Knight, J.a.(1942)_Moon Up - Moon Down [162 p.]

7/28/2019 Knight, J.a.(1942)_Moon Up - Moon Down [162 p.]

1/93

+ moon: down

Y Il 0 | ' | N A L D E N K N I G H T SStory o f t h e SoIunarThe0ry

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moodown

l 0 | ' | N A L D E N K N I G H T SStory o f t h e SoIunarThe0ry

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Moon UpMoon DownMoon Up

Moon DownMoon Up

Moon Down


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BOOKS BY JOHN ALDEN KNIGHTThe Modem Angler

The Theory & Technique ofFresh Water Angling

Modern Fly CastingWoodcock

Field Book ofFresh-Water AnglingRuffed Grouse

Black B asFishing for Trout and B a s

Tecnica del LamadoThe Complete Book of

FlyCasting(with Richard Alden Knight)

BOOKS BY JOHN ALDEN KNIGHTThe Modern Angler

Th e Theory 8 1 Technique ofF re sh Wa te r Angling

O 1 BillMode rn F ly Casting

WoodcockFlld Book of - f .

Fresh-Water Anqhng _ -I ' ---:. 1Rufied Grouse E-_ ..

_ ' j : - 4 - _ ; ; = , - . , ~ _ ' e " 7 - , _ _ _ T ~ ..-'- 1~f:~:_=,. -"2-.,_-_ . ..-

Fnshing for Trout an d B a s s 3*" "' 3:32Tecnica d2 ] Lanzado *__; _ ._. . - _ _ _ li'\-T h e C o m p l ete B o o k o f . ,_;.- '.--5-".'T'.3=-="""~=F -12

my C a s t i n g M I \ / \m- K v |\( w i t h R i c h a r d A l d e n K m g h t ) " " "*

.~~>'lack B a s s

n>!ungm\c 0 | h| \ |;|\m\u~ l cm\\}h.\|n.| u < - m \l\c.m\\

BOOKS BY JOHN ALDEN KNIGHTThe Modern Angler

Th e Theory 8 1 Technique ofF re sh Wa te r Angling

O 1 BillMode rn F ly Casting

WoodcockFlld Book of - f .

Fresh-Water Anqhng _ -I ' ---:. 1Rufied Grouse E-_ ..

_ ' j : - 4 - _ ; ; = , - . , ~ _ ' e " 7 - , _ _ _ T ~ ..-'- 1~f:~:_=,. -"2-.,_-_ . ..-

Fnshing for Trout an d B a s s 3*" "' 3:32Tecnica d2 ] Lanzado *__; _ ._. . - _ _ _ li'\-T h e C o m p l ete B o o k o f . ,_;.- '.--5-".'T'.3=-="""~=F -12

my C a s t i n g M I \ / \m- K v |\( w i t h R i c h a r d A l d e n K m g h t ) " " "*

.~~>'lack B a s s

n>!ungm\c 0 | h| \ |;|\m\u~ l cm\\}h.\|n.| u < - m \l\c.m\\


4/93

"It is the fate of all truths tha t they begin as heresies."CARDINALICHELIEU

Moon UpMoo n Down

BYJohn Alden Knigh t

SOLUNAR SALES CO .MONTOURSVILLE, PA 17754

1972

It is th e la te o f a ll t ru th s t ha t they begin a s hcresies."

Moon U pMoon Down

B yCARDINAL Rxcm-zunu Jhfl AMER

SOLUNAR SALES CO .MONTOURSVILLE PA 17754

1972

It is th e la te o f a ll t ru th s t ha t they begin a s hcresies."

Moon U pMoon Down

B yCARDINAL Rxcm-zunu Jhfl AMER

SOLUNAR SALES CO .MONTOURSVILLE PA 17754

1972


5/93

Originally published byCHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

Copyright 1942

Revised edition byJACQUELINE E. KNIGHT

SOLUNAR SALES CO.Copyright 1972

T o B e t h a n d D i c kw h o s e f a i t h h a s n e v e r w a v e r e d

Library of CongressCatalogue N u m b e r :

72-93383

Original ly pub li shed b yCHARLES S( R IBNER 'S SONS

Copyngh: 1942

R e v i s e d ed iucn byJACQUELINE E. KNIGHTSOLUNAR SALES CO .copyngu 1 9 7 2

L u b m r y o f C l m g t m iC u l s l n g n c x u - H 1 , 7 2 7 9 3 3 8 3

T u B e t h a n d D i c kwnse faith h a s neve r wave red

Original ly pub li shed b yCHARLES S( R IBNER 'S SONS

Copyngh: 1942

R e v i s e d ed iucn byJACQUELINE E. KNIGHTSOLUNAR SALES CO .copyngu 1 9 7 2

L u b m r y o f C l m g t m iC u l s l n g n c x u - H 1 , 7 2 7 9 3 3 8 3

T u B e t h a n d D i c kwnse faith h a s neve r wave red


6/93

F O R E W O R D

H E ownership of a n inquiring mind o ftenis a dubious asset. Not always does it pay to be toocurious. But when an inquiring mind an d an unquench-able conscience are combined, then indeed does theowner find himself frequently in ho t water.First knowledge of what is now called the SolunarTheory was acquired by accident. That would havebeen all right if the matter ha d rested there and th eknowledge been used in the form in which it first wasgained. Once having learned, however, that this newbit of outdoor lore was even more useful than I ha dsupposed it could be, the everlasting and ineradicablequestion, ''Why?" kept popping up until it could nolonger be denied.~ v e n hen no serious consequences could havearisen if I had been c ontent to keep my find ings tomyself. Tha t is where the conscience entered the plot.Knowing that other sportsmen and, for that matter,mankind in general would be better off for havingaccess to what had been learned, there was nothing tobe done but make truthful confession of the enti ren~atter.Then events followed upon events until wehad difficulty n keeping up with them.First off,do not be dismayed by the high-flown nameof the !Munar Theory. Form idable as it may sound, it

FOREWORD

THE ownersh ip o f an i nqu ir ing m ind oftenis a dubious asset. Not always does it p ay to be to ocurious. B u t when an inquir ing mind an d an unquench-ab le consc ience are combined , then indeed does th eowne r n d himsel f f requently in ho t water.Fi rs t knowledge o f wha t is now called t he So lu na rTheory was acquired by accident. That wou ld havebeen a ll r ig h t if the mat te r had rested th er e a nd th eknow ledge been used in th e form in wh ich it rst wasgained. Once having l ea rned, however , that this ne wbit of outdoor lore w as e ve n more useful than I ha dsupposed it could be , th e ever las t ing and ineradicablequest ion, Why? ke p t p o p p i ng up until it could nolonger be denied.Even then no seri ous consequences could havearisen if I ha d been content to keep m y ndings tomysel f . That is where th e conscience entered th e p lo t .Know ing tha t other spor t smen and, fo r that mat ter ,mankind in general wou ld be better o P f fo r hav inga c c e s s to wha t had been learned, there was no t hi ng t obe done bu t make truthful confession o f the entirematter. Then events fo l lowed upon events until wehad_d51tY in keeping up wi th them.Fi rs t off, do no t be d ismayed by th e high-own nameo f t he So luna r Theo r y. Fo rm idah le a s it may sound, it

ix

FOREWORD

THE ownersh ip o f an i nqu ir ing m ind oftenis a dubious asset. Not always does it p ay to be to ocurious. B u t when an inquir ing mind an d an unquench-ab le consc ience are combined , then indeed does th eowne r n d himsel f f requently in ho t water.Fi rs t knowledge o f wha t is now called t he So lu na rTheory was acquired by accident. That wou ld havebeen a ll r ig h t if the mat te r had rested th er e a nd th eknow ledge been used in th e form in wh ich it rst wasgained. Once having l ea rned, however , that this ne wbit of outdoor lore w as e ve n more useful than I ha dsupposed it could be , th e ever las t ing and ineradicablequest ion, Why? ke p t p o p p i ng up until it could nolonger be denied.Even then no seri ous consequences could havearisen if I ha d been content to keep m y ndings tomysel f . That is where th e conscience entered th e p lo t .Know ing tha t other spor t smen and, fo r that mat ter ,mankind in general wou ld be better o P f fo r hav inga c c e s s to wha t had been learned, there was no t hi ng t obe done bu t make truthful confession o f the entirematter. Then events fo l lowed upon events until wehad_d51tY in keeping up wi th them.Fi rs t off, do no t be d ismayed by th e high-own nameo f t he So luna r Theo r y. Fo rm idah le a s it may sound, it

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is merely a convenience term, coined in self-defense,so that discussions could be carried on with th e mini-mum of cumbersome verbiage. Briefly, the SolunarTheory can be sum med up in this way:Other conditions not being unfavorable, fish willfeed, animals will move about, birds will sing and flyfrom place to place, in fact, all living things will be-come more active, more alive, during Solunar periodsthan a t other times of app arent equal value.Tha t's all there is to it, all you need t o know in orderto understand how th e Solunar Theory affects you andall living things about you every day that you live.Please understand that this is no attempt to writea scientific treatise on a newly discovered natural law.Quite the reverse, it is merely a recounting, in thelanguage of the layman (of which I am one, althoughI hold a university degree) of the developmen t of th eschedule of Solunar activity periods and of how thedevelo pmen t of th at schedule has warped the destiniesof the Knight family. T o that is added a discussion ofthe many ways in which th e habits, lives and, in somecases, the very existence of living creatures are affectedby the promptings of a natural law which, for somestrange reason, has hitherto escaped identification.It is probable that you will not agree with all that iscontained herein. For that I am sorry. Nevertheless, th eonly way to tell a story is to tell it in full. Half-truthsare of little value. W h a t is said has been said in allhumility and in the sincere belief that the SolunarTheory will, eventually, be of benefit to mankind.

JOHN ALDENKNIGHT.

