MuskyCast: one number for the day

How the score is built

Moon position

30%

Pressure trend

25%

Wind

20%

Water temp trend

15%

Light and cloud

10%

Moon phases this month

New

Oct 10

First quarter

Oct 18

Full (Hunter's)

Oct 25

Last quarter

Nov 1

Majors are moon overhead and underfoot, about two hours. Minors are moonrise and moonset, about one hour. Big fish feed hard around both, especially near sunset.

Barometric pressure

Falling pressure before a front is prime time. The day after a hard cold front, scores drop. Fish tighten to cover and slow down. Downsize and slow your retrieve.

Wind

Wind pushes bait onto windblown points and breaks up light. A steady 8 to 15 mph chop is ideal. Dead calm? Fish topwater at dusk or go to night.