Solunar theory
Solunar Fishing Times: Major and Minor Periods
A solunar table says when fish are most likely to feed, based on where the moon and sun are. This page explains how to read one, shows today’s periods as a worked example, and is straight with you about how much the moon really predicts.
Today’s periods, as an example
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. Times are Central, measured at the geographic centre of the US, and shift roughly an hour for every 15 degrees of longitude.
How to read a solunar table
Major periods
Roughly two hours, centred on the moon being directly overhead or directly underfoot. These are the windows worth arranging a trip around.
Minor periods
About an hour, at moonrise and moonset. Shorter and weaker, but useful when a major lands at an hour you cannot fish.
Most days have two majors and two minors. A day with only one of either is not an error: the moon transits about every 12 hours and 25 minutes, so one of a pair can fall just past local midnight. Dawn and dusk often overlap a period, and where they do the two effects reinforce each other.
How much should you trust these times?
Less than most solunar tables imply. The theory dates from 1926, and the research since has repeatedly found the moon to be a weak predictor of catch rate next to water temperature. We weight solunar timing at 3 percent of a score and moon phase at 1 percent, against 23 percent for water temperature.
That is not a reason to ignore feeding windows. It is a reason to use them for deciding which hours to fish, after something else has told you which day is worth going at all.
This page rates lunar timing only, which is why it publishes no letter grade. Moon and sun are the same everywhere in the country; water temperature is not, and it is the factor that moves a grade most. The evidence in full covers the theory’s origins and the studies that tested it. How we score has the complete weighting.
Feeding periods this week
2 minor
2 minor
2 minor
2 minor
2 minor
2 minor
2 minor
Want the daily verdict rather than the table? See whether today is a good day to fish.
Common questions
What is a solunar table?
A solunar table predicts when fish are most likely to feed, using the positions of the moon and sun. It marks two kinds of window. Major periods run roughly two hours around the moon being directly overhead or directly underfoot. Minor periods are shorter and fall around moonrise and moonset.
What is the difference between a major and a minor period?
Major periods are longer, usually about two hours, and happen when the moon is overhead or underfoot. Minor periods are usually about one hour and happen at moonrise and moonset. There are normally two majors and two minors in a day, though a day can legitimately have only one of either, because the moon transits roughly every 12 hours and 25 minutes and one of a pair can fall just past local midnight.
Do solunar tables actually work?
The effect is small and hard to separate from other factors, which is why solunar timing counts for 3 percent of our score and moon phase for 1 percent, against 23 percent for water temperature. Feeding windows are worth planning your hours around once you have already picked a good day. They are not worth driving to a lake that is too warm or too cold for the fish you want. Our solunar theory article walks through the studies behind that conclusion.
What is the best moon phase for fishing?
New and full moons produce the strongest tidal movement and the most pronounced feeding windows, so they are the traditional answer. In our scoring the difference is real but small, worth 1 percent of the total. A new moon on a day with the wrong water temperature still scores worse than a quarter moon on a good one.
Why do these times say Central?
Solunar timing depends on longitude, so a table with no location has to pick a point. This page uses the geographic centre of the contiguous United States, which sits in Central time, so the error is symmetric across the country. Times shift roughly an hour for every 15 degrees of longitude. Enter a location on the homepage to get periods calculated for where you actually fish.
Get periods for where you fish
Enter a location and these times are recalculated for your longitude, alongside water temperature from the nearest gauge, weather, pressure trend and tides.