M o o n UpM o o n D o w n

is merely a conven ience t erm , co ined in self-defense,so that discussions could be carried on w i t h th e min i -m um o f cumbersome verbiage. Br iey , th e S o lu na rTheory can be summed up in this way:Other condi t ions no t be in g u nfa v o ra b le , sh willfeed, animals will move a bou t, b ir ds will s in g a nd yfrom place to place, in fact, all living things will be-come mo re a ct iv e , mo r e a liv e, dur ing So lunar pe r iodsthan a t o th er tim e s o f appa ren t equa l va lue .That s all there is to it , all you need to k no w in orderto understand how t he So luna r Theo r y affec ts you an dall l iv ing t hin gs ab ou t you every da y that you live.Please understand that this is no a t t emp t to Wri tea scientic t reatise on a newly discovered natural law.Qui te th e reverse, it is merely a r e coun tin g , in th elanguage o f th e layman (o f wh ich I am o ne, al thoughI hold a universi ty degree) o f th e deve lopment o f th eschedule o f Solunar activ i ty pe rio ds and of how th edeve lopment o f t ha t schedule has wa rped the dest in ieso f th e Kn igh t fami ly . To that is added a discussion o fth e ma ny ways in wh ich th e habi ts, lives and, in somec a s e s , t he v e ry existence o f l iv ing creatures are ailectedb y th e p ro m p tin gs o f a natural law which, fo r somestrange reason, ha s hitherto escaped ident icat ion.It is probable that you will no t agree w i t h all that iscontained herein. F o r that l am sorry. Nevertheless, th eonly w ay to te l l a story is to tell it in full. Half- t ruthsare o f little value. \Vhat is said has been said in a llhumility an d in th e sincere b e lie f t ha t th e S o lu na rTheo r y wi l l , eventual ly, be o f bene t to mankind .] onN ALDEN Knrcr-nx

X

Moon llpMoon Down

is merely a conven ience t erm , co ined in self-defense,so that discussions could be carried on w i t h th e min i -m um o f cumbersome verbiage. Br iey , th e S o lu na rTheory can be summed up in this way:Other condi t ions no t be in g u nfa v o ra b le , sh willfeed, animals will move a bou t, b ir ds will s in g a nd yfrom place to place, in fact, all living things will be-come mo re a ct iv e , mo r e a liv e, dur ing So lunar pe r iodsthan a t o th er tim e s o f appa ren t equa l va lue .That s all there is to it , all you need to k no w in orderto understand how t he So luna r Theo r y affec ts you an dall l iv ing t hin gs ab ou t you every da y that you live.Please understand that this is no a t t emp t to Wri tea scientic t reatise on a newly discovered natural law.Qui te th e reverse, it is merely a r e coun tin g , in th elanguage o f th e layman (o f wh ich I am o ne, al thoughI hold a universi ty degree) o f th e deve lopment o f th eschedule o f Solunar activ i ty pe rio ds and of how th edeve lopment o f t ha t schedule has wa rped the dest in ieso f th e Kn igh t fami ly . To that is added a discussion o fth e ma ny ways in wh ich th e habi ts, lives and, in somec a s e s , t he v e ry existence o f l iv ing creatures are ailectedb y th e p ro m p tin gs o f a natural law which, fo r somestrange reason, ha s hitherto escaped ident icat ion.It is probable that you will no t agree w i t h all that iscontained herein. F o r that l am sorry. Nevertheless, th eonly w ay to te l l a story is to tell it in full. Half- t ruthsare o f little value. \Vhat is said has been said in a llhumility an d in th e sincere b e lie f t ha t th e S o lu na rTheo r y wi l l , eventual ly, be o f bene t to mankind .] onN ALDEN Knrcr-nx

X

Moon llpMoon Down


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C H A P T E R O N E

H E brown waters of Lake Helenblazeslay glassy and still under the Florida sun. It was Julyand the St. Johns River marshes fairly quivered withthe midsummer heat. N ow, a t eleven-thirty, we hadhke n refuge in the scanty shade of a little camphor treethat somehow had found its footing on one of the float-ing islands that drift about the surface of t he lake-theonly tree in all that desolation of rushes, reeds, waterhy&inths and swamp water.W e had been fishing for large-mouth bass sincedawn. Usually the fishing in "Blazes" was excellent, bu tthroughout the morning, the bass had been unrespon-sive. Tiring- of fruitl ess casting , we had knocked off foran early lunch.As we sat there, Bob Wall, my guide, looked at hiswatch and then ou t across the surface of t he lake. Th eheat waves had built a mirage that lifted the horizonabove its normal level so tha t it seem ed to hang in m id-air, leaving a gap of clear, shimmering nothing betweenitself and the quiet water. I could see that Bob wasrestless. Finally he spoke.

4LCom e on, Jack," he said. "Hurry up with th at lunch.We'll miss the gw d fishin' if we sit here much longer."

&I W ha t makes you think they'll rise in all this heat?"1 asked him.

CHAPTER ONE

TliE b r own waters of Lake I -lelenh lazeslay glassy an d st i l l u nd er th e Flor ida sun It was Iulyand th e St. Io h ns R iv e r marshes fairly quivered withth e m id summe r heat. Now , a t e leven -t h ir t y, we hadtaken refuge in th e scanty shade o f a little camphor treethat somehow ha d found its foot ing on on e o f th e oat-ing islands tha t drift about th e surface of th e lal ~ . 'aiggisogiglilsg Z o m r z i t g e tha t l if ted t he ho riz on

air, leaving 3 gap o f clear 1: l Serned to h an g in mid .i tself an d th e quiet Wat; l;l'l1[lTg noth ing be tweenrestless. Finally he s po ke " C 0 u s e e tha t Bob was C ome , k " I M .W e ' i i m h 3 i l a Z ; d } e h ? ? 1 H T Y P W * h " " u n h -vvhat mak 8 s lfl if W 6 , s it here much longer,"i a s l r e d h i m . a s y o u l t h e y ll u s e in a ll t his h e a t? "

1

CHAPTER ONE

TliE b r own waters of Lake I -lelenh lazeslay glassy an d st i l l u nd er th e Flor ida sun It was Iulyand th e St. Io h ns R iv e r marshes fairly quivered withth e m id summe r heat. Now , a t e leven -t h ir t y, we hadtaken refuge in th e scanty shade o f a little camphor treethat somehow ha d found its foot ing on on e o f th e oat-ing islands tha t drift about th e surface of th e lal ~ . 'aiggisogiglilsg Z o m r z i t g e tha t l if ted t he ho riz on

air, leaving 3 gap o f clear 1: l Serned to h an g in mid .i tself an d th e quiet Wat; l;l'l1[lTg noth ing be tweenrestless. Finally he s po ke " C 0 u s e e tha t Bob was C ome , k " I M .W e ' i i m h 3 i l a Z ; d } e h ? ? 1 H T Y P W * h " " u n h -vvhat mak 8 s lfl if W 6 , s it here much longer,"i a s l r e d h i m . a s y o u l t h e y ll u s e in a ll t his h e a t? "

1


9/93

2 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 3"They'll rise, all right," h e answered. "Moon's downabou t noon.""Whats that got to do with it," I said."Never mind about that," said Bob. "Just take myword for it. Thes e fish are goin' on t he feed pretty quick"You'll have to think up a better one than that," 1told him, "to get me o ut in that heat again. This is thefirst time I've been anywhere near comfortable for thepast four hours."Bob shrugged his shoulders and told me the storywhile I munched sandwiches and drank cold tea. His"granpappy" had been a market hunter an d fishermanin Sou th Georgia when B ob was a youngster. Fro m himBob learned fishing and hu nting. Am ong other things,the old man h ad told him tha t the time t o go after fishor game is when the moon is directly overhead ordirectly underfoot. Th e men who m ade their livelihoodselling game a nd fish, while such things were still legal,all recognized th e effect the moon had on t he creaturesof the wild, and their hunting and fishing trips wereplanne d according to daily moon positions.I listened to Bob's story with more interest than hesuspected. Ever since I was a boy, fishing for sunnies

an d chub in th e small streams near my home in Penn-sylvania, I had wondered about the manner in whichfish would bite ravenously at some times of th e day andignore our choicest offerings at oth er times of tha t sameday. As I grew older, th e mystery still persisted. I ha dmade i t a point to question the older and more expe-

rienced fishermen but they could throw no useful lighton the subject. About all tha t I had gained from manyhours of such conversations was a rather formidablemass,of conflicting misinformation. Th is idea ofwas the first useful peg upon which one m ight, possibly,hang his hat.~ ~ c o r d i n g l y ,choked down th e rest of m y lunchand we went fishing under the broiling rays of th e Julysun. Never in my wildest dreams have I seen such bassfishing as we had that day. 1 remember that my first

.dmst was made into th e waters of a tiny cove, wellfringed with reeds and protective water growth. Thewhite plug dropped to the surface with a light splashand lay there, motionless, while concentric circles ofwavelets spread themselves away from it. After a fewseconds, i aised the rod tip t o tighten t he line andbring the plug to life. At th e first twitch of t he rod, theplug dipped its nose under the surface and bobbed upagain. w i t h tha t the quiet waters of the cove wereburst asunder by the furious strike of a mighty bass.Surprised, I struck back with the rod, but the weightof the big fish tore the reel handle from my fingers.The spool spun and threw out loops of line tha t inter-twined themselves into a "bird7s nest" of magnificen tproportions. When order was restored, the fish, ofcourse, was gone and t he plug floated onc e more o n th eplacid surfac e of the cove, just as if n oth ing had hap -pened. Bob spat, eloquently, over the side.

( ( Now," he said, "mebby you'll settle down and doa little fishin' fo r a change."

2 Moon U p - M oon D ow nThey'll rise, all right, he answered. Moon s downabou t noon . "Whats t ha t g o t to do w i th it, I said.Never mind abou t that," said Bob . lust take m yw o rd fo r it. These sh a re goin' on th e feed pre t ty quick

now .You'll have to th ink up a better one than that," Itold h im , to ge t me ou t in tha t heat again. This is th erst t ime Ive been anywhere near comfortable fo r th epas t four hours . "B ob shrugged his shoulders an d to ld me th e storywhi le I munched sandwiches and d rank cold tea. His g ranpappy " ha d been a marke t hunter an d shermanin South Georgia w h en B o b was a youngster. F r om h imBob lea rned sh ing and hunting. Among o th e r th ings,th e o ld man had t o ld h im that th e t ime to go after s ho r game is when th e moon is directly overhead o rdirectly underfoot. The men w ho made their l ivelihoodselling game an d sh, whi le such things were st i l l legal,a ll recognized th e e ffe ct th e moon h ad on th e creatureso f th e wi ld, an d their hunt ing an d shing t r ips werep lanned accord ing t o da ily moon pos it io n s .I l istened to Bobs story w i th more in t eres t t han hesuspected. Ever since I was a boy, shing fo r sunniesan d chub in th e sma l l streams ncar m y home in Penn-sylvania, I had wondered abou t th e ma nn er in whichs h wou ld bite ravenously at some t imes o f th e da y andignore our choicest oiferings at o ther t imes o f that sameday. As I grew older, t he my s te ry st i l l persisted. I hadmade it a po i n t to quest ion th e o ld er and more expe-

M oon U p - M oon D ow n 3_ ii bu t the co uld th row no useful lightfdi,b:$iab0ui all ihat I ha d gained f rom manyout e f S h a h conversations was a rather fo rm idablehoufolf) eoriicting mis info rmat ion. This idea o f Bob 'sv n r j s s th e rst useful peg upon which one might , possibly,hagizjiiizgiy, I choked down th e rest o f m y lunchand w e wen t sh ing under th e broil ing rays o f th e ]ulysun. Never in my w i ld es t d reams have I s e e n such b a s sshing a s w e ha d tha t day. I remembe r tha t m y rs tcast was made into th e waters o f a t iny cove, we l lfringed wi th reeds an d protect ive water growth. Thewhi te p lug dropped to th e surface w i th a light splashand lay there, mot ionless, whi le concentr ic circles ofwavelets spread themselves away f rom it . Af ter a fewseconds, I raised th e ro d ti p t o t ig ht en th e line an dbr ing th e p lug to life. At th e rst tw i tch o f th e r od, t hep lug d ipped its nose under t he surface a nd b ob be d u pagain. With tha t th e quiet waters o f th e cove wereburst asunder by th e fu rio u s s tr ik e o f a migh ty b a s s .Surprised, I struck back w i th th e r od , but th e weighto f the b ig sh tore th e reel handle f rom m y ngers.The spoo l s p un a nd threw ou t l oops o f line t ha t in t er -twined themselves into a bird's nes t o f magnicentPmpor t i ons . Vl/hen order was restored, th e sh, ofC o u r s e , w a s gone and t he p lug oated once more on th eplacid surface o f th e cove, just a s if noth ing h ad h ap -Petied. Bob spat, eloquent ly, over th e side. N ow , he said, mebby you' l l settle down and doa little sh in f or a change.


