Let's talk about Full Moon Surf Fishing (and New Moon as well....)

[DarkSkies]

This is the first year that fishing during new and full moon tides has not been a consistently productive pattern for me. I had a few observations from the other night's trip............


The night tides have been a consistent producer for me for bass and bluefish action, especially the moon tides, during which I have almost always done well.

To be out at night, moon tides, cloudy conditions, has been the ticket for multiple trips of double digit catches of larger bass for me in the past. There is one place that I only usually hit during the beginning of a noreast pattern, always holds fish for those specific conditions...

Thur's trip was the first time this season, that I have seen fish there.....and they were only bigger fish.....mid to high teens.....no signs of smaller bass at all.....which is really disturbing to me....

** Catching fish with artificials, especially looking for bass at night.....has been pretty disappointing for me, this year......because there is just no pattern that has lasted more than a few days, or hours, so far, for me.....and the catching (while focusing on areas that have always held a few bass) has been disappointing as well..
These are just my observations...thanks for reading.....

[cowherder]

Picked up 12 little guys on bucktail and teaser. They hit pretty hard. Missed a few more. Biggest was 27 1/4. All hit in close. Nice night under the full moon. Who says you can't catch fish under a full moon?

[vpass]

I lose all confidence with a bright full moon night. I have witness many times when the bass stopped biting as soon as the moon shows. I tend to not fish when I know the full moon will not be cloud covered. For me the darker the better some ambient light is good. And I had alot of great times with bass fishing the shadows casted by boat docks.

[jigfreak]

Good point vpass. Sometimes thats happened to me as well. Sometimes it hasnt. I read a post the other day where someone said they caught because their plug was extra shiny or holographic and that's what the fish focused on during the full moon. I think what may be happening is that some guys are fishing where there is a higher concentration of fish like a point or inlet area. Since there are more fish they are catching. If you took that same plug and fished it elsewhere you would not catch squat. So I think it's not always about the moon. It is about the concentration of fish if they are in front of you. just my .02

[nitestrikes]

If you took that same plug and fished it elsewhere you would not catch squat. So I think it's not always about the moon. It is about the concentration of fish if they are in front of you. just my .02

X2. Bingo, someone who understands fishing.

[hookset]

..Moon didnt seem to bother the fish to much but the hit were lighter than they have been..

Blazin said this, I agree. I think full moon does matter sometimes but last night it was like a new crop of fish showed up and they were just there. slow presentation was the key for me. Also I usually use lighter colors but my best plug last night was a black magnum bomber crawled slow.
Go figure. The more I fish for striped bass the more I am scratching my head some times.

[hookedonbass]

I heard about the super moon but had no clue. So I did a search here. Awesome details and info guys thanks lots. Tried tonight because of that moon figured it would make some stripers or blues get motivated with the stronger tides. I didn't do that well. At least there was no skunk for me. Thanks for all the info and sharing.

[jigfreak]

TTo be out at night, moon tides, cloudy conditions, has been the ticket for multiple trips of double digit catches of larger bass for me in the past.
These are just my observations...thanks for reading.....

I see that you qualified that observation that it needs to be cloudy for the best catches - I agree. Al McReynolds caught his record bass during a full moon.