Page 23 - Discover Spring 2021
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Department requested fisherman catching hours and skip the following 3 hours. When
Stripers over 20” not to release them. Instead, fishing daylight after a dark moon, fish the
they advised to fish until you get your limit, first 3 hours of the day, then skip the next 3
and take the fish to eat instead of releasing hours, and fish the following 3 hours. This is
them to die. a guideline, and not a rule; therefore, times
may vary little, but it is surprisingly accurate.
This time of year, you can “catch &
release” striped bass, because the water is cold, Many have told me that they followed
and the fish don’t produce as much lactic acid the moon phases when hunting and fishing,
when they fight. There is no need to spare the and that it works. But why? What are the
larger fish for the spawn, because the spawn full and new moon times? What is the
here produces no off-spring. Once the eggs significance of the moon names?
are produced in the spawn, they need to float Many of us live in places where it’s
and tumble for at least 72 hrs. This can not
Moon Phase Fishing happen in Smith Mountain Lake waters; hard to see the light of the moon, and many
of the connections between
therefore, no off-spring can
ourselves and the moon
be produced.
that have been passed down
The warmer season through the generations have
will begin about March been discounted, or at least
15th, when the water called into question. So, when
temperature should reach a group of chronobiologists in
54 degrees. At this time Switzerland sat at a riverside
fishing with jigs, minnows bar in Basel one full-moon
or live bait works well. night, and started wondering if
With live bait, planer the Moon might affect people’s
boards work great, and can sleep, they decided to see if it
be used in combination was more than just a bit of a
with lures. Fish by the joke.
moon phase, and stay
shallow on the banks and They did a study, in which 17
points where the sun is on young and 16 older volunteers
the water. The warmer water lures the bait came into the sleep lab for more than 3 days
there, and consequently, the fish who feed on at a time. They were completely sealed off
them. from any clues about light, dark, and time of
day. The scientists measured everything from
The moon phase would be considered the volunteers’ brain-wave activity to their
light or dark, not necessarily because of the levels of Melatonin.
amount of light, but because of the moon
phase. A dark night would be approximately Here is what they found: During
7 days before and 7 days after a new moon. a full moon, EEG delta activity during
A light night would be approximately 7 days NREM SLEEP (an indication of deep
before and 7 days after a full moon. In the sleep) decreased by 30 %. Time to fall asleep
daylight after a full moon, don’t fish the first increased by 5 minutes, and shorted a night’s
by Bob King 3 hours of daylight. Instead, fish the second 3 sleep by 20 minutes, thus showing that a full
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