10/93

4 Moon U p Moon Down Moon U p Moon Down 5That was the beginning of almost three hours ofhysteria. W e hooked fish, big fish. Some we landedand some we lost. W e broke lines, skinned knuckles,lost plugs, laughed, yelled and cursed. How m any fishwe caught and released, I do not know, certainly more

than we had ever caught before. Tha t evening we hungon the boathouse scales that part of our catch we hadbrou ght out with us-nine large-mouth bass tha t totaledseventy-eight pounds.Meanwhile, I had forgotten about Bob's "moon-up-moon-down" theory. No t until I was in my car andon my way home did I remember it. During the five-hour drive back to Orlando, I had plenty of time toreconstruct the whole experience.Bob had predicted th at our good fishing would beginabout noon. Sure enough, that's when we had thereal activity, particularly with the larger fish. Afterabo ut two hours of superlative fishing, the action beganto slow down until, a t about thre e o'clock, things werealmost as quiet as they had been during the morning.Then, along toward evening, there had been anotherflurry of activity and we had taken an eight-pounder atthe inlet of Lake Washington.I suppose that fish will linger in my memory always.W e were waiting at the inlet for the other boat to showup and Bob suggested that I cast a plug out over theswifter water where the river flowed into the lake. Al-though I had done almost enough fishing for one day,I decided to try my luck again, more to help kill timethan with any real angling enthusiasm. Having cast

the raceway, I allowed the plug to drift quietlywith the current before starting the retrieve. It swungin a wide circle below the boat and, as it nearly com-P eted its swing, it was taken with a quiet, solid strike,so typical of a fe eding fish.

~t first I could not m ove the heavy bass from his po-sition in the fast water. He just sulked against the pullof the line, much as a fighter feels ou t his antago nist inthe first round. Then he bore fo r the bottom, takingline, where he sulked again in about fourteen feet ofwater. Almost without warning he changed tactics.With a rush he charged straight for the surface and hismomentum carried him up into the air, where heseemed to hang, while the crimson glow of the sunsettinged his silveiside with red. It was a picture n ot easilyforgotten. T he background of t he St. Johns marshesalready were tinted with the exaggerated colors of the~ l o r i d a unset and against this exotic backdrop hungthe giant bass, both he a nd the silver spray of his splashtouched with the magic brush of e vening.All this and th e validity of Bob's p rediction filled mymind as I drove my car homeward across the flat milesof central Florida. I wonde red if the "cracker" markethunters were right about wild life timing its feedingperiods by the moon instead of the sun. I decided tofind out.For the next few years I checked, off and on, Bob'stheory of "moon-up and moon-down." At some timesof the month, t he feed ing periods arrived right on Bob'sschedule. At other times, the re was considerable vari-

4 Moo n U p - Moo n D ow nTha t was th e beginning of almost t hr ee h ou rs o fhysteria. W e hooked sh, b ig sh. Som e w e landedan d som e w e lost. We broke lines, skinned knuckles,lost p l ugs , l aughed, ye lled and cursed. How many shw e caugh t and released, I do no t know , certainly more

than w e ha d ever caught before. Tha t evening w e hungon th e boathousc s c a l e s tha t par t of ou r cat ch w e hadbrought o u t w i th usnine large-mouth b a s s that totaledseven ty-e igh t pounds.Meanwh i le , I ha d forgotten about Bobs moon-upmoon - d own theory. Not until I was in m y car a ndon m y w ay home did I remember it . Dur ing the ve-hour drive back to Or lando, I ha d plenty o f tim e toreconstruct th e w h o le experience.Bob ha d predicted that our good shing wou ld beginabou t noon. Sure enough, thats when we ha d th ereal ac ti v it y , pa r t icu la r ly w i th th e la rg er sh . Afterabout tw o hours o f superla t ive shing, th e action beganto slow down unti l , a t a bo u t three o'c lock , th ings werealmost a s quiet a s th ey h ad been dur ing th e morn ing.Then, along toward e ve nin g, t he re h ad been anotherf lu r ry o f ac ti v it y and we had t aken an eight-pounder atthe in le t o f Lake \Vashing ton.I suppose that sh will l inger in m y m em o ry always.W e were wai t ing a t th e i nle t f o r the other boa t to show

up an d Bob suggested that I cast a p lug ou t o ve r th eswif ter wa te r w h er e the r iver f lowed into th e lake. Al-though I had done almost enough shing fo r on e day,I decided to try m y luck again, more to h elp kill t imethan with an y real angling enthusiasm. Hav ing east

M oon U p - Moo n D ow n 5, I a llowed t he p lug to drift quietlyacrossht l i iuf i izagefore s t a rt ing the retrieve. It swung

Wlth t .6 - O le bdqw the boa t and, a s it nea rly c om -in a y y i d g ngt was taken w i th a quiet, solid strike,P ete ll .s o typical of a feeding s h { T h.At rst I could no t move the heavy b a s s om is po -gition in the fast water. He ju st sulked against t he pu llo f th e hne, much a s a ghter f e e f l s ou}th: gptagortiaiit in

the rst round. Then he bore or t e o om , mgline, where he su lked again in ab out fou rt een feet o fwater. Almos t w i th t warning he changed tacticsU 'With a r ush he cha rged straight fo r th e surface and h ist rr 'ed h im up into th e air, where he52:35; f d n l i a i i a g , lwh i le t he cr imson glow o f th e sunsett inged his silver side w i th red. It was a picture no t easilyforgotten. The background o f th e St. Iohns marshesalready were t inted w i th th e exaggerated colors o f th eF l 'da sunset and aga in s t this exo tic backd rop hungtliiengiant b a s s , bo th he an d th e silver spray of his splashtouched w i th th e magic brush o f evening.All t his and th e va l id it y o f Bob's predict ion lled m ymind a s I drove m y car homeward across th e a t mileso f central Florida. I wondered if th e cracker markethunters were r ight about wi ld life t im ing its feedinggeriods by th e moon instead o f th e sun. I decided tond ou t.For th e next few years I checked, o ff and on, Bob stheory o f moon-up an d moon-down. At some t imeso f the mon t h, t he feeding periods arrived r ight on Bob 'sschedule. At other t imes, there was considerable vari-


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6 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon U p Moon Down 7ance. Having neither the time nor the opportunity tomake regular observations, not a great deal was learnedduring those years and the formation of an accurateschedule still remained a mystery, although I felt surethat I had the key to the problem.

On e evening, while ~o nd er in g n the variance ofthe "moon-up-moon-down" theory with th e trueschedule of feeding periods, I considered the possibilityof finding the prompting stimulus by the process ofelimination. Accordingly, I made a list of everything Icould think of tha t might have its effect upon t he feed-ing habits of both fresh and salt water fish. Before Ihad finished, I had itemized better than thirty factorsthat would, perhaps, influence fish in one way or an-other. Temperature, water condition, availability offood, movement of water, barometric pressure and soon dow n through the whole ga mut of possibilities untilI could think of no more.

The n, with the list as complete as I could make it,I considered each item in the lig ht of its effect, if any,upon cyclic feeding periods. In so doing, it was obviousthat the stimulus must be of an external nature and notimmediately an d exclusively present in the water itself.This reasoning was based upon the proven fact thatfeeding activity occurred in all parts of a stream , lake,ocean, or, for that matter, in several different bodiesof water at the same time. If this stinlulus were con-fined to the w aters of one particular section, this con-currence of activity would not be possible. Viewed inthis light it seemed reasonable to conclude that the

orompting stimulus was of a general rather than aiocal nature.each factor of th e list was considered an d rejected,it ,, crossed out. W he n 1 had finished, all of thefactors but three had been crossed off as impossible.Th e three had question marks after them,indicating doubt w ith room for furthe r examination.These three were "sun," "moon" an d "tides."The sun, of course, is the heavenly body by whichtime is calculated. It makes its appearance in aregular and well-ordered manner, whereas the feedingof fish are apt to show up a t any time an drarely at the same time on any two days. It couldn'tbe the sun.Th e moon had already been tested and f ound want-ing for at least a part of the month.Tides-well, there are no measurab le tides in apond or a trout stream.And there I was, right back where I had started.Sitting there, looking at the useless list of factors,an idea came to me.Ocean fish time their feeding periods according totidal phases. Tides are caused by the gravitational pullof the moon and the sun. Could it be possible thatfreshwater fish time their feeding periods on the sameschedule as that used by the ir ocean cousins? Th e ideawas certainly worth investigation.O b v i o ~ s l ~ ,f t he tidal theory were to be investigated,it was necessary for me to learn some thing abo ut tides.The best place to obtain accurate information is at the

6 Moo n U p - Moo n D o w nance. Hav ing ne it he r th e t im e n or th e oppo r tun i t y tr;make regular observat ions, no t a great deal was learnedduring those years and th e fo rma tio n o f an accurateschedule st i l l remained a myste ry , although I felt suretha t l had th e key to th e p rob lem .O ne evening, wh i le p onder ing on th e variance o fth e moon - upmoon -down " theory wi th th e trueschedule o f feeding periods, l cons ide red the possib i l i tyo f nd in g th e p r omp t i ng st imulus by the process o felimination. Accordingly, I made a l ist o f everything lcould th ink o f t ha t migh t have it s eitect u p o n th e feed-in g habi ts o f bo th fresh and salt water sh. B efo re Ihad n ished, I ha d i tem ized be t te r than th i r ty factorstha t would , perhaps, inuence s h in one w ay o r an -other. Temperature, wa te r condit ion, avai labi l i ty of

food, movemen t o f water , baromet r ic pressure an d s oon down through t he who le gamut o f possib i l i t ies unt i ll could th ink o f n o mo re .Then, wi th th e l is t a s comple te a s I could make it ,I considered each i tem in th e light o f it s eec t, if any,upon cyclic feeding periods. In s o doing, it was obvioustha t th e s t imu l us mus t be o f an exte rna l na tu re an d no timmediate ly and exclusively present in t he wa t er itself.This reasoning was based upon th e proven fact thatfeeding activ i ty occu r red i n all parts o f a s t ream, lake ,ocean, or, fo r tha t mat ter , in several ( I i i tercnt bodieso f water at th e same t ime. If t his s timu lu s we re c on -ned to th e waters o f one part icular section, this cori-curreiicc o f activ i ty w o u ld n ot be pos s ib le . Viewed inthis light it seemed reasonable to conclude that th c

