How to use a solunar fishing calendar
A fishing calendar is most useful when you have a choice of dates and want one more piece of information before booking a session. Select the nearest town to your water, choose the month and open the days you could realistically fish. Look first at the actual times. An appealing lunar rating is of little practical use if its main window falls after a day-ticket water closes or while you are travelling home.
The next step is to put those times alongside what you know about the lake. If the carp have been showing in one corner at first light, arriving early enough to watch that area is a more useful decision than choosing a swim because the calendar says it is a good day. A major or minor period that also falls near that established feeding time can be a reason to have your rods ready and leave the swim quiet. It should not make you abandon fish that are already feeding somewhere else.
Does moon phase affect carp fishing?
Moon phase is something plenty of carp anglers pay attention to, particularly when planning longer campaigns. There are experienced anglers who favour a big moon and others who have confidence in the darker nights around a new moon. Luke Stevenson, for example, describes considering lunar phases when arranging autumn trips in his autumn advice for Korda. That is an angler’s approach to planning, not proof that the same phase will improve catches on every lake.
There are several reasons to be careful with the comparison. A memorable capture stays with you longer than an uneventful night, and busy weekends produce more opportunities for captures than quiet midweek days. Weather, water clarity, angling pressure and where the fish are holding can all change between one moon phase and the next. This calendar therefore describes the astronomical conditions accurately but keeps the fishing conclusion modest: these are periods to consider, not an instruction to expect a bite.
What are major and minor fishing periods?
In solunar theory, major periods surround the Moon’s passage across the local meridian. The upper passage is often called “overhead” and the lower passage “underfoot”. Overhead does not mean the Moon is directly above your head in the UK; it means it has reached its highest point in that passage across the sky. The calendar calculates these events from your location rather than assuming the major period is halfway between moonrise and moonset.
Minor periods surround moonrise and moonset. We show an hour either side of each major event and half an hour either side of each minor event. Those widths are a useful way to present the solunar convention, but there is no evidence here that fish start or stop feeding at the edges. If you are already on the bank, use a window as a reminder to watch carefully for signs and avoid unnecessary disturbance, not as a reason to recast a perfectly good presentation.
Is a full moon good for carp fishing?
A full moon can make an open bank noticeably brighter when the sky is clear and the Moon is above the horizon. The conditions on the water still depend on cloud, surrounding trees, depth and water clarity. It is too simple to assume that a bright night always makes carp feed, or that it always pushes them away from the margins. Fish that are confident in a quiet area may behave differently from fish on a heavily pressured water.
If you have a full-moon trip booked, keep the usual priorities. Walk the water if access allows, look for movement before choosing a swim and make sure the rig is fishing cleanly. There is no need to change a proven bait or put in extra feed solely because of the phase. Our guide to the best weather for carp fishing helps put the wider conditions into context.
Is a new moon good for carp fishing?
The nights around a new moon offer less direct moonlight, although cloud and artificial lighting also affect how dark the bank feels. Some anglers prefer these conditions, but a new moon does not remove the need to locate the fish or judge how much bait they are likely to eat. A quiet winter water and a heavily stocked summer venue should not be approached in the same way simply because both trips share a lunar date.
This calendar gives dates near both new and full moons more weight within its solunar indicator. That is an explicit assumption of the model, not a claim that both phases have been proved better for carp. A lower-rated date may still be your best opportunity if the weather improves, the lake is quiet or you can spend longer watching the water.
Does moonrise affect fishing?
Moonrise is a precisely calculable event, but a lake does not necessarily change visibly at the displayed minute. Trees, hills and buildings can delay when you see the Moon above the bank. The rise and set times here assume an unobstructed horizon and typical atmospheric refraction; they are shown to minute precision. A minor period that overlaps sunrise or sunset is highlighted because it brings two useful planning references together, without claiming a proven increase in bites.
What the rating includes
The monthly score starts at 20 points, adds up to 40 for proximity to a new or full moon, up to 30 when a major period falls near sunrise or sunset, and up to 10 for the same overlap with a minor period. The overlap contribution tapers away over two hours beyond a window. Scores are grouped as Poor, Fair, Moderate, Good or Excellent, with each band covering twenty points. “Excellent” means a strong match to these solunar assumptions; it is not a catch probability or a judgement about the weather.
Sun and Moon events are calculated on your device using Astronomy Engine. The location search reuses the site’s existing service, and the calendar itself makes no weather requests. When your trip gets closer, check the 16-day fishing forecast and use the Carp Bite Time Predictor for weather-informed timing. For what to take with you, the session checklists cover day, night and longer trips.