Tide & Moon Fishing Planner

This calculator combines tide phase, moon phase, and season into a single 1–10 fishing quality rating using a solunar-theory-style scoring model. Tide phase is scored per fishing type — inshore fishing scores highest on incoming and outgoing (moving) tides since current concentrates baitfish and triggers feeding, while offshore fishing scores more evenly across all tide phases because deep water is less tide-sensitive than shallow inshore structure. Moon phase is scored separately, with new and full moons rated highest (9 and 8) because they produce the strongest tidal ranges — more water movement means more feeding activity — while quarter moons produce weaker tides and lower scores. Those two scores are averaged and then multiplied by a season factor: fall scores highest (1.15×, reflecting pre-winter feeding activity), spring close behind (1.1×), summer neutral (1.0×), and winter reduced to 0.7× for generally slower cold-water metabolism.

The calculator also picks a best fishing window using solunar logic: around new and full moons, the major feeding periods fall at dawn or dusk depending on whether the tide is moving or slack; around quarter moons, only minor feeding periods apply, shifting the recommendation to a broader morning or afternoon window. Winter pushes the recommended window an hour later across the board, reflecting slower water warming. Keep in mind this model estimates fishing conditions from lunar and tidal theory alone — it has no access to real tide tables, actual moon phase for a given date, weather, or barometric pressure, all of which meaningfully affect real-world fishing success and should be checked separately.