Mo o n U p - M oon D ow n 7. han anmulus was o f a general rather tPl-ompt l l lg 5

local nafggc toy of th e l is t was cons ide red and re jected,A363 ad nished, all o f th e

it :3; c g i t i i s f l i i r e t h u l i a d r i l b d l e e i e x h k z r l d s s e d o ft a s imposs ib le .T a - e remaining three had quest ion marks a ft er t hem ,indicating doub t with room fornfurthey _exai-nination.These three were sun, : m o o n an d t ides. h h

t ime is calculate . ma e s i p p _:1-gular and we l l- o rde red mar i ne r , whereas th e feedingp e r i o d s o f sh a r e ap t to show tuip at anyittlglggytmi-ely a t th e same t ime o n any 0 a y $ - C 1 1b e ? - h f : :35 ha d a lready been tested an d found wan t -i i - i g fo r a t least a par t o f th e mon th . _ 4Tideswel l , there are no measurable tides in apond or a t r ou t stream.And there I was, r ight back where I ha d started.Sit t ing there, look ing at th e u s e l e s s list o f factors,an idea came to me.Ocean sh t ime their feeding periods according totidal p h a s e s . Tides are caused by th e gravi tat ional pullo f the m o on and th e sun. Cou ld it be possib le tha tesh-water s h t ime t hei r feeding p e rio ds on th e sameschedule a s tha t used by their ocean cousins? The ideaw a s certainly wor th invest igat ion._ Obviously, if th e t idal theory were to be investigated,it w a s necessary fo r me to learn someth ing abou t tides.Tl !! ! bes t p lace t o o b t ain accurate in format ion is at th e


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8 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 9source. Accordingly, the next morning found me inth e New York office of the U nited States Coast andGeodetic Survey. At that time, Commander GeorgeD. Cowie was in charge of the New York office. In re-sponse to my request to have a talk with the ge ntlemanin charge, I was shown into his private office."Commander Cowie," I said, "I would like to learnsomething abo ut tides.""Yes," he said politely, "just wh at do you wish tolearn?""Assuming th at our Atla ntic coast line lay in Illinoisinstead of N ew Jersey, I want to f ind out how I canfigure out what time it will be low tide at Chicago."Comm ander Cowie looked startled."I be g your pardon?" he said.

Then I started at the beginning and explained myproblem. If fresh-water fish, living in lakes an d streamsfar removed from the Atlantic Ocean, time their feed-ing periods according to the tidal schedu le of the At-lantic tidal basin, then for m e to calculate the scheduleof t heir daily feeding periods, I mu st be able a t leastto under stand how tidal times are figured out. Knowingtha t, I should be able to go on from there under my ownsteam. Commander Cowie nodded and smiled under-standingly. Before I realized what had happe ned, he wassaying good-bye to me at his office door, having sup-plied me with tide tables, Geodetic Survey maps, andMarmer's excellent book on tides. H e seemed quite re-lieved to see me depart while I was still semi-rational.As a matter of fact, when I came to know him better,

he admitted tha t he was a trifle dubious as to my com-P1 te sanity tha t first day in his office.M~ years of salt-water fishing had taug ht m e tha t th ebest feeding time for salt-water fish is at low tide. T h a tstatement should be qualified somewhat. In bays, river

and inlets, where tidal flow is hamp ered some-what by natural obstructions such as bars or shoals, thefeeding period is ap t to arrive at m ost any stage of tide.But where the waters are situated so that the tidalphases are those of the true sched ule of th e Atlantictidal basin, then the time of low tide marks the activefeeding period. This made a rather loose me thod o f ap-proximation, as slack water lasts for as long as twohours, but a t least it was a place to sta rt. Assuming tha tSandy Hook (at the suggestion of C omm and er Cowie)was most likely to represent the true Atlantic tidalschedule, unaffected by obstructions to natural flow,I added ten minutes to the Sandy Hook tidal times(to allow for the difference in longitude betw een SandyHook and the streams of Eastern New York Stat e andEastern Pennsylvania) and this schedule went with m ewhen I found th e chance t o go on fishing trips.To my great satisfaction, this schedule came closerto the actual feeding schedule than Bob Wall's "moon-up-moon-down" schedule had done. I t was far fromperfect but it was close enough to show that I was onthe right track.That summer Mrs. Knight and I had accepted an in-to fish th e waters of a tro ut stream owned by aclub in Connecticu t. Saturday was a hot, wind-

8 Moo n Up-Moon D o w nsource. Acco rd ing ly , t he nex t mo r nin g fo u nd mg inth e N ew York oflice o f th e Un i ted States Coast andGeodet ic Survey. At t ha t tim e , Commande r GeorgeD . Cow ie was in charge o f th e N ew York ofce. In re .sponse to m y request to have a talk w i th th e gentlemanin charge, I was shown into hi s pr ivate oice. Commande r Cow ie , " I said, Iwou ld like to learnsometh ing abou t t ides ."Yes , h e s aid pol i tely, just wha t do you w ish tolearn?"A ssum ing t ha t our Atlantic coast line la y in I llinoisinstead o f New Iersey, I wan t to nd o ut how I cangure out w h at tim e it will be lo w t id e a t C h ic ag o."C ommande r C ow ie l ooked star tled.I be g y ou r pa rdon? " he sa id .Then I started at th e beginning an d e xp la in ed myp rob lem . If f resh -wa te r sh , living in lakes an d streamsfa r removed f rom th e Atlantic Ocean, t ime t he ir feed-ing periods according to th e t idal schedule o f th e At-lant ic t idal basin, then fo r me to calculate th e scheduleo f th eir daily feeding periods, l mus t be able at leastto understand how tidal t imes are gured ou t. Know ingthat, I should be able to go on f rom there u nd er m y ow nsteam. Commande r C ow ie nodded and smiled under-standingly. Before I realized wha t had happened,he was

say ing good-bye to me at his ofiice door, having sup-pl ied me w i th t ide tables, Geodet ic Survey maps , andMarmer s excellent book on tides. He seemed quite re -l ieved to s e c me depart whi le I was st i l l semi-rational.As a mat ter o f fact, when I came to know h im better,

M00 U p - Moon D ow n 9. t ' d b'ous a s to m y com-he admlffedttllitdjyairioide.P 1 6 " "M y . b in h a d u h h t m e t ha t t h ee a r s of salt water s g E _y ydn t im e fo r sa lt -wa te r sh is a t lo w t ide. Tha tbest fe e I ii ld be ualied somewha t . In bays, r iver

S t a t e n } - i e n t r f d iiilets W ' : ll ' l l ' C t idal flow is hampered some-moutbsyf iatural obsuuct ions such a s bars or shoals, th ewhg l Y cried is a p t to arrive at mos t an y stage o f tide.feet T V T I E I C th e waters are situated s o tha t th e t idal1 1 3 - i a s e s are those of th e true schedule o f th e Atlantict d lb a s in , then th e t ime o f lo w tide marks t he act ivef e e d i n g period. This made a rather loose method o f ap -prox imat ion , a s slack water lasts fo r a s long a s tw ohours, bu t at least it was a place to start. Assuming tha tSandy Hook (a t th e suggestion olf C01'l':1iIEI'Cow:)l

os t l ikel to represent t e t rue t ant ic ti a$ v g i s ( l - T I I C , unafflected by o b st ru ctio ns to n at ur al ow ,I added t en m i nu te s to th e Sandy Hook t idal t imes(to allow fo r the d ierence in longitude be tween SandyHook and t he streams of Eastern New York State an dEastern Pennsylvania) an d this schedule wen t w i th mewhen I found th e chance to go on shing t r ips.To m y great satisfaction, this schedule came c lo sert o t he act ua l feeding schedule th an B o bWall's moon -upmoon< lown schedule ha d done. It was fa r fr omperfect but it was close enough to show that l was onthe right t rack.

_ Tha t summe r Mr s . Kn igh t an d I h ad a ccep te d an in -Vltation to sh th e waters o f a t rou t stream owned by ashing c lub in Connect icut . Saturday was a h o t, w i n d-


13/93

10 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 11less day and the tro ut were moving not at all. M y sched-ule showed me that a feeding period was du e at aboutthree o'clock th at afternoo n and my son (a little fellowthen, but an ardent angler) an d I had gone downstreamleaving Mrs. K night in th e car, which ha d been parkedin the shade near the bridge. Her reading was inter-rupted by the arrival of another member of the club.She watched him fish the pool under the bridge, thepool above and th e one below. No t a single trout cameto his offerings. At last, disgusted, h e reeled in his lineand came over to the car for a chat."Too hot an d clear today," he said. "The trout won'tmove in weather like this. Where's Jack?""He and the boy have gone downstream," she ans-wered. "He said he wanted to b e on those lower poolswhen the feeding period came in.""W hat feeding period?" he asked.She explained my idea about low tide. Th e club mem-ber had quite a laugh over it."That's th e craziest thin g I ever heard," he said,looking at his watch. "But it's twenty minutes beforethree now. I think I'll stick around and see what hap-pens."

So saying, he sat down in th e shade, leaned against atree and lighted a cigarette. At three o'clock he arose,picked up his rod and walked out on the bridge. Hisfirst cast netted him nothing and he smiled knowinglyas he put the fl y up over the pool again. This time therewas a flash of spray, and h e was fighting a fourteen-inchtrout almost before he realized what had happened.

