Sun, moon, and tide all play factors in fish behavior
Astro or solunar tables are published in a lot of outdoor periodicals, but they are often skipped or skimmed as if they were akin to astrology. But animal activity in accordance with the positioning of the sun and moon is an applied science that has been aiding outdoorsmen since the first table was published in 1936.
“I always target the major and minor periods,” said guide Dave Eakins.” That’s when the redfish are most active, especially when it overlaps with a morning or evening.”
John Knight is credited with the formal creation of solunar theory, as well as the first solunar chart. After compiling and testing a list of 33 factors believed to control the daily activity of wildlife, only three remained credible. The sun, the moon and the tide were all proven to influence animal movement.
Saltwater anglers are aware of the tide’s role in fish activity, and the occurrence of a hot bite at dawn and dusk is usually obvious. The moon governs the tides, but what other role does it play?
Knight believed that the gravitational forces of the sun and moon spur the seemingly spontaneous flurries of activity. When the moon is directly overhead or underfoot — the major periods — its gravitational force is the strongest, and wildlife is the most active. The minor periods are moonrise and moonset, which are usually shorter and less intense.
Knight went a step further to insist that tidal and low-light bites were not only driven by the obvious factors of moving water and sunlight, but also the gravitational relationship between the positions of the earth, moon and sun.
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