Fish have eat, so is there a “best” time to go fishing?
This question has always been of interest to me and how it relates to kokanee fishing. In the past, I have always said (and will continue to say) that the best time to go fishing is when we have the time to go. However, over the last couple years I have talked to more than a few people on the ice and they have brought up the lunar tables as a reason why the fishing was either good or bad. This morning, I decided to do a quick Google search and learn about the lunar tables over a cup of coffee and a hot meal.
I was thankful this morning when Sarah woke up with us. Normally, we hurry out of the house with peanut butter toast sandwiches for breakfast and a hot cup of coffee for the road. When Sarah surprised us and cooked us breakfast, I was happy to spend the morning with her as we sat at the table eating a hearty breakfast of air fried sausages and scrambled eggs with cheese. It was just the start to the day that was needed and I am grateful to have had a hot meal before Austin and I headed off to Ten Mile Lake, where the relentless wind kept us in the tent for most of the morning.
Unfortunately, I need to learn more about the lunar tables. One quick morning of research will not do the tables any justice. I need to learn how to read them better. While they might not be accurate all the time, I believe we can learn from them and how the gravitational pull of the moon has a correlation to productive kokanee fishing. Of course, we need to consider weather and time day as equal variables in the equation. I am starting to wonder how much of a role the tables play in predicting a productive day of fishing.
Austin and I arrived slightly later than I had originally planned, but time was on our side. Sarah and Ethan were going to meet us at lunch time with a hot lunch and were coming for the afternoon bite (or so we thought). After carefully choosing a new to us location, we setup the tent quickly to help shield us from the wind blowing in from the south. It always amazes me at the difference a tent makes just by stopping the wind from stealing what heat I have left as soon as I stop moving.
Today, was also a test day for our new auger blades that I put on our 8 inch Eskimo Ice auger. While the blades cut nicely, I still prefer cutting with my 4 inch Mora ice auger. A smaller diameter manual auger is definitely a bonus when drilling multiple holes for family members. I also like being able to step on the 4 inch hole which effectively blocks the exit for a fish flopping around on the ice. The 4 inch hole also forces the fish to swim up and out onto the ice. The downside of the smaller hole is getting the fish into the hole as it thrashes around under the ice. The best part of the larger hole was having the ability to sight fish more freely. We also did not loose any fish at the hole, because we were able to direct them up and out easily. The worse part was drilling the larger holes by hand (which was exhausting for someone out of shape like myself) and having a larger hole to walk over, while having the fear of dropping something into it.
We started fishing at 9am and also started questioning why we had not slept in after the first two hours had past. We had only marked one fish at 30ft and then we caught nothing until just before 11am. Austin managed to catch 1 nice rainbow while eating his rice crispy square snack. We marked it at the bottom while he had his line hanging there. I told him to give his rod a quick jig and the fish could not pass up his offering.
Finally, the fish started arriving around 11am. I couldn’t believe the size of the schools that showed up from their journey around then lake. We were on our toes for at least 15 minutes and as soon as they arrived, they were gone. Now, one thing was different time. We both got our limit during that 15 minutes!
We could not believe what had just happened. We have had fast limits before, but not like this. Thankfully, we caught the experience on camera and I am excited to share our video and experience soon. I learned that careful planning on plier placement and leaving the mealworm jar open next time might help shave some seconds, or minutes off our best limit time record.
After a couple photos we called Sarah and Ethan to find out where they were. Since they were on their way, we decided to hang out outside and chat with Nick and some other anglers close by. It was great to see you out there Nick. If anyone needs a lesson on kokanee fishing, or how to fish outside, in the wind, with no ice tent, Nick is the guy to talk to. I learned that bringing an ice anchor for your chair in the wind is a great idea. I’ll be using this technique to anchor my chair one day.
Panago pizza and the rest of the family arrived on cue and just in time for lunch. I question if Panago would deliver to my ice tent next time if the whole family comes. If not, maybe I could meet them on shore.
After lunch, Sarah and Ethan set up for the afternoon bite. I was curious to see if the bite time moved from 130pm to 230pm, because the last time we were out, the bite time was around 10am. Had the time changed to an hour later?
Sadly, Sarah only caught 1 kokanee and Ethan came home empty handed. There were plenty of kokanee swimming around their hooks, but it was like they shut down for the day. Did they fill themselves up in the morning? Will the lunar tables verify that the morning bite was best today?
Not that any one is keeping track, but I believe the score today was Ben-5 and Sarah-1. I’ll take the win, because tomorrow will be different. Everyday is always different and that’s what makes kokanee fishing fun for the whole family.