After landing this fish, he detoured around the bridgeool and entered it carefully from th e lower end. In tenP,i,utes, two more heft y trout lay in his creel. Th en h ecame back to th e car.a ~ oou really think there's anyth ing to this low-tideidea of Jack's?" h e asked Mrs. Knig ht."Jack says there is," she replied. "You fished thosepools carefully only forty minutes ago with no results."'?E club member scratched his head."How long," he inquired , "does this low-tide feedingperiod last?""Usually about an hour a nd a half or two hours," s he

replied.He nodded thoughtfully and walked up the pathalong the stream. som e time later he returned with afine basket of tr out.For obvious reasons, I did not talk too much aboutmy new feeding schedule. Radical ideas of this sort arenot always welcome among th e more seasoned anglers,and I wanted to be sure of my gro und. All of tha t sea-son I checked my schedule against the actual feedingperiods. Not only did I make my own observations but,by judicious questioning, I learned tha t th e experiencesof other anglers nearly always coincided w ith my o wn. Ifound that th e schedule of low-tide times was closeenough to be a great help in planning each day so th atthe best fishing would no t be missed.That winter threw no new light on the subject. As amatter of fact, I did not put too m uch time on it. Afterit was at th at time merely an interesting side light o n

1 0 Mo o n U p - M o on D ow nl e s s day and t he t r ou t were mov ing no t at all.My sched-ule showed me that a f eed ing pe r iod was du e at aboutthree o'c lock tha t afternoon an d m y so n ( a little fellowthen, bu tan ardent angler) and I had gone downs t reamleaving Mr s . Kn igh t in th e car, wh ich ha d been parkedin the shade near th e bridge. Her reading was inter.rup ted by t he a r ri v al o f another membe r o f th e c l u b _She watched h im sh th e p o o l u nd er t he b r idge, th epoo l above an d th e one be low . Not a single t rout cameto h is o f fe r ings . At las t, d isgusted, he reeled in his lineand came over to th e ca r fo r a chat.Too ho t and c lear today, " he said. The t r ou t won ' tmove in wea the r l ike th is. Vt /here's lack?He an d the b oy have gone downs t ream, " she aris-wered. He s aid he wa n te d t o be on those l owe r poolswhen th e feeding per iod came in."VVha t feeding per iod?" he asked.She explained m y idea abou t lo w t ide. The club mem-b er h ad quite a laugh over it .That's th e craziest th ing I ever heard, he said,look ing a t h is wa tch. But it's twen t y minutes beforeth re e n ow . I th ink I'll s t ic k a round an d s e e wh a t happ e n s .S0 say ing, he sa t down in th e shade, leaned against at re e a nd l ighted a cigarette. At three oc lock he a r o s e ,

picked up h is r od an d wa lked ou t on th e bridge. Hisrs t cast net ted him noth ing an d he smi led knowing lya s he p u t th e y up over th e poo l again. This t ime therew as a flash o f spray, an d he was ghting a fourteen- incht r ou t a lmo s t b e fo r e he realized wha t ha d happened-

M o o n U P . M o o n D o w n 1 1. * 5 h, h detoured around the b r idgeAfter ia5|*::,lir csarefdlly f rom t he lowe r end. In te n

P 0 5 2 1 2 5 MO more hefty t r ou t lay in h is creel. Then hem YcaT:i,gl:_,t;:3tlll; diihk there's anything to this low-t ide

, _ K ' l t.idea 0 5 lack S 7 he asksd 1 1 - r v l r s l l d ;1You shed those ]ack s a y s there is , s e 'reP 1 6 ~ . Y YP o o l s carepuily only for ty minutes ago w i th no resu lts .The dub mimbc i r scwtchi lh ls hlfiuli t ide feedinHow long, he inquired, o e s t is 0w - 5, 7.

Pelflidglly about an hour an d a hal f or tw o hours, shereplied.He n od de d thoughtfully and w alked up th e pathalong th e stream. Some t ime later he returned w i th ane basket o f t rout.Fo r obv iou s reasons, I did no t talk to o mu ch a bo utmy new feeding schedule. Radical ideas o f t his sort areno t always welcome amon g th e mo r e seasoned anglers,an d I wanted to be sur e o f m y ground. All o f th at s e a -s o n I checked m y schedule aga in s t t he act ua l feedingperiods. Not only di d I make m y ow n observat ions bu t ,by judicious quest ion ing, I learned that th e experiencesofo ther anglers nearly always coincided w i th m y own . Ifound that th e schedule o f l ow- t ide t imes w as closeevugh to b ea great help in p lanning each day s o tha tth e best shing w o u ld n o t be missed.Tha t w in te r threw n o n ew light on th e subject. As amatter o f fact, I did n ot p u t to o much t ime on it. Aftera n it was at tha t t ime mere l an interest in side li ht onY g g


14/93

12 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up -Moon Down l 3my favorite hobby an d I had my regular job to take careof. Th e following season found me continuing my observations, however, still using th e same meth od of low-tide calculation. It was during this season tha t I learnedof the cycle of intermediate feeding periods that occurmidway between t he major, "low-tide" activity periods.Conveniently, these periods seemed to b e timed concur-rently with the schedule of Sandy Hook high-tide timesan d I kept track of these also. More and more I becameconvinced that I was on the rig ht track of what consti-tuted a natural law of cyclic activity. Whi le I did notknow i t a t the time, science has known of this cycle forsome two hun dred years. I was to learn more of th atlater.Durin g the fall of t hat year I atten ded an anglers'

din ner given by one of my friends. Eugene V. Connett,111, was one of the guests also. At th at time he was onthe board of the magazine, The Sportsman. Duringcocktails, he asked m e if I was turnin g o ut any articlesfor the o utdoor magazines. I said that I was writing onenow and then."How about doing one for us on th at low-tide ideaof yours?" he said.The n an d there we sat down and came to an agree-ment as to price, details, etc. The next day I startedwork in earnest.In evolving th e theory of "inland tides" a nd theireffectson the feeding habits of fish, it mu st be remem-bered tha t this was an atte mp t to work o ut a law, rule,formula or m ethod by starting at the result and, by trial

essing my way back to th e possible cause.and error, PAll I had to go on a t that time was the fact that oceanfiEhand probably, inland fish, tim e their feedin g periodsconcu&ntly with tidal phases. Feeling tha t the flow ofthe tides themselves was responsible in some way forthe phenomenon, I attempted to reconcile the tidalintervals of the Atlantic tidal basin with those of thecoast. This was a sad mistake, as it threw theschedule completely awry in t he states located in thecentral part of the country. Fortunately an engineer inIndiana was smart enough to spot this fallacy and b ringit to my attention before too much damage had beendone. I t all came abou t this way.m e heory of "inland tides" was first made publicproperty in Jan uary, 1935, n the article written for Th eSportsman. In it I explained the funda menta l idea ofthe tidal theory. Wh en the Geode tic Survey wishes todetermine the tidal intervals of a ce rtain secti on of c oastline, a recording machine is installed which a utom atic-ally keeps a record of tidal fluctuation s at tha t po rt.This machine is operated for one or two years beforetide tables for that particular section are calculated inadvance.Th e reason for this preparatory period of o bs-tion is to enable the Geod etic Office to determ ine,without doubt, the tidal lag in those waters-in otherwords, the interval between t he actual time of th e pas-"ge of the cause of the tides (th e pull of the moon a ndthe sun) and th e arrival of high tide. This tidal lag, oc-by the inertia accompanying the movement ofthe tidal wave and the a tten dan t flow of water

. iz Moo n U p - Moo n D ow nmy fa v o rit e h ob b y an d I ha d m y regular jo b to take c a r eo f. The fo l low ing season found me continuing m y O i}servations, however, st i l l using th e same method o f l ow .tide calculation. It was dur ing this season tha t I learnedof th e cycle of intermediate feeding per iods tha t occurmidway be tween t he major , low-tide act iv i ty p 6 l ' i 0 d s _Conveniently, t h e s e periods s e e m e d to b e t imed concur-rent ly w i th th e schedule o f Sandy Hook high- t ide t imesan d I kep t track o f these also. Mo r e a nd mo re I becameconvinced tha t I was on th e r ight track o f wha t consti-tuted a natural law o f cyclic activity. While I did no tknow it a t th e t ime, science has known o f this cycle fo rsome t w o h un dr ed years. I was to le ar n mo r e o f thatlater.Dur ing th e fall o f th at year I attended an anglers dinner given by one o f m y friends. Eugene V. Connet t ,III, was one of th e guests also. At that t ime he w a s onth e board of th e magazine, The Spor t sman . Dur ingcocktails, h e a sk ed me if I was turning out an y articlesfo r th e o u td o or magazines. I said that I was wr i t ing onenow a ri d t hen .How ab out d o ing one fo r u s on that loiv-t ide ideao f you rs?" lie said.Then an d there w e sa t d ow n a nd came to an agree-men t a s to pr ice , de ta il s , etc. The next day I s tarted

w o rk in earnest.In evolving th e theory o f inland t ides" an d theireffec ts on th e feed ing hab it s o f sh, it mus t be remem-hered that this was an a t t emp t to wo r k ou t a law, rule,formula or me t hod b y s t ar tin g a t th e resul t and, by tr il

M oon U p - M o o n D o w n 1 3. 'ble cause.way back to the p o s s iand er ro r , g u $ S 1 l ' l g a l ? h a t t ime was th e fact tha t ocean0 onAll I had tobibl in1;nd sh, t ime their feed ing perwds

sh and, PIS wig: t ide] P h a s e s . Feel ing tha t th e ow ofcoricurren hymsel ves was [e5p0nSIl) l in some w ay fo rthe ndes t e on 1 gt tempted to r e conci le t he t idallb: fslnflllei t lantic t idal basin wi th those o f t } l : em e , ' d mistake, a s it threw t ePQc1clcO::l11;:E:l;v:v?ys?l'l th e states located in th ewhim; 1; o f p t h e country. Fortunately an engineer incc h 's fa llacy an d br ingIndiana w a s smart enough to spot t i d beit to my attent ion l l j e f t i t r p h t o o v v r g u c h damage ha enou is .d ' l l l l i < = I l I l 1 l i e l 0 c I ; t l d f inland t ides" was rst made publ icProperty in Ianuary 1935, in th e article wr i t ten ii)! TheSpor tsman. In it I exp la ined t he fundamenta l I < ? 1 3 :5the t idal theory. Whe n th e Geodet icsurvey wisf e s (Zdetermine th e t idal intervals o f a certain section 0 c o a sline, a recording machine is installed wh i c h automat ic-ally keeps a record o f t ida l uc tua t ions at tha t po r t .This machine is operated fo r one o r tw o years beforetide tables fo r that part icular section are ca lcu la ted inadvance. The reason fo r t his preparatory per iod o f ob-servation is to enable th e Geodet ic Othce t o de te rm ine ,wi thout doubt , th e t idal lag in those wate rs - in otherwords, th e interval be tween t he actual t ime o f th e pas-s a g e of the c a u s e o f the tides (tl1'pUll of the moon andihesun) an d t he a r r iva l o f high t ide. This t idal lag, oc -casioned by th e inertia accomp any ing t he movemen t o fth e Atlantic t idal wave an d th e at tendant o w o f water


