When I do a lot of night fishing I'm constantly paying attention to the moon phase. Partly due to convenience, since a little moonlight makes it easier for us humans to see. But I it also can be treated like the sun. Moonrise and moonset create shadows fish can use to ambush prey, and a full moon on a clear lake can shut down some aggressive fish, especially if there's no wind.

On the other hand during the day I admit I've long ago stopped paying attention to the moon. But maybe I shouldn't. I queried some old fish records and this is what came out.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/7125-moon.gif

I like to look at the "Pounds of fish" row, since it leans more towards fish over 10 pounds. (FWIW, 1,134 fish, avg. weight 9.3lbs)

Is it a coincidence that the two best days are the first and third quarters, and that the full is tied for third? What's going on with the new moon. It's almost half as bad as the second worst day.

It's certainly possible that the quarter moons are best. Bill Murphy listed the two quarters as the best time to fish in his book. What do you think?