that
will tell you the exact dates a new and/or full moon will occur. Since they run
on such a predictable cycle, you can check these dates several months out.
Captain Jim Ross operates fishing charters in the waters
around Cocoa Beach and has decades of experience reading the weather and moon
phases to determine the best times for fishing the Indian River Lagoon and
spots offshore. We invite you to visit http://www.captjimross.com/
to learn more about these excursions, or visit the reservations page to see if
your desired date is available.
No comments:
Post a Comment