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Moon Up Moon Downover natural obstructions, is known as the "high-Lyaterinterval" or, for brevity, the H. \V. I. of tha t port. ~b~H.W. I. of th e Atlan tic basin itself is, roughly, six anda half or seven hours. Th at of the Pacific basin is alnlostthree times that. Thu s, in attempting to graduate ttlesetheoretical H.W. I.'s for inland w aters across the coun-try, you can readily see how much confusion \youldresult.All this was explained carefully in that first article.In order to facilitate description, the theory was givena name. Tides being caused by the sun an d the moon,I combined t he words "solar" a nd "lunar." Th us wasthe Solunar Theory born.Th e response to the article in T he Sportsman,(which, incidentally, was called "Ocean Tides andFresh -Wa ter Fish") was surprising. Letters came infrom nearly every state in the union, requesting moredetailed information. I replied to as many of thes e let-ters as I could, and in April, 1935, another article, am-plifying that of January, was published in Th e Sports-man . The n, to top th is off, articles on th e same subjectwere published in both Field and Stream and Out-door Life. Without question, the sportsmen of thecountry were introduced to t he Solunar Theory.Slowly at first, but with increasing volume, lettersfrom readers began to come in t o the editors of the threemagazines. Editors believe that "fan mail" should beanswered and these letters were forwarded to me forreply. At first, I did the best I could with them, but Iwas finally snowed unde r. T o have answ ered all of thos e

Moon Up - Moon Down l.5letters in detail would have required t he services of no tless than five stenographers and my fu ll time to do thedictating. W h a t then, to do abou t i t and sti ll keep-everybodyhappy'Sitting at my desk one evening with tha t staggeringpile of mail before me, a possible solution of t he p r o blem came to mind. After all, with a few exceptions, thewriters of the letters wanted to know the same thing-where or how could he, or sh e, obtain a schedule of thefeeding periods of fish in the w aters of his, or her, sec-tion of the country? The next day I went to th e printerand had some postcards printed. O n these cards I statedthat for the sum of fifty cents, to cover the cos t of print-ing, mailing, etc., I would forward to the sender a book-let listing the Solunar feeding periods for each day ofthe season in all parts of the country. T he n I had athousandbooks pr-inted an d s at back to see what w ouldhappen. The first thousand books lasted just five ~ e e k s .Meanwhile my job in the city was not an easy one.At that time I was engaged in doin g some special workin downtown real-estate brokerage for the bank whereI was working. Tha t mea nt long hours and hard work.Up at six-forty-five each mo rning , I was on the go untilI returned hom e, usually abou t seven each evening. Nothaving too much time for detail work at h ome, I madea deal with Beth, my wife. I agreed that if she wouldfillthe orders, attend to th e mailing and pay for th e post-age out of her part of th e proceeds, she could have allof the actual cash that came in. Checks, money ordersand stamps belonged to me. I can still see her sta nding

14 M o o n U p - ltloon D o w nover natural obst ruct ions, is k n own a s th e high-ware,interval or , f o r b rev it y , th e H. W. I. o f th at por t , Th eH, V V . I. o f th e Atlantic basin i tself is , roughly, six an da half o r seven hours. That o f t he Pacic basin is almostthree t imes that. T hus , in at tempt ing to graduate thesetheoret ical H. VV . I.'s fo r inland waters across th e C O u n _t ry , y ou can readily s e e ho w m uch confusion wouldresult.All this was explained ca reful ly i n that rs t a r ti cl eIn order to facili tate descript ion, t he t he o ry was givena name. Tides being caused by th e su n an d tlic moon,I combined th e words so lar an d " lunar . " Thus w a st he So lunar Theory born .The response to th e article in The Sportsman,(wh i ch , i nc iden ta ll y , was called Ocean Tides andFresh-VVater Fish) was surprising. Letters carne inf rom nearly every state in th e union, requesting moredetailed in fo rmat ion. I replied to a s many o f these let-ters a s I cou ld , and in Apr i l , iogg, another a r t ic le , am -p l i fy ing that o f lanuary, was publ ished in T he Spor ts-man. Then, to to p this of f , art icles on th e same subjectwere publ ished in b oth Fie ld an d S tr eam a nd Out -door Life. Without que s tio n , t he spo r tsmen o f th ecount ry were int roduced to t he So lunar Theory .Slow ly at rst, b ut w ith increasing volume, lettersf rom readers began t o c ome in to th e editors o f th e threemagazines. Editors believe that fa n m a il" should h eanswered an d these letters were forwarded to me i0l'reply. At rst, I d id t hc best I could wi th t hem, bu t lw as nally snowed under. To have answered all o f those

Moon U p - M o o n D o w n 1 5_ . C i h uired th e services o f no t

letterli in giagltgztgapgirfga m y full t ime to do th eHt i ess ttflzg What then, to do about it an d sti l l keepictal - 7e v g r y l z g i y a h a r p g g l y d e s t on e evening w i th . t ha t s tagger ig

- '1 before me a possib le so lu tion o f th e p roP 1 1 6 of mm ' d After a l l wi th a few excep t ions , th el iyltsfsni lllidilhlftc-rs wan ted t o know th e S a m e th ipgh-where "Y ho w Could he - o r S h e l Obtain ll l c h l e f x l i - h e e l , s l e c ?feeding Periods o f sh m th e ldatels O fit, th e r iin te rg o f th e country? The next ay ll o d P ratedand had some postcards printed. Ont e s e ca r s fs _ t-{hat fo r th e sum o f fty cents, to cover th e cost o prinki i - i g , mailing, etc., I wou l d fo rwa rd to th e sendeaad oole t l ist ing th e Solunar feed ing per iods fo r e a c lpydcth e s e a s o n in al l parts of th e country. Then I a athousand books pr in ted an d sa t back to s e e whatW0i-113happen. The rst thousand books las ted ]ust v e weeks.Meanwhi le m y job in th e city w as no t an @ 5 Y e-At t hat t ime I was engaged in doing some special Workin down t own real-estate brokerage fo r th e bank whereI w a s work ing. Tha t mcant long hours an d hard wo r k .U p at six-forty-ve each morn ing, I was o n the go untilI returned home, usua ll y abou t seven each evening. Nothaving to o much t ime fo r d et ail w o r k at homo , I madea deal wi th B eth , m y w ife . I agreed that if she Wouldl l the orders, at tend to th e mai l ingand pay fo r th e pos t -a g out o f he r par t o f th e proceeds, s h e could have allo f th e actual c a s h that came in . Checks, money ordersand starnps belonged to me. I can still s e e he r standing


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16 Moon U p - Moon Down C H A P T E R T W Oon our veranda as the postman handed her the dailymail, shaking each letter to see if it rattled. W e had alot of fun th at season.Th e postman, who had reached th e stage of becom.ing "an institutio n" on our street, watched the volumeof our mai l grow, in a short time, from a daily trickle ofthree or four letters to a twice-daily flood. Eventuallyhis curiosity could stan d it no longer. Having unloadedhis sack at our door o ne morning, h e removed his hat,scratched his head and said,"Excuse me, Mrs.; I know it's none of my businessbut I can't h elp wonderin'. A mo nth ago you was gettin7three-four letters a day and a f ew mags. All of a su dden,mail comes pourin7 n here 'till I get round-shoulderedcarryin' it. Jus t what the hell is goin7on?"

Beth explained just what the hell went on. Henodded, scratched his head again, and walked slowlydown the walk as though thinking to himself, "Nowwhy can't I think of somethin' like that?"After tha t we had an interested third p arty in businesswith us. Before he handed over the mail, he shook itfirst with some such com men t as, "Heavy this mornin'-feels like plenty of cash, too"; o r, "Not so much thistime. Better get him to write an other story."As the money continued to come in and we had toorder more books to be printed, it dawned on us thatthis influx of orders migh t not be a temporary thin g butan ann ual event. Wi th ou t realizing it, we were in busi-ness for ourselves; you mig ht say, kicked in to it.

H VING a new source of income prac-.tically dump ed in ou r laps was a timely and p leasant su r-P ise. Things had not been going too well for the Knightfamily. W h at with th e '29 "crash," the shrinkage invalues an d th e complete collapse of downtow nNew Yo& real-estate brokerage, the family exchequerhad dwindled rapidly. W e moved from Westchester toOrange, New Jersey, and hied to cut down on familyoverhead. That's pretty hard t o do . I had found a jobwitt ne of the big banks but t hat m eant long andregu ar hours at about 20 per cent of the money I ha dearned formerly. Magazin e articles helped somewhat,but the going was still fairly toug h.Tha t summer, with the aid of checks from th e maga-zines and th e sale of Solunar Tables, we traded in ourold car and bought a new one. Wi th the advent of fall,we found that we had tu rned in quite a respectable in-come. Accordingly, we sat ourselves down and madeplans.Beth and I made ano ther deal. After all, most of mytime was taken up with my work in the city. On theother hand, this looked like a chance to get back o n a nindependent basis again. She agreed t o hand le all th edetail work in conne ction w ith th e sale of t he books-mailing, card files, desk work, etc. T o my lot fell p u b

1 6 Mo o n U p - M o on D o wnon o u r veranda a s t he p o s tm a n h an de d her th e dailymai l , shak ing each le t ter to s e e i f i t rat t led. We ha d alotof fu n tha t season.The pos tman , w ho ha d reached th e stage o f hecom.in g an institution"o n o ur sheet , wa t c hed t he vo lumeo f o u r m a il g row , in a sho r t t ime , f rom a daily tr ickle o fthrce o r fou r letters to a tw ice-dai ly ood. Eventual lyhi s cur ios i ty could s tand it no longer. Hav ing unloadedhi s sack at o ur door one morn ing , he r emoved hi s hat,scratched h is head and said,Excuse me, Mr s . ; I k n ow it 's none o f m y businessb u t I can t help wonder in ' .A mon t h ago you w as gct t in 'threefour let ters a da y an d a fe w mags. All o f a sudden,ma i l comes pou r in in here till I ge t round-shou lde redcarry/in it . I n s t wha t th e hel l is go in ' o n? Be th exp la ined ju st w h at the he ll w e n t on. Henodded, scratched hi s head again, a nd wa lk e d s low lyd own th e wa l k a s t hough t h ink ing to himsel f , NowWhy can' t l th ink of someth in ' l i ke t ha t? "Af te r t ha t w e had an interested thirdp a r ty i n businessw i t h us . Before he handed o v er th e mai l , he shook itrs t w i t h some such c ommen t a s , Heavy this rnorn in 'feels l ike p len t y o f cash, t o o " ; or, Not s o much thist ime . Be t t e r ge t h im to wr i t e another s to ry . "As th e money cont inued to come in an d w e ha d too r de r m o r e books to be p r i n ted , it d aw n e d o n u s tha tthis i n u x o f orders m i g ht n o t be a t empora ry th ing bu tan annual cven t . \Vithout real izing it , w e w ere in busi-n e s s fo r ourselves; you migh t s a y , k icked i nt o it .

