Big muskies continue to be one of fishing's most legendary and elusive trophies. No other fish in freshwater even comes close to carrying the mystic and overall respect that this torpedo shaped toothy predator commands. In fact, even the remote possibility that any freshwater fish is at all capable of inhaling a full grown duck, muskrat or your neighbor's poodle is enough to deter most anglers from making any serious attempt at catching one. Yet muskies of this demeanor and size exist in a lot of the waters you and I fish.
It has also often been written that this great fish, the muskie, is "the fish of 10,000 casts". Some of the most frustrated anglers have logged years of casting without bagging as much as one single fish (muskie). Still others obsessed with the muskie chase, brag of successfully landing several muskies a season. But they too remain frustrated in their quest to boat the muskie angler's true benchmark -- a trophy of over 48 inches.
Fortunately, I learned early on in my career as a full time muskie guide that there were several keys to really improving your odds in all facets of the muskie fishing sport, but particularly in the big fish category. One of those keys involves being on big fish waters and fishing on big fish spots during the "right" moon phases. In a nutshell, trophy class muskies were simply much more susceptible during a three to five day period surrounding the peak moon phases, full moon and dark/new moon, on any given month. How did I find this all out?
Well, I began to learn of these predictable correlations after backtracking my big fish results in an effort to learn more about why "the magic worked" then, and not all the other times I was pounding the water. Understand also that I had lots of data to go by, relating back to my own detailed computer logged catches which involved 18 years of fishing, hundreds of muskies, and thousands of hours on the water. I made a conscientious effort from the beginning of my muskie fishing career to painstakingly write down 15 different informational factors about each and every muskie caught in my boat since 1968. Among them were: date, time of catch, length of fish, lake, exact grid location of spot where the fish was taken, water temperature, wind direction, sky conditions, bottom content, depth, lure, lure color, moon rise, moon set, sun rise, and sun set.
As you can well imagine, this information became extremely valuable later on. One of the log's biggest assets turned out to be its use as a reference library. Eventually I could see many predictable patterns emerging. Among them, certain lakes would turn on at certain times of the year. Certain weather conditions triggered action on certain bodies of water. Specific spots would turn on during one specific time of year. And so on.
But one of the most obviously predictable patterns was the increase in the size of fish caught around the full and new moon periods. Just like clock work, as soon as a fishing date fell within three days either side of these two moon phases, bigger fish began to show up without fail.
I could sight dozens of examples like those above that further substantiate the validity of this moon phase/trophy muskie pattern, but perhaps the biggest fish listed, the 50 incher, personifies the importance of fishing hard during the peak moon phases more than any other. As is my normal schedule from July 4 thru September 1, I prefer to chase muskies after dark in heavily fished waters in my home state of Wisconsin. In this way, I don't have to deal with other fishermen and the heavy boat traffic common to nearly all waters during the summer period. I also make several trips to Canada during peak moon phases throughout the summer period. I always book these Canadian musky hunts to correlate with the full or new moon of July or August.
My normal night fishing summer pattern is to hit the water hard four to five days a week from 8 pm to 2 am. This fishing schedule has never failed to produce at least one really big fish for me inside that classic summer dog days period along with consistent action on better than average sized fish on each and every outing. However, in 1993 I had fished diligently up until the end of August already and had surprisingly not bagged my perennial 50 incher. In fact, I hadn't even tagged a four footer yet; Plenty of nice fish in the low to mid 40 inch range, but no "horses".
I began to wonder if my "never miss" big fish streak would finally be broken. My only hope at this point was to put in as much time as possible night fishing over key big fish spots during the final few days of August, which were just prior to the best full moon period of the year -- right before the annual fall turnover. The next full moon was to peak on September 1.
To jump ahead a bit, understand that the very best time to fish during the full period is just prior to the moon rising each day, and then again right after it sets. It basically has the same impact that sunrise and sunset has. Since the moon was rising just a tad after total darkness, I knew my "window of muskie opportunity" was small. I had to be on what I considered the best spot fishing perfectly for about 1/2 hour just after total darkness; right before the full moon rose.
