West Perry Boat and Motor

Solving The Theory

The problem was solved, after a fashion, through the process of elimination.

First a list was made of the factors which influence or control the
day-to-day behavior of both fresh and saltwater fish. Everything was taken
into account that could possibly have any bearing on the matter. The reaction
was in no sense local since it had already been established that the
phenomenon manifested itself at the same time in several widely scattered
bodies of water.

The list included 33 possibilities. Gradually, one by one, they were examined
and rejected. Three of them, however, merited further examination. They were
The Sun, Moon AND Tides.

Surely the sun could have little effect. It's cycle was the same day after
day, whereas the activity periods of fish were apt to be evident at most any
time of the day or night. The moon had already been weighed in the balance
and found wanting. Tides? Surely there could be no tidal movement in a trout
stream.

The fact remained, however, that the tides had always guided salt-water
fishermen to good fishing. Could it be that the prompting stimulus lay in the
influence of the sun and moon, which caused the ocean tides, instead of the
actual tidal stages or flow?

This line of reasoning led to an intensive study of tides, in which the New
York office of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey was extremely helpful. For
several years the Atlantic Tide Tables served as the basis for the
calculation of the theoretical inland tides, and the schedule that was set
up for further experimentation was called the INLAND TIDE TABLES.

For two years this schedule was investigated but it, too, showed too much
variance from the true schedule at certain times of the month. Only after
actual tide times had been disregarded and the daily positions of the moon
and sun alone considered was it possible to forecast a schedule that was
reasonably accurate.

When the original research was being done only the approximate times of
moon up-moon down were considered. Gradually, it became evident that there
were also intermediate periods of activity that occurred midway between the
the two major periods. Thus the more evident periods were called MAJOR
PERIODS and the intermediate periods, shorter in length, were called MINOR
PERIODS.

Mr. Knight first published his solunar tables in 1936. Then, and today, one
must calculate the the precise times from each table taking into account the
geographic location (east or west) of a base point (Time Zone), and adjust
for Daylight Savings Time whenever appropriate. The tables are rounded to the
nearest ten minutes to assist in manual calculations.

Proving The Theory

To substantiate the solunar theory, insofar as fish are concerned, a
systematic inquiry was instituted to acquire complete details surrounding
the capture of record catches. Both individual large fish...and large
numbers.

Approximately two hundred of these catches were investigated. As had been
suspected, over ninety percent were made during the dark of the moon (new
moon) when the effects of the solunar periods seem to be the greatest, and,
more important, they were made during the actual times of the solunar
periods.

Initially, only the behavior of fish was considered in developing the tables
from year-to-year. During the period 1935 to 1939 intensive observations were
made of game birds and animals. As had been suspected, these also responded
to the prompting stimulus of the solunar periods.

Peak Days

It is now known that the sun and the moon are the two major sources of the
astral energies that daily bombard the Earth and all her life forms. The
closer they are to you at any given moment, the stronger the influence. The
day of a NEW or FULL MOON will provide the strongest 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 and
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 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.

Weather Influences

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 following a storm drive all
fish deeper and render them inactive for 24 to 48 hours.

Adverse temperature, abnormal water conditions, all sorts of things will
offset the effects of solunar period. However, every sportsman knows that it
is beyond all reason to expect good fishing or hunting every day. The solunar
theory will point the way to the best in sport that each day has to offer,
but in no sense is it a guarantee.

---  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 period can be expected.

If, however, the barometer is unsteady or falling, or the temperature
arrangement of air and water 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.

Moon Influences

Another thing to remember when 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), and there is no moon in the sky,
is the time of maximum intensity.

Ocean tides reflect this intensity in their 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.

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.