CHAPTER TW O

HAVINGa new sourcle Ofdllli0!1'l

My d . " P " " i l P S w i i i E J Z iii r o l $ i ' < i . r g r rPriseiTl3\1;ZRSi$)ttheeig cgash " th e shrinkage inf a l T 1 i Y ~ cur - i ty values a nd t he c om p le te c t p i l l a p s e tit ( g o ; / ] p E t o l \ : ; r ;N e w Y ' l < l"l *te b r o k e r a g e } ! f 8 33 } y r h all t oha d dw ind led rap id l y .We rnove r omd e s c ef 1Orange, New Iersey, a nd tr re d t o cu t ow ? or1dari-ir lyoverhead. That 's p r e t t y ha r d to do. I had oun a y ow i th one o f th e b ig banks but tha t mean t l ong andregular hours a t abou t zo p er cen t o f th e money I hadeamed f o rme r ly . Magaz ine art icles helped somewha t ,bu t th e going w as s t i l l fa i r l y t ough.Tha t summe r , w i t h th e a id of checks f rom th e maga-zines an d th e s a l e o f Solunar Tab les, w e t raded in ou ro ld car and bough t a ne w one.With th e advent o f fall ,we found t ha t w e had turned in qui te a respectable in -oome. Accord ingly , w e sat ourselves d ow n an d madeplans.Beth an d I made ano the r deal. After all , mos t o f m yt irne w a s taken up with m y w ork in t he c it y. O n th eothe r hand, t h is l o o ked l ike a chance to get back on anindependent basis again. She agreed t o h a nd le a ll th edetai l wo r k in connec t ion w i t h th e sale o f th e b o o k s -lnail ing, card les , desk wo r k , etc. To m y lo t fel l p ub -

1 7


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i8 Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 19licity, correspondence, advertising and finances. Itlooked like a busy winter ahead.In order to sell anything, no matter what it may be,the more you know about it th e more chance you haveto sell it. That's just plain common sense. I made upmy min d th at if th e sales of S olunar Tables were goingto amou nt to anything of importance, it was up to meto find out about the formation of a more accurateschedule. Mo re imp ortant, it was my job to discover, ifpossible, just why this phenomenon should take place.Correlations are dangerous things to play with if youare serious about the job in hand. T he Sophists foun dtha t ou t some thousands of years ago. For instance, dayin an d day out you may have dinn er at six each evening.I t does not necessarily follow that, just becau se it hap -pens t o be six o'clock, you will, without fail, sit down todinner.Som e years ago a senior in one of o ur universitieschose as the su bject of his senior thesis the topic of cor-relations. Perhap s the mo st lasting portion of th at workis what h e termed "the straw-hat correlation." Thro ughdi nt of thoroug h an d painstaking investigation he builtup a conclusive and bullet-proof relationship betweenthe n umbe r of straw hats th at find their way each yearinto the garbage cans of New York City an d the n umberof pneumon ia cases tha t show up in the New York hos-pitals. After a year of research, he set up a beautifulequation tha t showed a set, mathematical ratio betweenthese two unrelated annual totals. As one number in-creased, the other increased in proportion and vice versa.

Obviously, the contrib uting factors-the catalyzers-arethose of temperature fluctuations an d w eather changes.~~t these need not be considered in order to have hisstand th e test, year after year.

Thinking about these things, it seemed to me to bejust as far-fetched to believe that ocean tides, of them-selves, could possibly have any direct effect upon thelives an d habits of fresh-water fish in stream s and lakesfar removed from th e ocean. Carried a step farther, itseemed almost as inconclusive tha t t he rise an d fall ofthe tides could be the comp lete controlling factor gov-erning the feeding cycle of salt-water fish. How can abluefish, for instance, swimm ing ten miles off shore withhalf a mile of water under h im, d etect a change of de pthof three or four feet a nd thereby regulate his entire dailyroutine? Could it be possible that the correlation bywhich salt-water fishermen have planned their dayssince the year one-the belief th at certain stages of tidecontrol th e feedin g habits of fish-is, also, a high-grad ebit of soph istry?From knowledge gained on past fishing trips andfrom questioning several ardent salt-water anglers, Ilearned the stages of tide a t which th e fish bite best a tnearly all of th e well-known angling co nce ntra tionpoints on the Lo ng Island an d New Jersey coasts-Mon-tauk Point, Moriches Bay, Fire Island Inlet, TomsRiver, Beach Haven and so on. Then, from the tidetables, I set down the actual times th at the critical phaseof tide arrived at these key points on one particular day.Plotted on a sheet of graph pap er, the curve of tidal

1 8 Moon U p - M o on D o wnlicity, correspondence, advert ising an d nances. Itlooked like a busy winter ahead.In order to sell anything, no ma tte r w h a t it may be ,th e mo re you k n ow a bout it th e more chance you haveto sell it. That s just p la in c ommon s e n s e . I made up

m y mind that if th e s a l e s o f Solunar Tables were goingto amoun t to anyth ing o f impor tance, it was up to meto n d out ab ou t th e fo rm a tio n o f a more accurateschedule. Mo r e impor tan t , it was m y jo b to discover, ifpossible, ju st w h y th is p h en ome no n s ho uld take place.Correlat ions a r e dangerous t h ings t o play wi th if youare ser ious about th e jo b in hand. The Sophis ts foundthat o u t some thousands o f years ago . F o r instance, da yin an d day ou t y ou m a y h av e dinner at s ix each evening.It does no t necessarily fo l low t ha t, ju s t because it l iap-pcns to b e s ix o cl ock , you w i ll , w i th ou t fail, s it d own todinner.Some y ca rs ago a senior in one o f our universit ieschose a s t he sub ject o f his senior thesis th e t op ic o f cor-relat ions. Perhaps th e mo s t last ing por t ion o f that wo r kis wha t lie termed the straw-hat correlat ion." Throughdint of thorough and pa ins tak ing invest igat ion he builtup a conclus i ve and bul le t -p roof relat ionship betweenth e n um b e r o f s tr aw ha ts t ha t nd t he ir w ay each yearinto th e garbage cans o f New York City an d th e numbe ro f pneumon ia c a s e s that s ho w u p in th e New York hos-pitals. After a year o f research , he se t up a beaut i fulequat ion that showed a set, mathemat ica l rat io betweenthese tw o unrelated annua l totals. As one numbe r in -creased, th e other increased in p ropo r t i on an d vice versa.

M o o n U p - Moon D o w n 1 9Obv ious ly , the contr ibut ing fact0rsthe catalyzers arethose o f temperature uctuat ions and wea the r changes.But these need no t be considered in o rd er to have hiscorrelation stand th e test, year after year.Think ing about thcsc th ings, it seemed to m c to bejust a s far-fctchcdto believe that ocean tides, o f t l\ < ; l m -s e l v e s , could possib ly have any direct effect up on ie

lives an d habits o f f resh-water s h in streams an d lakesfa r r emoved f rom th e ocean. Carried a step farther, itseemed a lmost a s inconclusive tha t th e rise an d fall o fth e tides could be t he eomp le ie controgil ipggpctor gov-' e in c ic e o s a t -water s . ow can a

fiiii? X 1 i t3 I % C C , sw imming t en m i le s o ffs ho re wi thhalfa m i le o f wate r unde rh im, detect a change o f d ep t ho f t hr ee o r four fee t and thereby regulate his ent ire da ilyroutine? Could it be pos s ib le that th e cor re la ti on bywhich sal t-water shermen have planned their dayssince th e year one-the belicff glrgt certaiin s t a l g e s h o f tlgfcontrol the feeding habit s 0 s i s , a s o , a ig -gra 6b it o f sophistry?From knowledge g ain ed o n pas t shing t rip s an dfrom quest ioning several ardent sal t-water anglers, Ilearned th e s t a g e s o f t id e at which th e sh bite best atnearly al l o f th e we l l- k nown anglin g c oncen tr at ionpo in ts o n t he Long I s landand New jersey coastsM on-t a u l < Po in t, M o r ic he s Bay, Fire Island Inlet , T om sRiver, Beach Haven an d s o on. T he n, fro m th e tidetables, I set down th e actual t ir ii es t ha t t hc critical phaseO f t ide a r ri ved at thcse key points on one part icular day.Plotted on a sheet o f graph paper , th e curve of t idal


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2o Moon Up - Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 21phases made no sense at all. But th e curve of the timesof arrival of those tidal phases turned o ut to be almosta straigh t line. In oth er words, these good fishing timesat the various bays, passes, rivers and inlets arrived all atthe same time.f the best time to fish at Montauk Pointhappened to be 2.30 P.M. on a certain day, then 2.30P.M. was the best time to fish at Beach Haven o r TomsRiver on tha t same day, regardless of the fac t that th estage of tide differed in all th ree places. Salt-water fisher-men have been guiding their efforts for hundreds ofyears by a rule tha t is substantially as groundless as the"straw-hat correlation."T he timing of the feeding cycle for both fresh andsalt-water fish being synchron ized with th at of tidalfluctuation, the next possibility, irl natural sequence,was a closer look at th e con ditions that a re the cause ofthe tides-the gravitational pull of th e moon and thesun.In terms of actual work done, the m oon is boss manin tha t com bination, exerting, as it does, approximatelytwice the amoun t of influence exerted by the sun. Justto see how it would work out, I tried making up a Solu-nar schedule by determ ining the resultant of the tw oforces-the pull of th e moon and the pull of th e sun-and using as the Solunar period the time that this resul-tant force was directly applied to our particular longi-tude-either overhead or underfoot. T he minorwere placed midway between these major Solunarperiods because tha t is where I had learned, from obser-vation, to expect to find them. This schedule proved to

be more satisfactory than the one concocted from theuse of tidal times, although it still was far from beingexact.shortly after th e publication of the four articles intro-ducing the Solunar Theory, I was approached by thehead of a publishing house th at specializes in textbooks.He had an idea that it would be good business to pub-lish a series of textbooks dealing with the finer points ofthe various outd oor sports, such as fresh-water angling,salt-water angling (if you can call it angling) ,yachting,waterfowl shooting, upland shooting, fox hunting, rid-ing and so on. These works were not to be in any senseelememtary; in fact, they were to be postg raduate coursesin the selected sports. He wanted me to do the book onfresh-water angling . I agreed and, just to complicatematters completely, I foun d myself w riting a compre-hensive manuscript for a fishing book. Meanwhile wehad gone ahead with th e second edition of the SolunarTables. Work grew heavier for both of us and bedtim emoved from midnight to one or two o'clock.Th e textbook publisher changed his mind about thepublication of his series of works on the ou tdoo r sports,SO the manuscript was reshaped somewhat and, in April,1936, was published by Charles Sc ribner7sSons underthe title T he Modern Angler. To get the book off to aflying start, the publicity department at Scribner's ar-ranged for me to speak at the "Headliner's Luncheon,"held each week at the D owntown Ath letic Clu b in NewYork City. I had never addressed a gatherin g of m orethan a few people an d the prospect of speaking to an