The choice was easy. Falling back on previous experiences, I had taken seven big muskies in the past four years off one particular area in late August. It was basically a weedy flat located just outside a narrows between two lakes. A big fish or two always seemed to hanging in this spot at this time of year.
My lure choice and approach was also an easy one. I had taken all of these seven big fish on a jointed DepthRaider casting somewhat parallel to the deep weed edge. Stacking as many odds in my favor as possible, I opted for the best lure presentation on the best spot at the best time. Did it work?
Just like a perfectly executed pass play in a football game, the plan came together. Total darkness had just set in, and I was systematically working the deep diver inside every nook and cranny along this great weed bed. And then it happened -- KABOOM! I got that unmistakenable big fish strike about 15 feet from the boat. The hooks drove home, that battle ensued, and the end result was 50 inches of glory!
MOON RISE & MOON SET/MOON UP & MOON DOWN
As I mentioned earlier, daily moon rise and moon set are also vitally important. This same log book of fishing experiences I keep relating back to have proven beyond a doubt that muskies do most of their feeding for a brief period right before moon rise and just after moon set during the full moon period. In other words, the "feeding windows" during the full moon are actually quite small. You must be right on the money to really make it happen. This means being on a big fish spot, and fishing with a proven big fish tactic during that key time just before the moon rises or just after it sets.
This moon rise and fall pattern is predictably productive no matter how it falls within any given 24 hour period. In other words, if the moon rises or sets at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, that period between 1:30 and 2 p.m. is definitely the time to be on a big fish spot. The same goes for moon set.
Some of my best big fish catches ever have come on the moon set. When moon set occurs during daylight, which usually happens in the early morning hours, many more anglers are in a position to take advantage of it. This is when you get a very strong "morning bite". At the same time, if moon rise or set is very late at night, after midnight, few fishermen are on the water to reap its rewards. But those who are, score big.
The daily period when the moon is up in the sky, or moon up, and its reverse, moon down are also important to understand. The hours during moon down are far more productive than moon up. For example, if the moon sets at mid morning and rises just after dark, daytime fishing should be hot. Night fishing should be poor. But a moon up high in the sky throughout daylight hours promotes a real strong "nite bite". And daylight fishing should be very slow. Years of fishing data has also revealed this pattern as irrefutable.
NEW MOON VS. FULL MOON
Some very strong differences exist in fishing opportunities between the dark or new moon and the full moon. Most notably, there are far larger feeding windows during the dark or new moon period. I am not really certain why this is, but I do know it to be fact. I do have a strong theory that is possibly its answer though.
As we all know, when a full moon is up in the sky, it is very obvious overhead as long as it isn't being obscured by cloud cover. This bright full moon reflects both light and strong gravitational pull. For some reason, muskies don't like it.
I've also already mentioned that muskie action dramatically picks up during the daily moon down portion of the full moon period. In reality, a typical 24 hour period during the dark/new moon is essentially moon down. Even though there is indeed a rise and set during the dark/new moon, the entire 24 hour period still is dark, light-wise. This, I feel, increases the feeding windows.
The highest potential times for a big fish to hit each day still exist during the daily moon rise and set, however. ALWAYS time your fishing around the best big fish spots during this predictable daily time period. You have nothing to loose by doing so, and everything to gain. Above all, understand that you have far longer fish catching opportunities (feeding windows) during the dark/new moon versus its counterpart. Muskies do feed for much longer periods of time during both day and night during the dark/new moon. That is why three days + or - the peak of the new/dark moon are my absolute top rated times to fish each and every month of the year. It's a time when you should sleep very little, and fish very hard.
LET THE MOON PLAN YOUR TRIPS
One of the things I like to do most during the winter months is layout my fishing plans for the upcoming season and try to predict beforehand what will be the best fishing days of the year. I then utilize this information to book filming dates for my TV show, and schedule my most important fishing dates for guide clients and important sponsor personnel. Without question, old mother nature occasionally throws a wrench into the best laid plans, and negates the overall potential of any single date. But day in and day out, my predictions generally come true.
