Anytime you can go is a good time, but the interaction of several factors can make a good time even better. Statistics show that the days of, and the three days either side of, the full or dark moons tend to produce the largest fish, along with the days of the half moons. That's a headscratcher, but simply means that the moon's increased gravitational effects during those prime monthly periods apparently trigger an increase in big-fish activity. If we were talking about the ocean, it would be easier to recognize and accept, because tidal effects are greatest and most obvious in such vast bodies of water. Suffice it to say that in much smaller inland waters, increased tidal effects, though typically too subtle for us to notice, probably create mild currents and raise and lower water levels just enough to trigger increased fish and forage activity.
Then, too, the full and dark moons are opposing periods of the greatest and least amounts of visible light. With anglers being visual creatures, it's easiest for us to fish during full moons because we can see better to orient presentations and handle our gear. During dark moons, however, it's flashlight time whenever we need to accomplish even the simplest task. It's often harder to maintain our bearing, be focused, and function with efficiency and enthusiasm amidst the murk. If there's a downside to the full moon, however, it's that the moon's brightness may tend to make the fish move much later after sundown -- like well after midnight -- while during the dark moon, the night bite can kick in shortly after the sunset bite subsides; then it tapers off early enough for you to go home and catch some shuteye before getting up again to be on the water for the sunrise bite. After all, you can always take a midday nap to catch up on your sleep.
All of this is, of course, moderated by the weather, which during summer is typically rather pleasant, barring excessive wind or rain that can turn a quiet and gentle night of listening to nature's subtlest sounds into one of survival of the fittest, pitted against waves slapping against the hull and complicating trolling passes in the dark. Wind, however, does keep the bugs down, although mosquitoes typically lose their swarming ferocity several hours after sundown, and a bit of insect repellent takes care of the rest. Wind can also trigger walleyes to move extremely shallow, right along shore, where they throw caution to the winds by feeding more aggressively amidst the rock and roll of turbulence, unaware of your approach. Wind and waves disguise your presence and any unnatural sounds you make, compared to calm conditions where stealth is at a premium. Shhhh!
In the end, however, it's still a crapshoot, and you never know which conditions will be best come nightfall. So you go when you can and troll with the punches, recognizing that on some nights you'll be most comfortable, while on others you'll earn your catch, although the catching can be mighty good. Fishing is still fishing, day or night, with no guarantees but loads of potential rewards. What you do know, however, is that once the sun goes down, the biggest walleyes in the lake often become most active, targeting the nighttime hours when man's intrusive activities dwindle to a virtual standstill. Except for you, of course, you nocturnal schemer you.
