Know the BEST TIME to fish with this Moon Clock (Lost Lessons of the Bass Professor - Part 3)
Channel: RetroBassin
Date: 21/01/2023

From the moment man first looked up and saw that glowing orb in the night sky, he has been mesmerized by the moon.   Whether they’re chasing striped bass in the tidal tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay or planning a trip around the spring spawn in Texas, fishermen know the import role the moon plays in fish activity. 

Admittedly, our fascination with the moon has always lagged behind our true understanding of it, and so lore and legend abound in any discussion of the moon and its effects on all creatures, wild and tame.

Through extensive experience and note taking, the Bass Professor Doug Hannon developed what he coined Hannon’s Lunar Factor to predict peak fish activity not just during different phases of the moon, but during different hours of every day I the calendar year. 

On a macro level, Hannon stated the most successful outdoor experiences have been proven to occur three days before and after the full, and especially the dark (new) moon. 

If has often been stated that bass spawn after first full moon one the water temperatures reach 60 degrees, and my buddy Jon from Small Water Charters swears the full moon moves new fishing into the shallows each spring.

The moon orbits the Earth every 27.3 days, which is why we have roughly one new moon and one full moon every month.  In addition to that, the earth also rotates on its axis once every 24, which is why we get one good look at both the sun and moon each day. This is where major and minor feeding periods come into play. 

The moon’s gravitational pull on the earth in any one spot is greatest when the moon is either directly above or directly below the earth. 
These each happen once a day, which correspond to the two major feeding periods for bass. 

And when the moon is exactly halfway between either of these two positions you have the two minor feeding periods per day.  If you are a saltwater fisherman, the two major periods are the two daily high tides and the two minor feeding periods are the two daily low tides. 

All this can certainly make your brain spin, which may be why Hannon developed the Moon Clock in 1981 to break down all the optimum fishing and hunting times for a calendar year.
Here’s how it works…

Lastly, you might have noticed that this moon clock is dated 2022. Yes, they are specific for the year and amazingly they are still manufactured and sold today through www.moontimes.com for $11.95. 

They have the 2023 Moon Clock up for sale and I just put my order in.
Next week in the final installment of our Lost Lessons of the Bass Professor mini-series we’ll dive into one of my favorite Doug Hannon topics: the amazing lures and rigs he created over the years.

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