Fishing Forum

Maybe I should have checked the fishing solunar charts for today, but I didn't 'til I got home....it was 'Spot On' today, at least for us and 3 other boaters we got to talk to after pulling up the ramp....charts said 'bad day' for catching (Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Fri) one guy just said "terrible", another (3 in boat) said they got 5 cutts and 1 koke...2 of us did get the usual cutts, but even that was half of what we usually catch...and my buddy got one, 14" koke keeper...I had a nicer koke on for about 15 seconds, and he was gone....lines in water 0630, water calm 'til about 1115, then pretty rough, and we were off by 1145....I'm guessing only 20 to 30 boats out on the lake, and spread all over, never bunched up -- probably 'cuz we were all searching for active fish....lots of fish showing 35 to 45' down, and they just didn't care that we were offering all sorts of goodies....they just didn't want to play today....that's fishing...I'll be back again next week...hoping the stars and moon and everything else will line up a little better....Guluk...

Not sure I put much faith in the sonar charts.  Looking at one of the charts, it shows that 7/23/20 will be as slow as it gets.  Randy and I caught 131 cutthroats, at Strawberry, on that day.

Hey Kent -- not sure what chart you have, but the Game and Fish (West) magazine that I have, says July 23 was a "Best" day...sounds like you and Randy proved them right for that day....I don't put a lot of store in the charts, I try to go when I can, or a day a buddy can go...sometimes the charts are right, but not always....One of our proficient kokanee fishermen on this site, who Likes to Troll at Strawberry, recently posted that his boat did very well early on Monday, saying the best bite was done by 0700....looking at my same chart for that day, ("Fair day" in the middle of 7 "Poor" days), the best listed A.M. bite time was 0518 to 0718....Coincidence? I don't know, but sure appeared to be correct for him that day/time....I'll check the charts once in awhile, sometimes before I go, sometimes after....but I know the charts aren't the only contributing factor to a good/not so good fishing day...

I rarely use any type of chart. I just happened to Google one after reading your post. This is the one I checked:

https://www.solunarforecast.com/hunting_...heber_city

I fished yesterday solo and found it pretty slow. Did manage my limit of 4 kokes (took all day one at a time). One was really nice 21". The others were average. They are just starting to turn - the big one was starting to "hook jaw" and all showed slight signs of pink to their skin.
Today (Thursday) however was even slower. No kokes and about 10 cutts.

A long time ago I use to keep fishing logs, and they taught me a lot.  I also compared the Solunar charts to my results.  I would have had a better comparison using the old "magic 8 ball".  I got older, grew up, and stopped using Solunar charts except for tidal fisheries.

I remember reading a great article, maybe it was "In-Fisherman", maybe "Field and Stream", but it suggested that changes in fresh water due to sun and moon phases had little to do with fishing results; far more impact to fishing was from weather changes, fishing pressure, local power generation, flooding, water releases, etc., etc.  The same article did indicate that the tidal impact in the Oceans were clearly an impact.  Consider that the tidal impact on Lake Superior is less than 1/4", and that the great lakes are considered Non-Tidal.  

I was in my 20's when I read that article, and I believe it more today than I did then.  Please be assured that there is no tidal impact, no Solunar impact, to Willard Bay, Strawberry, or Utah Lake.

So, what happens when the charts seem to be correct?  I believe it is dumb luck, just like when they seem to be wrong it is dumb bad luck.  

Now, give me recent weather conditions, give me water temperatures, give me water clarity, give me local conditions, give me the species, well I just might be able to do OK.

Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and to some a Solunar Table, one of the dozen of different ones, based on someones proprietary algorithm, is almost a "scripture".  But, for me, it is like reading tea leaves, and I don't do well reading tea leaves either.

I will say this much, Covid-19 has put more pressure on fish this year than 10 fishing tournaments in a row.  If you were able to catch fish last year, it may be that the fish you were on have moved, or simply caught out.  I have not fished the Berry lately, but I am pretty sure the reported slow down is due to the extreme pressure this year.  On the other hand, some have found fish, lots of them, so........ 

Einstein once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  

I'm with AA (AnglinArcher).  Any resemblance between "so looney" tables forecasts and actual fishing success is purely coincidental.  It is ridiculous to believe that generalized projections of any sort will be universally applicable to all waters everywhere.  From north to south and east to west there are going to be vastly different seasonal variations, weather patterns, water conditions, food availability situations, fish migration and spawning conditions, angler pressure and boat traffic factors that will have far greater impact on the fish du jour. 

We all believe what we want to believe...to suit our own opinions and desires.  So if your horoscope says you are a great person and will have a good day...you gotta believe it.  If your chosen religion gives you all the answers you seek regarding a way of life and life after death then you embrace that religion...and will fight to the death to defend it against non-believers.  If the so looney tables just happen to get it right for one of your trips, you look to them religiously before all future trips.  And if subsequent projections are off a bit, you can find your own excuses for the minor glitches.  After all, they got it right ONCE.  Right?

We fisherfolk are eternal (infernal) optimists.  Why else would we invest so much time and money into subjecting ourselves to loss of sleep, punishing cold or heat, long debilitating journeys, etc.?  Our tackle supplies reflect our mindless belief in the advertising claims of all the tackle manufacturers...who often design stuff more to catch fishermen than fish.  If I hadn't stayed in school long enough to know that it was Jonathan Swift, I would suspect that it was some silly fisherman who wrote "Gullible's Travels".  Or was that Gulliver's Travels?