 |
|
Overhanging afternoon sun
|
When your hunting and fishing skills are comparable to those of Captain Kangaroo, you need all the help you can get.
One tool that doesn’t come via mail order or credit card swipe is the solunar tables listed in many magazines and newspaper outdoors sections. Like most people who spend a lot of time outdoors, when I first saw these tables I wasn’t sure they could equate hunting and fishing success to the moon phase.
So I did what most curious young hunters would do. I followed the tables. While I didn’t arrange every hunting and fishing excursion based on the times the table suggested fish and wildlife would be most active, I did figure that if the paper was printing it, the table must have some merit.
Honestly, I can’t say with any confidence that tying my activity to the moon was successful or unsuccessful. I couldn’t tell you if the moon had any influence on the carp and perch I landed, or the teal bagged. I can say that when a solunar chart indicated a major feeding time for the wild world, it gave me a little more confidence in arising in the early morning hours. As with many activities, confidence extends itself and the psychology of the table indicating better odds for success may have played a significant role in itself.
 |
|
Timing the walleye bite
|
Nowadays, for whatever reason, I no longer analyze the charts within pages of outdoors sections across the country. At this stage of life, it doesn’t matter much what time of day or night the solunar table says it’s best to be out. If I get a chance for a trip outdoors, I seldom shrug it off.
I seldom hear mention of the solunar table in the outdoors, but I suspect there are people out there who think these tables are more than just a gimic, and devote considerable interest to studying them, hoping to shift the odds in their favor.
Some background on solunar tables
The nomenclature was derived from sun (sol) and moon (lunar). The initial notion was that both the sun and moon influenced fish and wildlife equally. It was later learned, however, that the moon apparently had much more influence than the sun.
In the 1930s a professor from Northwestern University in Illinois used oysters – removed from light and away from the tides of the ocean – to determine their feeding habits. He successfully discovered that oysters opened their shells to feed when the moon was directly above or below the oysters. They were not influenced by the high and low tides after removal from their natural environment.
Proving the theory
John Knight (Columbia University and originator the barometric theory of fishing ) performed research on record catches of fish and compared this to the solunar table and found that 90 percent of the lunkers were caught during what the solunar table would indicate as high activity periods.
The key suggestion is to utilize the solunar table as a tool. Every hunter and angler realizes that fish and wildlife react to fluctuations in the barometer and an array of influences. For instance, trying to catch fish as a cold front moves through is tricky, regardless of what the solunar table indicates.
 |
|
Full Moon
|
Like most things, the more time spent practicing or learning about a tactic or device, the more useful it will be. Simply because the solunar table indicates a major active period, don’t assume you’ll find fish jumping into the boat, or a trophy buck waiting for you to walk by.
Solunar.com provides analysis of the tables and also detailed history about the research and development of the solunar table. The information is not simply just for hunting and fishing. Wildlife photographers and viewers can also use the chart to their advantage. It even provides some tips on improving gardening success through the solunar table.
Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Dept. He can be reached via email: dleier@state.nd.us
Photo credits to the ND Game and Fish Department and Greg "bobbers and worms" Gullickson
