Do Bite Times Influence Fishing?

What are bite times, and how can you use them to your angling advantage? 

Some anglers think of ‘bite times’ as any period when fish feed aggressively. However, many fishers follow formal bite times according to the Solunar Calendar.

What is the Solunar Calendar?

The solunar (sol for sun and lunar for moon) theory is a hypothesis that animal and fish activity changes according to the location of the moon and sun relative to their bodies. The theory was documented by John Alden Knight in 1926, although hunters and fishermen have followed similar calendars for centuries. For example, the Maori fishing calendar has been used in Aotearoa since ancient times as Maori (and numerous other Pacific peoples) discovered that angling was better or worse on certain days of the lunar cycle.

Knight picked 33 environmental factors and tested whether each factor influenced the behaviour of fish. All but three of these factors were rejected – the remaining three being the sun, the moon, and the tide. Of course, tides have a huge influence on saltwater fishing and are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and to a lesser degree the sun. However, Knight’s research found that rather than simply the tides themselves, the relationship of the moon, sun, and earth’s relative positions affected the level of fishy activity due to nature responding to gravitational forces.

He concluded that the major bite time (i.e. when fish are supposedly most active) is when the moon is directly overhead or directly underfoot, and there is a minor bite time (i.e. when fish are more active than normal) at moonrise and moonset. Generally, there are four bite times during a 24-hour period – two major bite times and two minor bite times. Sometimes there are only three because a lunar day is 24 hours and 50 minutes long. Although the length of bite times varies, as a general rule of thumb, major bite times last about two hours and minor bite times last about one hour.

In addition, his solunar calendar shows that major and minor bite times are best when there is a full moon or a new moon, and weakest when there is a quarter moon or a three-quarter moon – apparently because the combined gravitational force of the moon and the sun is strongest when both are directly above or directly below. 

The solunar theory has been the subject of many scientific studies. One interesting experiment involved a United States biologist who flew live saltwater oysters over 700km inland to Chicago. He then placed them in tanks removed from sunlight. For the first week, they continued to open their shells according to the high tides from their ocean home. But by the second week, they had adjusted the opening of their shells to when the moon was directly overhead or underfoot in Chicago (i.e. the solunar major bite time).

Do bite times influence fishing in New Zealand?

The timing of solunar bite times varies with location. For example, in the Hauraki Gulf, the major bite time begins two hours before low tide, whereas in the Manukau Harbour, it begins one hour after high tide. 

Many well-respected anglers and fishing charter captains follow the major solunar bite times, from repeated experiences in areas such as the Gulf where the snapper often come on the bite a couple of hours before low tide – as if someone has flicked a fishy switch. There are even some anglers who only bother fishing out during the major solunar bite time. But of course, other well-respected anglers think it’s a load of bollocks, and many will say fishing at change of light is more important for species like snapper.

Many well-respected Kiwi anglers follow the bite times for species like snapper. 

In terms of the solunar theory proposing that bite times are strongest during full and new moons, the jury is out for NZ species. For example, workup fishing is often very productive leading up to full and new moons. This could be attributed to growing tidal ranges given spring tides occur during the full and new moon. Snapper and baitfish tend to be more active when the current is flowing, and lures or baits have more action in moving water. 

However, the fishing is often terrible for one or two days right on the full moon – a phenomenon experienced by many fishers! Proposed reasons for this include the fact that fish have already had multiple days of feeding hard which can’t be sustained, right through to the full moon glow facilitating nocturnal feeding and leading to less activity during the day.

Another interesting example is kingfish, where a correlation between the solunar bite times and good fishing is harder to see. Sunrise is the best time for techniques such as topwater fishing, while the action at many reefs seems to be governed primarily by the tidal direction – some fire up on slack tide, some on the outgoing tide, and others on the incoming tide. And as with snapper, often the worst days to fish for kings are the day of the full moon and the following day.

How can I find the bite times for my area?

Check out the Fishing Website Bite Times here.

Here you can instantly access the Bite Times – all you have to do is choose your planned fishing date and move the anchor on the chart to your fishing destination. The page also shows the weather and has links to the latest fishing reports from around New Zealand. Too easy!  

In conclusion

Perhaps the best piece of advice is to simply go fishing when you can. However, it definitely pays to keep bite times in mind, and if you notice some patterns at your regular haunts, you can add them to your list of factors that will increase your chances of having a great day.

- NZ Fishing News