zo M oon U p -M o on D o w nphases made no s e n s e a t a ll . Bu t t he cur ve o f th e t imeso f arrival o f those t idal phases tu m e d o ut to be a lmosta s t ra ight l ine. In other words , these good shing t imesa t th e various bays, p a s s e s , rivers an d inlets arrived all atth e same t ime. If t he best t ime to s h at Mon tau k Pointhappened to b e 2.30 i> . M . on a certain day, then 2.30P .M . w as th e best t ime to s h a t Beach Haven or TomsR iv er o n tha t same day, regardless o f t he f ac t that th estage o f t ide differed in all three places. Salt-water sher-men h av e b ee n guiding their eltorts fo r hundreds o fyears by a rule tha t is substant ial ly a s groundless a s th es t raw-hat cor re lat ion. The timing o f th e feeding cycle fo r both fresh an dsa lt -wa t er sh being synchronized w i th tha t o f t idaluctuat ion, th e n ex t possibi l i ty, in natural sequence,w as a closer look at th e condi t ions tha t are th e cause o fth e t ides the gravi tat ional pull o f th e m o on a nd th esun.In terms o f actual wo r k done, th e moon is boss manin t ha t combinat ion, exert ing, a s it does, approx imate lytwice th e amoun t o f influence exerted b y the sun, ]us tto s e e ho w it w o u ld w o r k out , I tr ied making up a Solu-nar schedu le by determining t he resu lt ant of th e tw oforces- the pull o f the m o on and the pu l l o f th e sunand us ing a s t he So luna r per iod th e t ime that this resul-tan t force was directly app lie d t o our part icular longi-tude either overhead or unde rf oo t. The minor per iodswere placed midway between these major Solunarperiods because tha t is where I had lea rned, f rom obser-va tion , t o expect to n d them. This schedule proved to

Moo n U p - Moo n D o w n 2 1be more sa t is facto ry than th e one concocted f rom th eu s e o f t idal t imes, although it still was fa r f rom beingexact.Shor t ly a f te r th e publicat ion of th e four articles intro-duc in g t he S o lu na r Theory , I was approached by th ehead o f a publ ish ing house tha t specializes in textbooks.He had a n id ea that it wou ld be good business to pub -lish a series o f textbooks dealing w i th t he ne r p o i nt s o fth e various outdoor spo r ts , such a s fresh-water angling,salt-water angling (if you can call it angl ing) , yachting,water fowl shoo ti ng , up land shoot ing, fo x hun t ing , r id -ing an d s o o n. T he se wo r ks we re no t to be in an y s e n s eelementary; in fac t , they were to be postgraduate coursesin th e selected sports . I-Ie wanted me to do th e book onf resh-water angling. I agreed and, ju st to c om p l ic atematters completely, I found myse l f wr i t ing a compre -hensive manuscr ip t fo r a shing book . Meanwh i le w ehad gone ahead wi th th e second edit ion o f t he So luna rTables. \V0rk grew heav ie r fo r bo th o f u s an d bedt imemoved f rom midn igh t to on e or tw o o'c lock.The t e xt book pub l ishe r changed his mind ab out t hepublicat ion o f his series o f wo rk s on th e outdoor sports ,s o th e manuscr ip t was reshaped somewha t and, in Apr i l ,1936 , was publ ished by Char le s Sc ribner s Sons underth e title The Modem Angler. To ge t th e book o it to aflying start, th e publ ic i ty depar tment a t Scribner's ar -ranged fo r me to speak at th e Headl iners Luncheon, "held each week at th e D ow n t o w n Ath le t ic C lub in NewYork City . I ha d never addressed a gathering o f morethan H few people a nd th e p ro sp ec t o f speaking to an


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z Moon U p Moon Down Moon Up - Moon Down 23assemblage of over four hundred persons had me justabout scared to death. Going u p in th e elevator to thebig dinin g hall, my knees fairly trembled. At the speak-er's table my palms were moist, my collar tight an d mymo uth dry. Although I had prepared my notes carefully,they had little or no meaning as I looked at them on thetable before me. The n, in desperation, I gave myself apep talk. These people, I told myself, probably don'tknow as much ab out fishing as you do and nothing atall abo ut the Solunar Theory. Talk to the smartest manin the room. You know more than h e does about yoursubject matter. Sell him on th e idea that you know whatyou're talking about and you won't have any troublewith the rest of them. When I was introduced andfound myself standing before the microphone of theloudspeaker system, I found that I was fairly cool andcollected. My talk was scheduled for thirty minutes. Itmus t have gone over all right as they had me on my feetfor about an hour and forty minutes. I never did get achance to eat my lunch.That summer found me feeling pretty rocky physi-cally. I suppose th at th e years of the d epression, withthe att end an t loss of mon ey and reduction of income,combine d with recent loss of sleep and too mu ch work,all united to take their toll 011m y physical reserve. Th ebank do ctors looked me over, as did my own doctor a nda couple of specialists. All agreed that there was noth-ing wrong organically bu t tha t I was well run dow n andneeded a rest. Accordingly, Beth, my son and I climbedinto our car and headed for Maine with instructionsfrom the doctor to "come back when you feel well

to go back to work." I returned in September,feeling geatly refreshed and went back into the oldagain.During the spring and summer I had had only an

occasional opportunity to make personal observationson the accuracy of the Solunar schedule. Obviously,this was a tremendous handicap. In order to form anyconclusive ideas, the schedule should be checked eachday throughout th e fishing season. Hav ing a living toearn and a job to earn it with, I had to stick to thatjob and work on th e Solunar schedule wh en I found the

I tried to enlist the aid of others in m aking observa-tion? for me, but that proved unsatisfactory. For somereason, only about o ne ma n in a hundred-is mentallvequipped to see things intelligently. I received man;reports and tried to coach volunteer observers in whatto do and what to w atch for. Finally I gave it up as abad job, as the reports received were, in the greatmajority, practically useless. I could see ~ la in lyhat Iwould have to do the job for myself. M en who werescientifically trained had their own axes to grind andthose without that training were of little or no help.Looking back, I can see that this inability to be onthe stream every day retarded the development of anaccurate schedule more than I realized. At that time,however, nothing could be done abou t it. W e ust madethe best of it and wen t ahead building our littlebusiness as well as we could. Th en , ou t of a clear sky,loomed some information that opened up a new fieldof research.

22 M oon U p - Itloon D o w nassemblage o f over four hundred persons had m e justabout scared t o d ea th . Go ing up in th e elevator to th eb ig d in ing hall, m y knees fairly t rembled, At th e S p e a k -er's table m y pa lms were moist , my co lla r t ight an d mymouth dry. Although I had prepared my notes carefully,they ha d little or no meaning a s I looked at th em o n th et ab le bc fo re me. Then, i n despe ra t ion , I gave myse l f ap cp talk. These people, I told myself , probab ly don' tknow a s much a bou t shing a s you do an d noth ing atal l about t he So lunar Theory . Talk to th e sma r tes t manin th e r oom . Y ou k no w rnorc than he does about you rsubject matter. Scll h im on th e idea that yo u know wha tyoure talking about an d you won t have an y t roublewi th th e rest o f t hem. \Vhen I was int roduced an dfound myse l f standing before the microphone o f th eloudspeaker system, I found that I was fairly cool a ndcollected. My talk was scheduled fo r thirty minutes. Itmus t have gone over all r ight a s they ha d me on m y feetfo r about an hour an d for ty minutes. I never did ge t achance to ea t m y lunch.Tha t summe r found me feeling pret ty r oc ky p h ys i-cally. I suppose that th e ycars o f th e depression, wi thth e attendant loss o f money an d reduct ion o f income,combined wi th recent loss o f sleep an d to o much wo rk ,a ll un it ed to ta ke their toll on m y physical rescrvc. Thebank doct o rs looked me ovcr, a s did m y ow n doc tor an da couple o f specialists. All agreed that there was noth-in g w rong organically bu t that I was wel l ru n down an dneeded a rcst. Accord ingly , Beth , m y s o n and I cl imbedinto our ca r and headed fo r Maine wi th inst ruct ionsfrom th e doctor to come back when yo u fcel wel l

Moo n U p - M oo n D ow n 23enough to go back to work . " I returned in September,feeling greatly r ef re shed and wen t back into th e o ldtine a ain.{alluring th e s p rin g an d summer I ha d ha d only ang ( ; 3 5 i 0 r ' l 2 l l oppo r tun i t y to make pe rs o na l observationson th e accuracy of t he S o lu na r schedule. Obviously ,this w a s a t remendous handicap . In order to form anymnclusive ideas, th e schedule should be checked eachday throughout t he shing season. Hav ing a l iv ing toearn and a jo b to earn it w i th , I had to s tick to thatjob and wo rk on t he So lunar schedule when I found th echance.Itried to enl ist th e aid o f others in m a k in g observa-t ions fo r me, bu t tha t proved unsa ti s facto ry . Fo r somereason, o n ly a b ou t one m an in a hundred is mental lyequ ip ped t o s e e things intel l igent ly. I received manyreports an d t rie d t o coach volun teer observers in wha tto do an d wha t to w a tch fo r. Finally I gave it up a s abad job, a s th e reports received were, in th e greatmajori ty , practically useless. I could s e e p l a in ly t ha t Iwou ld have to do th e jo b fo r myself . M en w ho werescientically trained ha d their ow n a x e s to grind andthose w it h ou t t h at t ra in ing were o f little or no help.Look ing back, I can s e e tha t this inabil i ty to be onth e s t ream ever y day r et arded t he deve lopment o f anaccurate schedule more than I realized. At tha t t ime,however, noth ing could be done about it. W e just madethe.bes t o f it an d wen t ahead building our littlebusiness a s wel l a s W e could. T he n, o u t o f a clear sky,loomed some in fo rma t io n t ha t opened up a ne w eldO f research


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C H A P T E R T H R E E Moon Up - Moon Down 25

I IS a strange thing, in working on a phe-nom enon of this kind, how items of inform ation, whichmean little or nothing at the time they are gathered,sooner or later fit themselves into th e big jigsaw puzzle.Having learned this from experience, I have becomewh at Beth calls a mental pack rat. Every week I receiveletters from users of the Solunar Tables here an d thereabout the country. Frequently, there are odd bits ofinformation in these letters. Wh ile these may have littleor no significance at the time, most of the m serve apurpose eventually.Tak e, for instance, the effects of th e trend of th ebarometer on the behavior of wild life. In 1925, whilereading F. G. Shaw's book, T he C omp lete Science ofFly Fishing an d Spinning, I saw therein a statem ent tothe effect that the dry fly was more effective on clear,sunny days, while in wet or threatening weather a wetfly, fished deep, was preferable. Th er e it was-one man'sobservation of the types of flies to use durin g good an dbad weather. That bit was stored away in my mentalfiling cabinet for future reference.Some years l

Documents

Knight, J.a.(1942)_Moon Up - Moon Down [162 p.]