Whats the deal with the BLUE MOON?

[Night Shift]

Hmmm, last week almost every fish that was brought boatside had 3 or 4 friends following, all visable in the moonlight in only 2.5 - 4 feet of water. The fish were VERY hungry and the moon was VERY bright.

Just curious, have eighther of you two tried an eel skinned needle under these conditions, or used a lighter leader? I haven't tried plugs much this year (the fish have been too fat and picky), but I seriously doubt these fish would have refused one.

[chefchris401]

Originally Posted by Night Shift

Hmmm, last week almost every fish that was brought boatside had 3 or 4 friends following, all visable in the moonlight in only 2.5 - 4 feet of water. The fish were VERY hungry and the moon was VERY bright.

Just curious, have eighther of you two tried an eel skinned needle under these conditions, or used a lighter leader? I haven't tried plugs much this year (the fish have been too fat and picky), but I seriously doubt these fish would have refused one.

eelskin plugs slay in the moon light, if the fish are there they will hit the eelskin no doubt.

had a slow pick of smaller fish last full moon, switched to the eelskin ah jr and the size went up, as did the hits. biggest fish was 24lbs on the skin plug but compared to 15lb fish on a non skin plug.

[OLD GOAT]

Next blue moon July 2015

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Night Shift

Just curious, have eighther of you two tried an eel skinned needle under these conditions, or used a lighter leader? .

Yup and yup (but #40 fluoro is as light as I dare go where I fish)

Skin plugs help a little ( no where near as much as clouds) but are far from a sure thing when the moon is up. Finding deep water and fishing deep is the better trick, which is why boat fishing (or the canal) is often good with a big moon. Also, during spring and fall migrations fish are less fussy so sometimes I've done well, but more often not.

Consistently catching quality fish on plugs from shore under a bright summer moon is not something I have been able to master.....or understand. It eats at me since a big moon now kills my confidence, and confidence is key to catching fish on plugs.

[Night Shift]

For the most part I fish with 30# mono leaders. When the moon is bright, I sometimes knock it down to 20#. Sometimes I feel that it gives me a better chance and like you said, confidence is the key.

As far as losing fish on lighter line, here's my take.

I fish a particularly nasty stretch of water on occasion. I probably only land about 70% of them on average (at best). I frequenly lose fish to submerged rocks, lobster pots, and mussel shoals. It gets quite frustrating at times. Out of desperation, on one trip I tried bumping my leader up to 50# mono and my main line up to 30#. After swapping back and forth between my normal setup and the heavy artillery, the fish gave me the answer I really didn't want to hear. I didn't even get so much as a sniff on the heavy gear, and 3 fish between 25 and 35#'s with one lost on my normal setup. Personally, I would prefer the latter. Some nights I land them all, other nights, none at all.

Is heavy line the reason for your bad full moon mojo? I doubt it is the single reason. But it may be one of the small pieces of the puzzle.


And my hat is off to you for sticking with wood, no matter what.

[the point]

"ay Buddy Any Bait in Da Wata"

[Zeal]

Originally Posted by Night Shift

For the most part I fish with 30# mono leaders. When the moon is bright, I sometimes knock it down to 20#. Sometimes I feel that it gives me a better chance and like you said, confidence is the key.

As far as losing fish on lighter line, here's my take.

I fish a particularly nasty stretch of water on occasion. I probably only land about 70% of them on average (at best). I frequenly lose fish to submerged rocks, lobster pots, and mussel shoals. It gets quite frustrating at times. Out of desperation, on one trip I tried bumping my leader up to 50# mono and my main line up to 30#. After swapping back and forth between my normal setup and the heavy artillery, the fish gave me the answer I really didn't want to hear. I didn't even get so much as a sniff on the heavy gear, and 3 fish between 25 and 35#'s with one lost on my normal setup. Personally, I would prefer the latter. Some nights I land them all, other nights, none at all.

Is heavy line the reason for your bad full moon mojo? I doubt it is the single reason. But it may be one of the small pieces of the puzzle.


And my hat is off to you for sticking with wood, no matter what.

I remember watching people doing gamefishing on ESPN years ago and they would color their lines because the heavier lines would spook the fish, does it happen on bass? I dunno but I thought that was interesting.

I'm with Numby, plugging all the way (though I don't have a choice) but I have used my 20# braid without a shock leader *DUN* *DUN* *DUNNNNNN*. Never saw a difference. *shrug* what do I know, I could just be fishing it wrong which is very possible. Though I can never resist fishing a full moon regardless (its a free light!).

Though I will say this, I have gotten hits and just missed but I did notice that the action reflected the actions of the animals in the surrounding area such as deer making their presence known when I'm driving to the beach and nearby inlet with a backbay.