2008 Tables     2008 Moon Phases

It is now known that the Sun and Moon are the two major sources of the astral energies that daily bombard the Earth and all her life forms. The closer the are to you at any given moment, the stronger the influence in each month.

PEAK MONTH

June always has more combined Sun-Moon influence than any other month. During a full Moon the Sun and Moon are nearly opposite each other and very few minutes pass without one or the other being in our sky. During a new Moon, both bodies are in near-perfect rhythm traveling the skies together with their forces combined. Because of the interaction between the many lunar solar cycles, no two days, months or years are ever identical.

PEAK TIMES

When a Solunar Period falls within 30 minutes of sunrise or sunset (weather permitting) you can anticipate great action!

LENGTH OF PERIODS

Every fisherman knows that fish do not feed all the time. He or she knows, also, that for some reason fish often go on the feed and take most any offering, be it live bait or artificial. This sort of thing happens during a Solunar Period. To be sure, fish usually feed actively at sunrise and sunset, but generally the real fishing of the day is at the "odd hour" feeding periods. If the weather and feeding conditions are favorable, the fish will be active for one to three hours.

WATCH THE WEATHER

For best results the tables must be used intelligently. Every day will not show clear cut reaction to a Solunar Period. In the case of fish, barometric fluctuations, particularly when the trend is down, often ruin fishing. All wildlife knows what to expect of the weather, and any bird, animal or fish can sense the approach of a storm. Cold fronts moving through drive all fish deeper and render them inactive.

WATCH THE BAROMETER

Intensity of activity also varies from day to day, according to conditions in general. If the barometer happens to be steady or rising, if the temperature is favorable (about 15 degrees higher than water temperature) then long and active response to a Solunar Peoria can be expected.

If however, the barometer is unsteady or falling, or the temperature arrangement of air and water is abnormal, there may be no response to a Solunar Period. For that matter, conditions can and do change so completely in a matter of hours that a major period will be of little value while some six hours later a minor period may show excellent fishing. Generally, however, a change in the weather is apt to be a deterrent to good fishing.

WATCH THE MOON

Another thing to remember in dealing with Solunar Periods is that solunar influence will vary in intensity according to the position of the moon. The times of new moon (the dark of the moon), when there is no moon in the sky, is the time of maximum intensity.

Ocean tides reflect this intensity in the magnitude. This maximum will last about three days, and wildlife respond with maximum activity. Thereafter the degree of intensity tapers off until it is at its minimum during the third quarter phase of the Moon.

On two occasions the behavior of fish were observed during an eclipse of the Sun. This being the time that the Earth, Moon and Sun are approximately in line with one another. There is, of course, a Solunar Period in progress when an eclipse occurs. In each case the fish evidenced a tremendous amount of activity, feeding ravenously and affording excellent fishing.

BE AT YOUR FAVORITE SPOT DURING A PERIOD

It goes almost without saying that if there are no fish or game present, you will not be successful. Plan your days on the water or in the woods so that you are where the game is most likely to be during Solunar Periods.

CALCULATING SOLUNAR TIMES

The key to accurate Solunar Times is the ability to chart the relative solar and lunar positions with respect to a particular location. The major periods coincide with the upper and lower meridian passage of the resultant gravitational (tidal) force.

AREA COVERED BY SOLUNAR TIMES

The times produced are known as Gravitational Tide Times, i.e., the times of low and high tides of the Earth were completely covered by water. Our charts calculate the solar and lunar positions with an accuracy of .25 degrees. This allows the calculations to be + or - one minute in time. The times will change one minute for every 12 miles east or west of the base point. For Lake County, Illinois the base point used is Libertyville.

There is one day each month (near the last quarter of the Moon) on which there is no Moonrise. This is normal and occurs because the Moon's average period between two rises and sets is approximately 24 hours and 50 minutes. Thus there will always be a day on which a Moonrise cannot fit. Note also that Moonrise can occur at any time during the day or night.

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