My Solunar app gave today a 16%/Poor rating. So, I tied on a fluke last night and finessed ten bass into my canoe, reasoning that bass not wanting to gorge might be teased into snacking with something small and slow. Speaking of small, the first bass was small:

 

 

The next bass was big:

 

 

I caught a couple solid ones:

 

 

Then I fished this weed bed:

 

 

Here's a weed bed bass:

 

 

It was time to paddle home, so I trolled with a blue, T-rigged crawdad on the way, not having much hope, for trolling is no longer working. Well, it worked! Another big one:

 

 

I cast back to where I caught the bass above and caught two more:

 

 

I caught 15 in all, giving me a running total of 1,212 for 2025. It was a good morning for a 16% rating. This weekend is rated Excellent to Great. Fingers crossed!

 

Here's one of my bass on the bump board where you can see how they're fattening for winter:

 

 

#flatbassarewhack

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

My Solunar app gave today a 16%/Poor rating.

I gave up on that jazz about 6 years ago. Too many "poor" days were bonanzas, and too many "ideal" days were disasters. I focus on other factors to guide me which have been far more reliable.

14 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

I gave up on that jazz about 6 years ago. Too many "poor" days were bonanzas, and too many "ideal" days were disasters. I focus on other factors to guide me which have been far more reliable.

 

Thanks for opining, PhishLI. My jury is still out. 

3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I caught 15 in all, giving me a running total of 1,212 for 2025. It was a good morning for a 16% rating. This weekend is rated Excellent to Great. Fingers crossed!

 

If my math is correct, and success correlates in a linear fashion, if you managed 15 bass on a 16% day, you should be able to land almost 94 bass on a 100% day  Gotta' love those solunar tables...

As far as i have ever been able to tell, solunar tables are essentially a fishing horoscope, with about the same validity. 

2 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

As far as i have ever been able to tell, solunar tables are essentially a fishing horoscope, with about the same validity. 

 

I'm still open to the possibility. I know several of you note the moon's position when fishing. Isn't a solunar table just a more formal noting of the moon (and Sun)?

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

I know several of you note the moon's position when fishing.

Around here in these super shallow spots where I fish, a guaranteed surefire low percentage play is to fish under a bright moon when there's no ripple caused by wind. Every fish in the lake goes on lockdown. You won't even see a gill pop the surface for bugs. It's as if they're all in a coma or have been transported to a different dimension.

 

Besides that, I don't care what the moon is doing especially after fishing hundreds of days throughout a fishable season here over and over again. The real trick, which comes down to good fortune, is always the same and that's managing to be there during a hot bite window.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

I know several of you note the moon's position when fishing.

@Catt got me paying closer attention to the moons position, especially once I started muskie fishing, and I'm convinced it's a factor. Some days more than others it seems. IMO whoever named the major "moon overhead, or underfoot" , and minor "rise or set", got it bassackwards. Rise and set seem to have a bigger effect on the fish IME.

Did a 6 day solo camping/fishing trip on the Delaware River in New Jersey.

 Set up base camp and by the time I was done had about a hr to fish from shore, wound up with 3 Smallmouths and 1 chub, one smallie was a good river fish.

 Next day launched about 4 miles north of the campsite,  and it was tough, took must of the day to find what they wanted , it was a ned rig bounced on the bottom in 10 feet of water. Wound up with 8 smallmouth.

 Following day fished the campsite launch, same thing with the ned rig, wound up with 18 smallmouth and one walleye, biggest smallmouth was 17 inches. Pretty much had to be on the outside edge of the eel grass in 6-8’.

 Changed it up and took a break from fishing the river current and drove a ½ hr to a reservoir I’ve never done well at, and got one largemouth and a 18 inch rainbow.

 Day after that went back to the northern launch, it started out real slow and talked to a couple of guys on boats and they weren’t doing anything.

I had one, moved around and hit another spot and got a tank river smallmouth at 17”,after that got another 13 there until a boat came by at wot and that was it.

 Last day launched at the campsite launch and it was a grind, had wind against the current so it was hard to keep in position.

 I kept at it and managed to get 15 smallmouth and one walleye.

River clarity was 8’, saw Eagles, Kingfishers, otter and a Blue Tailed Skink.

