Fish secrets revealed!

Do fish feed better with more current and is a full moon all that bad for fishing?
Scientists are studying some of the old fishing folklore and other aspects of fish behaviour thanks to a $300,000 government grant.

Over the next three years researchers at the University of Auckland will study fish behaviour and establish a better understanding of what makes fish tick. A $300,000 grant will fund the research and already there has been some interesting observations.

* One of the factors controlling fishes appetite is the amount of light.
* Fish feed most voraciously for a short time after sunset.
* Night is too dark for visual feeding but fish can feed by vibration and smell.
* Full moon can provide some light for fish to feed so fishing should be better on days when there has been good cloud cover the night before or in periods of new moon.
* Current is also an important factor in feeding and fish tend to move upcurrent towards smell or scent to look for the food source.
* Fish can sense low frequencies but are unlikely to hear the high frequencies of vibrating lures.