Friday, March 18, 2011

St. Augustine Record re: Saturday's "supermoon"


'Supermoon' should offer crop of unique experiences for those willing

Summary:

When this old fisherman saw a news story about Saturday's "Supermoon" my first thought was of an inshore scouting tactic I was introduced to more than 35 years ago.

When this old fisherman saw a news story about Saturday's "Supermoon" my first thought was of an inshore scouting tactic I was introduced to more than 35 years ago.

Back then, when even the best depth finders were primitive by today's standards, it was understood that going for a ride during a very low tide was a good way to scout a new inshore area.

My second thought was related to the first but in the form of a question. How much lower will the tide actually be, and what the heck is a "Supermoon?"

A look at the tide charts revealed that the lowest tide on Saturday will be -.9 feet. For reference purposes the lowest tide today will be -.3 feet.

This, of course, indicates more than a half-foot difference between the two. And that half-foot corresponds to quite a bit of bottom to be looked at.

Or if you're not careful a greater chance of getting stuck.

As for the "Supermoon?" It's what astronomers call a Lunar Perigee-syzygy.

Which in layman's terms means that on Saturday the moon will be closer to the earth than it has been sense 1983, a mere 356,577 miles away.

And it will be a full moon -- the "brightest of the year" according to a NASA spokesman.

Now if the weather forecast holds, this "brightest" moon of the year could provide a good reason to be outside a little longer on Saturday.

If you're in the woods trying to roost a turkey for Sunday morning (did I mention that Saturday was the first day of turkey season?), or if you're taking advantage of the lower than usual tide to look about the Intracoastal, or even if you're over here on the river poking about the grass beds during what should be a peak in bass bedding activity (that usually happens during a March full moon), it might be a chance for you to stay out a little longer than usual and enjoy the "Supermoon" as it rises.

It should be spectacular.

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