Back in May 1926, a man named John Alden Knight had a groundbreaking idea. He believed that by studying the patterns of the moon, sun, and tides, he could predict the best times for animal activity, particularly for fishing. His goal was simple: give anglers an edge by pinpointing prime times to increase their chances of success.
Through his observations, Knight discovered that the most critical times of the day were tied to moonrise, moonset, sunrise, and sunset. Over the next few years, his research confirmed what he suspected—animals, including fish, are most active during these specific periods, now known as solunar periods.
How Solunar Theory Helps Anglers
Using solunar data, you can identify the most productive times to fish in any 24-hour period.
Each day offers four key time windows:
- Two “Minor Periods” and
- Two “Major Periods”
By planning your fishing trips around these periods, you significantly increase your odds of success.
For example, if you’re fishing in Gold River (where I live) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the solunar chart will show the timing for these periods.
Alongside this, you’ll find tables which include:
- Moon Information like phase, illumination, rise and set.
- Daylight Information including, sunrise, sunset, solar noon and total daylight hours
- And a Daily Action Rating, which scores the day’s potential (on a scale of 0 to 5) for activity. A higher blue fish icon rating means a better chance at action-packed fishing.
While it’s possible to catch fish outside these periods, targeting the major and minor windows can make a big difference. These are the times when fish activity spikes, and the odds tip strongly in your favor.
This concept has been a game-changer for anglers and I’ve seen it work firsthand over the years. Understanding and applying solunar theory has been one of the most effective tools for improving my success—and it can do the same for you.
How To Use The Solunar Table Calculator
To use our solunar table calculator choose the date you want the data for. Then choose whether you want a single days worth of data or multiple days worth of data (3,5 or 7 days). After that look up your latitude and longitude (lat/long) coordinates using this website or from your own records. Add these to the lat/long text fields. Finally, click the “Calculate” button and see your results.