Solunar theory

Solunar theory

Fish bite calendar
Fish bite calendar

Solunar theory is a hypothesis , that fish and other animals move according to the moon's position in relation to their bodies. The theory was founded in 1926 by John Alden Knight, but it is said, that it was used by hunters and fishermen long before that, before it was published.

In May 1926 John Alden Knight has collected some fishing folklore and other fishing-related factors, such as the sun and moon, hence the name Solunar (Sun and Moon from the Moon), to create a theory on animal movement patterns. Knight has compiled a list of factors, which control or affect the daily behaviour of many freshwater and marine fish. Each one is included 33 various factors. All but one of the 3 were rejected. The three factors preserved are the sun, moon and tide . In the case of saltwater fishing, tides have long been known as a factor controlling the behaviour of fish. As knight's research progressed, he discovered, that the decisive factor may be the relationship of the moon and the sun to each other, and not just the tides themselves. In addition to the moon rise time – moonset, his research has shown, that there were intermediate times of day between the two main periods. On this basis, it shall determine the, that there were main periods (moon rise – moonset) and smaller periods. Knight published the first calendar of 1936 year.

Bite calendar, which fishermen and hunters use to determine the best days of the month and times of day for fishing and game hunting. Knowledge of tidal time, sunrise and sunset helps fishermen predict, when the fish are going to catch. For hunters, tides are not a factor. Hunters use the sun and moon alignment to determine, when the game will move the most. Other conditions are not unfavorable, the fish will feed, land animals will move, birds will sing and fly from place to place, in theory, all living things will become more active, more alive, during solar periods than in other periods of apparently equal value. “…anglers have discovered, that is a guide to the best fishing of each day, and the quality of their sport has improved…” Using these calendars, the angler and the hunter can tell, when is sunrise and when is the moon sunset. The strongest activity occurs, when the moon is full or new, and the weakest, when there is a quarter or three quarters of the moon. This is why, that the combined gravitational force of the moon and the sun is the strongest, when both are directly above or directly below our heads. Humans now have access to better lunar data thanks to improved technology, which is used by the United States Naval Observatory, and also thanks to the availability and improvement of GPS technology. These new technologies have allowed the solar theory to generate hunting and fishing times with much greater precision. Please note, that data in bite calendars on various websites should be periodically verified with available US Naval Observatory data, as well as compared with other reputable solar data providers. Inconsistencies abound due to the complex nature of astrophysical computations and the overlooked anomalies-checking associated with them., which are required to obtain useful results. Moon Transits, that are not present for more than one day, or associated times that are shifted by more than a few minutes, indicate a fundamental problem for the item and should be suspect.