Solunar Tables

[Skidsteer]

Never paid much attention to them, but I've seen a number of reports here saying the fishing was hot at the same time the table predicted.

Help me get up to speed on this - link, background information, uses, etc.

Thanks.

[MetroMan]

check out www.tides4fishing.com

[Frogsauce]

That link from MetroMan is a good guide. I have found, and my logs reflect, a large tide swing is typically good. But drastic changes in air pressure are better. The pressure swings are the key indicator for me. Of the last 63 times that I went out since switching to trolling around mid-August, I caught an average of 9 fish per trip when pressure was changing. As opposed to 4 fish per trip when pressure was steady. Counting only bluefish and striped bass of course. I'm not sure what drives spot/croaker yet. Probably them just being in the area is good enough.

[Skidsteer]

Thanks for all the info - very helpful.

[JAR]

That link from MetroMan is a good guide. I have found, and my logs reflect, a large tide swing is typically good. But drastic changes in air pressure are better. The pressure swings are the key indicator for me. Of the last 63 times that I went out since switching to trolling around mid-August, I caught an average of 9 fish per trip when pressure was changing. As opposed to 4 fish per trip when pressure was steady. Counting only bluefish and striped bass of course. I'm not sure what drives spot/croaker yet. Probably them just being in the area is good enough.

Do your results favor a positive or negative pressure change or a mix of both? Are you finding any consistency with the accuracy of the barometer scale given on this site? I've been comparing this site with my logs for the past 2 years and find negative changes in air pressure to work best for me. The scale appears to be accurate as well. Thanks.

[DOGFISH]

http://www.usprimetimes.com/ Solunar tables

[Frogsauce]

It is a mix of pos and neg. But now that you mention it, neg has a slightly better result. But both pos and neg are so much better than no change that I wouldn't go out of my way to favor one over the other.

[Frogsauce]

Today was a good example of pressure > tides and solunar. If you look at solunar tables, it says crap fishing from 4-6pm today. But if you look at the pressure, it's a significant change during those times. I caught about 10 20"+ rock during those 2 hours and several smalls all in less than 4 ft of water up by North Beach/Herrington Harbor.

[JAR]

Well according to many anglers, rockfish are in decline (along with everything else). Makes me wonder if today's technology and "know how" has made the solunar table theory obsolete.

Best bet is to keep an ongoing log and see what appears to work best for you and the locations you frequent. It won't be down to a "T" but if you look hard enough you'll find patterns that will give you a better understanding of how fish feed at your spots.

[rob-kayak]

Well according to many anglers, rockfish are in decline (along with everything else). Makes me wonder if today's technology and "know how" has made the solunar table theory obsolete.

I doubt the Solunar tables will ever be obsolete... Fish in decline... well... I piss off enough people then go into the debate about what they should do about that...

Best bet is to keep an ongoing log and see what appears to work best for you and the locations you frequent. It won't be down to a "T" but if you look hard enough you'll find patterns that will give you a better understanding of how fish feed at your spots.

Spot on there... but ya' just never know when you go out against all the "what's supposed to happen" and you catch fish.
Call it dumb luck... or just what a fun day !

[Frogsauce]

Don't confuse people, low pressure is not always rain. It often brings those great overcast days, but not always rain.

Like I said, I only got 63 trips that are all comparable (light tackle trolling in specific depths at specific speeds during the same time of day). 144 total trips, but there are variations to the other 81 so I can't use them as a comparison. If you study a place long enough, you can eventually work in the patterns. 63 is probably not enough for where I am, but the data has proven useful so far.

Ask a real fisherman what he thinks of solunar tables. They are a general guide at best, and results vary greatly by location. Like JAR said, your own logs of an area are the only thing you can reliably use to predict patterns for your own fishing.

I record everything I can about the conditions during trip by downloading the bouy data into a spreadsheet once the trip is done and compare it all to my local data for consistency. Then each catch gets marked on the GPS. A GPS/sounder combo that you can scroll back and screenshot makes this easier. Once it's all in a spreadsheet, it's easier to look at it and discover patterns that may not be as apparent otherwise.

[JAR]

Spot on there... but ya' just never know when you go out against all the "what's supposed to happen" and you catch fish. Call it dumb luck... or just what a fun day !

I got a chuckle out of this. My fishing mentor who probably forgot more about fishing than I'll ever know, without fail always calls it DAL... dumb ___ luck!

[JAR]

Don't confuse people, low pressure is not always rain. It often brings those great overcast days, but not always rain.

Like I said, I only got 63 trips that are all comparable (light tackle trolling in specific depths at specific speeds during the same time of day). 144 total trips, but there are variations to the other 81 so I can't use them as a comparison. If you study a place long enough, you can eventually work in the patterns. 63 is probably not enough for where I am, but the data has proven useful so far.

Ask a real fisherman what he thinks of solunar tables. They are a general guide at best, and results vary greatly by location. Like JAR said, your own logs of an area are the only thing you can reliably use to predict patterns for your own fishing.

I record everything I can about the conditions during trip by downloading the bouy data into a spreadsheet once the trip is done and compare it all to my local data for consistency. Then each catch gets marked on the GPS. A GPS/sounder combo that you can scroll back and screenshot makes this easier. Once it's all in a spreadsheet, it's easier to look at it and discover patterns that may not be as apparent otherwise.

This is a really good post and shows how important the prep we do off the water is. Also the obsession doesn't end after we put our gear away for the day. I'd love to see what your log books look like for those 144 trips, definitely some hard earned data.

[rob-kayak]

Don't confuse people, low pressure is not always rain.

Cool.. I deleted the posts so nobody gets confused.

And I totally agree with you guys about keeping logs.
And the "show prep." Just the last time I mentioned about "pouring" over charts, gps recording,
tides etc... I got ridiculed. I like to do it...

[zaaabay]

Don't confuse people, low pressure is not always rain.

I don't think Rob was saying "always" rain by the simple inclusion of the equal sign in the post.
Rain = .....

But merely something like this...
http://atmo.tamu.edu/weather-and-cli...essure-systems
"Q: So does a low pressure system mean bad weather?

A: Generally, the answer is yes, McRoberts adds. "Areas of low pressure tend to be very cloudy and often contain rain or thunderstorms. Likewise, areas of high pressure are usually associated with clear and sunny weather. High pressure is the direct opposite of a low pressure system. It is an area where the air's pressure is higher than the pressure in the surrounding area. So usually, high pressure means good weather and low pressure means rainy or stormy weather." "


I sure wan't

Confused....

and of course... Keeping logs is cool... and I love dumb luck :-)