About Best Days to Fish
Your free fishing forecast powered by science
Our Mission
Best Days to Fish was created to help anglers make the most of their time on the water. We believe that understanding when to fish is just as important as knowing where and how.
By combining proven solunar theory with modern weather data, we provide accurate, location-specific fishing forecasts that help you plan trips when fish are most likely to be active and feeding.
What We Do
Solunar Predictions
We calculate major and minor feeding periods based on the moon's position relative to your location, using the same solunar theory trusted by anglers for nearly a century.
Moon Phase Analysis
New and full moon phases create stronger gravitational effects that increase fish activity. We factor moon phase into every forecast to identify peak fishing windows.
Pressure Tracking
Barometric pressure changes significantly affect fish behavior. We monitor pressure trends to identify when fish are most likely to feed aggressively, especially before weather fronts.
Tide Integration
For coastal locations, we include NOAA tide predictions. Moving water concentrates baitfish and triggers predator feeding, making tide timing crucial for saltwater success.
The Science Behind Our Forecasts
Our fishing forecasts are built on solunar theory, developed by John Alden Knight in 1926. After analyzing over 200 record catches, Knight discovered that fish feeding activity correlates strongly with the position of the moon.
When the moon is directly overhead (lunar transit) or directly underfoot (opposing lunar transit), fish enter major feeding periods lasting 2-3 hours. During moonrise and moonset, minor feeding periods occur, lasting 1-2 hours.
While solunar timing can help optimize when to fish, peer-reviewed fisheries research identifies water temperature as one of the strongest catchability drivers (alongside light, current, and prey density). Key sources include Stoner (2004) in Journal of Fish Biology, which found these four variables capable of order-of-magnitude CPUE variation; Shaw, Renik & Sass (2021) in PLOS ONE, a 12-year compulsory creel study at Escanaba Lake showing species-specific effects of weather, light, lunar, and angler variables on walleye and muskellunge catch; and Quigley et al. (2023) in SN Applied Sciences, a single-angler Utah trout study (361 trips) that found no significant relationship between solunar tables and catch rates while ambient air temperature did predict CPUE. That is why water temperature carries the highest weight in our algorithm.
We enhance traditional solunar predictions with modern weather data, including:
- Barometric pressure. Fish sense pressure changes through their swim bladders and often feed heavily before storms.
- Wind speed and direction. Light winds create ideal surface conditions while heavy winds can make fishing difficult.
- Cloud cover. Overcast skies often improve fishing as fish feel more secure in low light.
- Temperature. Air and water temperature affect fish metabolism and activity levels.
- Water temperature. The primary driver, controlling fish metabolism, feeding intensity, and seasonal behavior patterns.
- Precipitation. Light rain can improve fishing while heavy storms typically shut it down.
Each factor is weighted based on its relative importance, with adjustments for coastal versus freshwater locations. The result is a comprehensive A+ to F grade that tells you at a glance how good the fishing conditions are.
Why It's Free
We believe every angler deserves access to quality fishing forecasts, regardless of budget. Best Days to Fish is completely free to use with no account required, no ads, and no premium tiers.
Our forecasts use publicly available data from trusted sources including NOAA, USGS, and Open-Meteo. We're passionate anglers ourselves, and we built this tool because we wanted something better than what was available.
What Makes Our Forecast Different
We built this tool to fix what most fishing forecasts get wrong. Four things set our scoring apart:
- ✓Peer-reviewed methodology. Our factor weights are informed by published fisheries research (Stoner 2004 in Journal of Fish Biology, Shaw, Renik & Sass 2021 in PLOS ONE, Quigley et al. 2023 in SN Applied Sciences) rather than 1920s folklore.
- ✓Transparent weights. Every one of our 12 factors shows its exact percentage of the score. Most fishing forecasts treat their formula as proprietary.
- ✓Water-quality data competitors skip. We pull real-time dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and streamflow rate-of-change from USGS plus air quality from EPA AirNow (inputs that don't appear in typical solunar or weather-only apps).
- ✓Solunar in proportion. The most recent peer-reviewed test of popular solunar tables (Quigley et al. 2023, 361 single-angler Utah trout trips) found no significant relationship with catch rates. We include solunar as a small 3% factor (not the primary driver) and let water, weather, and pressure carry the score.
Features
Our Data Sources
We aggregate data from trusted government agencies and open data providers:
NOAA Tides & Currents
Official U.S. tide predictions
USGS Water Services
Real-time water temperature, streamflow with rate-of-change, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity
Open-Meteo
Weather forecasts and pressure data
NOAA NDBC
Ocean buoy data for coastal temps
EPA AirNow
Air quality index for health advisories
Our use of real-time dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and streamflow rate-of-change is unusual for a fishing forecast. Most rely on weather data alone. See the full data source list →
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