Perhaps the latest example of this occurred last October 15th. It involved a fishing date with Gander Mountain's CEO, Joe Lawler. Joe is one serious big game fishermen and hunter, truly practicing what he preaches. However, Joe had limited success with muskies in the past, and was hoping I could shed some light on his trophy quest. After relating to me some of the specifics on past trips, I basically told him that his initial approach of simply fishing with a guide once a year, whenever he had the time, was not putting any odds in his favor.
It didn't take long to convince Joe that he should not only spend a day or two fishing with me, but better yet, let me pick the "when, where, and how". Plus he absolutely had to be totally flexible. This, of course, didn't guarantee anything, but it did surely up his odds.
Take another "gander" (no pun intended) at my earlier listed log, and note the date October 15. I chose this exact date a full five months in advance as a great potential time for Joe to try his hand at a trophy hunt with me. It didn't take but two hours for Joe Lawler to make my prediction come true by catching a 49.25 incher that weighed 35 pounds 2 ounces. His partner, Bob Hebeler, caught and released a "bookend 35 pounder" at 48.5 inches only a few hours later. Case closed!
My point is, the awesome potential of this date was totally predictable. Long before Joe and Bob ever set foot in my boat the stage was set. In this situation, the plan worked to perfection. It doesn't always go this way, but the bottom line is -- the potential is there.
You simply must take advantage of the best possible big fish opportunities, if you really want to score on big fish consistently. It's still no guarantee, but it definitely flips the odds much more in your favor. You still have to be on the right spot at the right time, and have a real strong grasp of good fishing fundamentals. One thing this system does do is help you answer the tough question of "when" to take your trip.
If you were patient and dedicated enough to read this far into my moon phase madness, then it is time to reward you with some "inside info" on what I think are the best days to fish in '94. It will be interesting for all of us to look back after this season's close and see how "right on" these predicted big fish dates were.
BUCHER'S PREDICTION OF BEST BIG MUSKIE DAYS IN 1994
| MONTH |
MOON PHASE AND PEAK |
BEST 6 DAYS |
| June |
New Moon June 9 |
June 6-12 |
| June |
Full Moon June 23 |
June 20-26 |
| July |
New Moon July 8 |
July 5-11 |
| July |
Full Moon July 22 |
July 19-25 |
| August |
New Moon August 7 |
August 5-10 |
| August |
Full Moon August 21 |
August 18-24 |
| Sept. |
New Moon September 5 |
September 2-8 |
| Sept. |
Full Moon September 19 |
September 16-22 |
| Oct. |
New Moon October 4 |
October 1-7 |
| Oct. |
Full Moon October 19 |
October 16-22 |
| Nov. |
New Moon November 3 |
November 1-6 |
| Nov. |
Full Moon November 18 |
November 15-21 |
| * |
Prediction: Biggest fish in Wisconsin will be caught November 1-6. |
| ** |
Top Three Picks For Big Fish Action Anywhere: August 5-10, October 1-7, November 1-6. |
| *** |
The new moon in early September could be the sleeper. |
| **** |
The full moon in mid November, which falls right during the annual Wisconsin Gun Deer Season Opener, will have the highest potential, but very anglers taking advantage of it. |
Finally, remember to pay close attention to the daily moon rise and moon set along with any local weather factors to help put you on top of the best spots at the very best times each day. Also, don't forget about sunrise and sunset either. It's no secret that they're high potential times during any given 24 hour period. Whenever conditions match up correctly, there's a special significance between the hours of sunset and moon rise; especially when you have three separate changes taking place in such a brief period of time: 1) sunset, 2) full darkness, and then 3) moon rise. The same thing occurs very early in the morning before dawn when you get: 1) moon set, 2) dawn, and then 3) sunrise.
The absolute ultimate big fish trigger happens when a 4th factor coincides with these three -- a drastic local weather change. Give me an approaching thunderstorm just after sunset, and the full moon rising about an hour after dark, and LOOK OUT! It's grab the landing net, and call the taxidermist!!!
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