MOON OVER
BASS COUNTRY
Ask a pro angler for a the-
ory on the moon’s impact on
bass behavior, and you’ll get
one. You can bet on it.
So powerful is the allure of
the moon that it can’t be
ignored when preparing for a
tournament, particularly when
a full moon falls within the
range of spawning season. Of
course, there is scant scientif-
ic evidence to back up the
connection.
Science, or lack thereof,
has never stopped folks from
exercising a good moon theo-
ry anyway. Nor does it stop
FLW from publishing the
Solunar Tables, which some
readers still study when trying
to determine the good, better
and best times to be on the
water or in the woods based
on the moon phase.
By all means, use whatever
litmus test you require to
decide when to go fishing, but
probably the most productive
advice is the old saw that says
the best time to go fishing is
anytime you can. That’s espe-
cially true in winter if you live
in Levi Christianson’s part of
the country. Christianson,
shown here fishing under the
moon at the Lake Okeechobee
Costa FLW Series event on Jan.
4 (just a couple days after the
full moon, actually), hails from
Sioux Falls, S.D. Despite the
favorable moon that, accord-
ing to many pros, had pushed
a wave of spawning fish into
the mats, Christianson failed
to weigh in a fish, proving
(depending on whom you ask)
that a full moon is pretty to
look at, but bass-catching suc-
cess follows its own schedule.
PHOTO BY MATT PACE
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