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Full moon has fish on the move

By DAVE DOUGLASS

Highlands Bass Angler

Published: November 1, 2009

With a weak full moon occurring tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. the stronger of the two daily feeding migrations will be exactly at that same time.

The second feeding period starts 30 minutes after sunrise, which is 7:08 a.m. and ends at approximately 9:45 a.m. Both migrations won't be exceptionally strong, however the evening bite has the best chance of being the better bite of the two since the lunar influence does play a role, albeit a minor one.

It will be rough to actually determine a definable peak period since the full moon event happens just after sunset on Monday; a weak nighttime migration produces a weak midday migration, which is the opposite affect of a full moon which occurs at 2 a.m., which is what most anglers think of when considering fishing in the light of the full moon.

According to the weather forecast for Monday night and Tuesday morning, the best time to be planning a fishing trip is Monday night from 4-9 and Tuesday morning from 7-11. The barometric pressure is predicted to decline during that 19-hour period - Monday 4 p.m. to Tuesday 11 a.m. and therefore should increase the intensity and duration of those migrations. A 10-scale rating of 6 or 7 is possible, but 4-5 is the expected norm.

The key to success this week will be small weather changes occurring while you are out there fishing your favorite fishing hole. If you happen to get lucky enough for this to happen, you will end-up "being at the right place at the right time."

Fishing facts

With the fall conditions of water temperatures being in the upper 70s to low 80s and a steady wind direction over several days, fish move more in accordance with barometric change. Right as the change occurs the fish move into feeding areas for short periods. And, from what my data shows, the down-change produces a stronger feeding migration than the up-change.

Fishing formula

The formula for success depends on how accurate the projected barometric plot turns out to be - and of course the fact that you know where fish are and are able to be there when the barometer begins to move away from "steady," and know the bait-action required to produce a feeding or reaction strike.

Fishing flash

Lake Istokpoga's level currently is 39.18 feet above sea level with some water being released on two or three days per week in order to provide water to the farms south of the lake.

Hydrilla treatments are scheduled to occur on the week of the 15th so if you happen to be on fish in the treatment zones, that will change - come to an end as fish move to the closest replacement-cover available.

Tournament news

The Monday Morning Lake Josephine Black Bass Fishing Tournament is open to the public and launches every Monday morning at 8 with weigh-in at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $10 per boat with a "winner-take-all" payout. One person or two per boat, three legal (more than 14 inches) bass per boat, and one bass over 22 inches per angler. For information, call Paul Tardiff at 863-385-8007 (home) or 863-273-4062 (cell).

The Wednesday Morning Black Bass Tournament will be on Lake June, November 4 Next week's event, Nov. 11, is on Crooked Lake. Launch time is 7:30 a.m. and weigh-in time is at noon. Entry fee is $30 per boat to be paid at the ramp. For complete information, call Paul Tardiff, home: 863-385-8007, cell: 863-273-4062, or Dwight Ameling 863-471-3305.

Dave Douglass is a bass fishing guide and secretary of the Florida Freshwater Fishing Coalition Inc. - FLFFC.org. He can be reached at 863-381-8474, HighlandsBassAngler.com, or e-mail him at davidpdouglass@hotmail.com

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