There's always a debate among fishermen about when to fish on an approaching new or full moon. Some say a few days before, some say a few days after, some say never on the moon. And others say never on a full moon because the light just messes things up.
Our super Blue Moon arrived last night and into today. It's the biggest super moon of the year. The blue moon has nothing to do with color but the timing of the moons with the months. A blue moon is when there are two full moons in the same month or a third full moon in a season that four full moons. Any super moon that occurs during the year is one that is closer to the earth so it appears bigger and brighter. Moon phases affect tides. So a new or full moon, and if it's a super moon, means high highs and low lows, that why a moon tide with a high tide and storm or Hurricane like Idlaia or Franklin can be so dangerous. I would say Sandy, but can't remember if it was a hurricane or what they call a superstorm.
After heading down south to look at a new ride I headed east to fish the top of the moon. I was met in the parking lot by two good old buds who were coming off the flip from incoming to outgoing. The moon and tide were up, like up, like really up. It was good catching up with them and it was good because I was just so early on the outgoing so some stall time worked out well.
As we finished the line, "I don't think it's happening tonight", kinda put a damper on my brain but I was able to sneak down as Theresa is pulling a 3-11 shift and the dogs were good. I haven't been in waders for a bit so I was looking forward to that. Plus, on the moon or not, you never know, and if you don't go you won't experience it.
The bait is usual for this time of year. Lots of silversides and a strong showing of peanut bunker. I'm not sure if the mullet are holding deep in the back of the bays and rivers or is it just that our mullet runs are a thing of a past or in some here today gone tomorrow cycle.
When the water started to move the bait did as well and small bluefish were slashing through the bait. Every now and then I would see or hear something which I think were bass blowing up. It was kinda like that bank eater brown trout that rises every now and again, not set up in a lane or in an eating rhythm. That can be frustrating if you are a cast to the splash fly angler. I've been sucked into it, and still am from time to time.
I fished for four hours ending after midnight. I could have stayed for dead low and the flip but I was tired and not seeing anything impressive over that half a shift couldn't convince me to stay. Throughout the night I could feel the water seeping into my waders. Now these are old, way past past their service life, but it's what I have left in boot foots until my new Orvis rides arrive, which should be soon.
When I arrived home about 2 am I looked up and could see the moon a little more clearly than I had while standing in the water. There was a distinct halo around it. A little further reading on the Scientific American website laid it all down. The halo is formed by ice crystals high in the earth's atmosphere. I'm not that smart to know the points I made about this moon and a moon's halo. The next Super Blue Moon won't be overhead until 2037 so I hope you get out to see it. 2037, I'll be 69 years old, if I make it that far.
