Fishing
Solunar tables for the US coast
Pick a station and two weeks: the moon’s feeding periods, the day’s rating and the tide turns on one table.
Myrtle Beach, Tuesday, October 13
★★☆☆
Waxing crescent, 9% lit: 3 days from the new moon
Best period: major 1:56 AM–3:56 AM (moon underfoot, near a tide turn)
- Major 1:56 AM–3:56 AM · moon underfoot
- Minor 9:49 AM–10:49 AM · moonrise
- Major 2:20 PM–4:20 PM · moon overhead
- Minor 7:47 PM–8:47 PM · moonset
| Day | Rating | Major | Minor | Sun | Tide turns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue Oct 13Waxing crescent | ★★☆☆ | 1:56 AM–3:56 AM, 2:20 PM–4:20 PM | 9:49 AM–10:49 AM, 7:47 PM–8:47 PM | 7:19 AM–6:44 PM | L 3:32 AM, H 9:47 AM, L 4:10 PM, H 9:58 PM |
| Wed Oct 14Waxing crescent | ★★☆☆ | 2:46 AM–4:46 AM, 3:11 PM–5:11 PM | 10:49 AM–11:49 AM, 8:31 PM–9:31 PM | 7:20 AM–6:43 PM | L 4:10 AM, H 10:29 AM, L 4:51 PM, H 10:40 PM |
| Thu Oct 15Waxing crescent | ★★☆☆ | 3:37 AM–5:37 AM, 4:02 PM–6:02 PM | 11:45 AM–12:45 PM, 9:19 PM–10:19 PM | 7:21 AM–6:42 PM | L 4:49 AM, H 11:16 AM, L 5:34 PM, H 11:28 PM |
| Fri Oct 16First quarter | ★★☆☆ | 4:28 AM–6:28 AM, 4:54 PM–6:54 PM | 12:36 PM–1:36 PM, 10:13 PM–11:13 PM | 7:21 AM–6:41 PM | L 5:31 AM, H 12:09 PM, L 6:20 PM |
| Sat Oct 17First quarter | ★★☆☆ | 5:19 AM–7:19 AM, 5:44 PM–7:44 PM | 1:21 PM–2:21 PM, 11:10 PM–12:10 AM | 7:22 AM–6:39 PM | H 12:23 AM, L 6:17 AM, H 1:04 PM, L 7:11 PM |
| Sun Oct 18First quarter | ★★☆☆ | 6:08 AM–8:08 AM, 6:32 PM–8:32 PM | 2:00 PM–3:00 PM | 7:23 AM–6:38 PM | H 1:17 AM, L 7:09 AM, H 1:57 PM, L 8:07 PM |
| Mon Oct 19First quarter | ★★☆☆ | 6:56 AM–8:56 AM, 7:19 PM–9:19 PM | 12:09 AM–1:09 AM, 2:35 PM–3:35 PM | 7:24 AM–6:37 PM | H 2:11 AM, L 8:08 AM, H 2:47 PM, L 9:07 PM |
| Tue Oct 20First quarter | ★★☆☆ | 7:41 AM–9:41 AM, 8:03 PM–10:03 PM | 1:09 AM–2:09 AM, 3:05 PM–4:05 PM | 7:25 AM–6:36 PM | H 3:03 AM, L 9:14 AM, H 3:37 PM, L 10:02 PM |
| Wed Oct 21Waxing gibbous | ★☆☆☆ | 8:25 AM–10:25 AM, 8:47 PM–10:47 PM | 2:08 AM–3:08 AM, 3:33 PM–4:33 PM | 7:25 AM–6:35 PM | H 3:54 AM, L 10:16 AM, H 4:25 PM, L 10:49 PM |
| Thu Oct 22Waxing gibbous | ★★☆☆ | 9:09 AM–11:09 AM, 9:31 PM–11:31 PM | 3:09 AM–4:09 AM, 4:00 PM–5:00 PM | 7:26 AM–6:34 PM | H 4:45 AM, L 11:09 AM, H 5:12 PM, L 11:32 PM |
Published by Radif Partners · How the tides are computed · predictions downloaded October 13, 2026
A solunar table lists, for each day and place, the four periods when the moon is said to make fish and game most active: two major periods of about two hours, centred on the moon passing overhead and underfoot, and two minor periods of about an hour, centred on moonrise and moonset. This calendar computes them for the exact latitude and longitude of each of the 92 stations on the site, in local time, and sets them beside sunrise, sunset and the times of high and low tide, because for saltwater fishing moving water matters at least as much as the moon. Each day also gets a rating from one to four stars, by a rule printed below and on the method page. Solunar theory is a long fishing tradition, not a proven law: use it to choose between two days, not to promise a catch.
Where the periods come from
John Alden Knight published his first solunar tables in 1926, after collecting accounts from anglers and hunters that fish and game fed more at certain phases of the moon's daily cycle. His tables placed the main periods at the moon's transits, when it is highest in the sky or directly beneath the observer on the other side of the Earth, and the shorter ones at moonrise and moonset. The times differ from one longitude to another, which is why a table for Maine is wrong in Texas.
How the rating is built
Every day starts with one star. Two more are added within two days of a new or full moon, when many anglers report the best bites (and when the tide range is largest); one more within four days. One star is added when a solunar period overlaps the hour around sunrise or sunset, the low-light periods many fish favor anyway. The maximum is four. The rule is simple on purpose, so you can see why a day scores as it does.
Solunar and the tide
On the coast, the tide often decides more than the moon's position. Water moving over a flat, through an inlet or past a jetty carries bait, and many species feed on the first hours of the flood or the last of the ebb. The table's last column gives the tide turns; a major period that falls an hour after a low, on a dawn tide, is the combination many inshore anglers look for. The fishing tides guide and best fishing times go further.