Weather was perfect for camping and kayaking, though I was beat when I got home.

@T-Billy - agree.

 

For me it’s all about the forage and how it relates to the moon in shallow water during different times of year.  To me it’s just another thing to take into consideration but kinda like bait color - it’s low on my list most of the time - but there are a few days every month where it can be a big factor.

Started off VERY slow this morning. Couldn't get a bite no matter what i tossed, even went to bluegill fishing for a bit and even they had lockjaw. Finally cracked the code an hour and a half later, got two nice bites but missed the hooksets, then finally hooked the 2 lb bass-- which i think was the same one I had missed. Few minutes later I catch a nice size catfish and possibly the derpiest looking fish i think I've seen-- not sure anything was going on in that noggin, or perhaps it was smug and proud of getting me wet and muddy.

 

Pink T is still undefeated.

2 minutes ago, BluegillsTightlines said:

 

 

 

 

I need to crop this photo and make it my screensaver 🤣😆 Thank you for making me laugh out loud 😉

Smallies & smiles at sunset last night ~

A-Jay

 

@A-Jay, yes! At long last !!!

Took the kayak for my first float since last week of August and it was a great run. Went to the hog trough today though, should’ve been an indicator when my first fish to hand was 20+. Ended up with 11 keepers and the usual few non photographed dinkers. I had seven 14-16” fish and four 19-20+” today. Did my usual midday and as often, the fish up was better then the fish down. I prefer up anyways as I can glide and slide in quietly.
 

Got fish on jigs, T rigged creature bait and of course, stinkos. Senkos took most; jigs took biggest overall and two of the four larger fish. So happy I can run them here and there again! Last two big fish were back to back on senkos. On one, my line was draped over some strands of grass on shore as I was fishing the bank(big bass been marauding this shoreline in low light) and when I saw my line pop, I watched for the slack to start pulling through the grass lol Man I like fooling these big bass, they’re not easy at all

 

On 9/17/2025 at 2:01 PM, Swamp Girl said:

I'm still open to the possibility. I know several of you note the moon's position when fishing. Isn't a solunar table just a more formal noting of the moon (and Sun)?

"The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't."

Patrick McManus

Best bite was on a fluke and a snagless sally slow rolled over a shallow weed flat.

I got more problems than a pregnant nun but fishing solves all of them!

Al, that first bass is HUGE! Big head. Broad back. Bulging belly. Like Marilyn Monroe, she's curving in all the right places.

 

Sorry to read about your problems. 

 

Thanks for the pretty shot. I like to see where bass are being caught. Those look like pilings. Are they? Or fence posts? Or just trees?

2 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Al, that first bass is HUGE! Big head. Broad back. Bulging belly. Like Marilyn Monroe, she's curving in all the right places.

 

Sorry to read about your problems. 

 

Thanks for the pretty shot. I like to see where bass are being caught. Those look like pilings. Are they? Or fence posts? Or just trees?

Katie, it was another great day fishing!  Those are some of the abundant timber in this lake, many with Chicken of the Woods mushrooms!  

Any problem I have is petty compared to others in this world, after all, I'm still chunkin and windin!!!

Al, I often reflect on how you and I were born into the sweet spot in human history. We didn't die in our early thirties. We didn't have to dig peat in a bog to heat our hovels. Instead, we're a codger and a crone catching bass in bogs!

4 hours ago, Lottabass said:

snagless sally

Haven't heard that one in years! Love those old baits still producing. I've got a couple still in package.

Lake Hartwell is only 45 minutes from my house, but it’s always just been “so-so” for me. Instead, I have made the 2 hour and 15 minute drive to Lake Lanier 3 times over the last month. It’s definitely been worth the extra drive time. I caught both spots and largemouth on topwater today in 40 feet of water in the middle of a sunny day.  Never did that in Minnesota…
 

Plus, I camp out on a point with a million dollar view 👍

I used to follow the solunar tables too, especially for muskie fishing. I quit doing it when I stopped catching muskies with any regularity years ago. I’m convinced by my own failures that they don’t matter anymore.

 

Never paid attention to them while bass fishing. Local conditions outweigh it for me.