Blame it on the moon....

[Rockfish9]

Those that know me, know my affinity for the full moon.. and why not... 12 of the 18 fifty lb. and larger bass I have taken have been taken within days of or during the full moon.....Although I fish from a boat... .. Like my surf fishing brethren that clamber over sand and weed draped rocks, I too ply the shallows at night.. my shallow water alarm is set @ 2'... when it goes off I'm "home". Fishing the bright moon gives many options that the dark of the New does not offer... large bass will move into shallow feeding areas that the bright sun would render them skittish....after all.. they do eat during the day.. ... don't they.. so why not under the full moon.... ... Fire.. that shining zoo plankton that can light up the water and have even the most patient fisherman rack their rods in disgust , is almost a non factor... where during the dark of the new or "down side" of the full, a sea loaded with fire will put both predator and prey on high alert...any movement will be detected.. fish become skittish and may even turn to feeding during the day... ever wonder why day time bass fishing can be slow during the full moon.. it's kind of like deer hunting during the full moon... the deer feed more at night and are less active during the day..... even light leaders will look like a hawse line from a tug boat as the micro fauna gets disturbed... the thinnest of needlefish looks like a 3lb mackerel.. a shoe string eel looks like a python ( not really but you get the picture).... rough weather conditions can and will change the formula... but during periods of clam.. give me that bright moon... the large water movement and "un explored" areas of the beach and rock piles now invite fish to a new dinner table.. that was unavailable during smaller tides... the big bonus is our bait or plug selection.. we can go much larger during these periods and still appear natural.. thus "upping" the odds of that "once in a life time " fish finding our offering before one of it's pint sized or teenage offspring make a meal of it... sure a small bait will appear "larger " in the dark.. but what if conditions dictate a large bait...AKA wind in your face.. a bar that's just a little farther off the beach ( or closer to shore if you are in a boat).. maybe a cross current that needs a longer cast to work the "danger" zone... this is only the tip of the iceberg why I love the full moon...most of us only have so much time to fish, due to work and family obligations, so thinking the full moon is a deterrent really cuts into the available time we have to fish... give it an honest effort.. the fishing has steadily gotten better each night this week... last night was the best since the August full.. and that August "super " moon produced some of the best fishing on the north shore of Mass, in the last 3 years... the weather next few days looks awesome...warm days cool nights...there is no guarantee what October ( and beyond) will bring and we've got all winter to P&M about how bad the fishing may or may not have been...

Tight lines all
Roc