New Moon

[TRT]

Who is really tuned in and fishing the New Moon next couple of days?

[woodyvt]

I will be out there, but never really followed the moon pattern.  Is there an upside to fishing during a new moon?

[CJiceaddict]

For freshwater, I have never been able to track a pattern with the moon- with salt I think it makes a huge difference as it affects the tide.

[mudchuck]

I'll put in my 2cent worth. I lived in Delaware and Maryland for a big portion of my life and fished tidal fresh, brackish, inshore and offshore salt waters and can say with over 20 years of fishing down there, the moon phases have a definite effect on fishing and fish feeding/breeding patterns. Heck, I was even know for chasing the incoming high tide in the Chesapeake and fishing it thru until it switched over to past slack tide and I'd pack up and drive the 1-1/2 across the peninsula to the ocean side and fish the piers or jetties at Ocean City, Lewes or one of the backwaters for nice flounder, stripers, blues, seat trout, hardheads or red drum on the rising tide over there.
The full moon and new moon both equally have a great effect on drift fishing and night fishing.

[fishingidjit]

I'm a believer in barometric pressure/passing fronts for fresh water fishing .

[mudchuck]

Agree, barometric pressure has no real effect on saltwater, but it is a major factor in fresh water.
As far a moon cycles for fresh water, other than the full moon making for good night vision when it's not cloudy, and new moon making it really dark, I see nothing with moon cycles in my fishing experiences that makes me think it has a bearing on freshwater fishing.

[TRT]

Mudchuck - think anything eats at night on a new moon? TRT feed well during the day
esp dusk/dawn on a new moon. 

[mudchuck]

In saltwater yes, cats, blues, stripers, spot, hardheads and dogfish all are active in a new moon. Flounder tend to bite less without moonlight and seatrout get real picky unless the mullet or menhadens are schooled up, then they'll chase them right onto the beach and it don't matter what phase the moon is in.
Stripers hit good in a new moon during the summer, but I couldn't tell ya how good they'd hit during a new moon in December as I only went out a few times that late every season and don't recall what phase the moon was when I did venture out for a Thanksgiving fishing trip as I was mostly in the woods anyhow by that time of the year.

I really don't think the moon has much effect for freshwater.

Can't really say I've had much more than bluegills and sunfish in freshwater with a new moon. Also up here under a new moon with it so dark, I've always had a lantern going or a bonfire, so maybe the moon still has no real effect. Hard to say for sure.