moon charts

Question
Do you belive in the moon charts that tell you the best times to fish?

Answer
No.

I assume you are asking about the solunar tables.  These are supposed to relate to prime feeding periods for fresh water fish and inland game.  In the salt, the impact of the moon and sun are much more direct in the sense that they are responsible for tides.  And it is the tides that are mostimportant in determining feeding behavior of virtually all salfwater species.  Since the stage of a tide can vary as much as 3 hours in relatively close locations, there is no single ideal fishing time possible.  I do not know where you fish, but here in the bays and channels along the south shore of LI NY, I fish in direct accordance to the stage of the tide at a particular location.  And each spot has a different time of flood or ebb.  Some are only a few minutes apart, others as much as 3 hours.

 Let me give you an example.  In the fall, striped bass seem to prefer the first hour of ebb tide.  By knowing where and when the tide will start to flow in various areas near me, it is possible for me to get as much as 4 hours of fishing, and still be only fishing the first hour of the ebb.  I start in a spot where the tide flows first, and then can work my way to other areas as the tide reaches them and begins to ebb.  These are not great distances.  Due to the topography of the area, mainly the various islands, channels, flats, and connecting bays, the flow of the current can be as much as three hours different in certain locations that are only a mile or two from each other.  This happens because the water is tying to go from one area to another, but cannot go in a straigt line as it might in the open ocean.  Thus it is forced to sometimes go in a great circle traveling many miles just to reach a spot that is very close but only connected with a narrow passageway that is too small to handle the majority of the volume of water.

My suggestion is to learn the flow and ebb of the currents in your area that are generated by the stages of the tides.  You will learn that this is far more helpful than moon charts.  Since the moon is the main influence of tide, you may hit upon a circumstance where the two are the same, but that would be more of a coincidence than a true cause and effect.

-Rich