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THURSDAY OCT 1 — 6:00 PM SESSION

Convict Lake, Mono County, CA | Last quarter (67%) | Moon in Gemini

One-paragraph version

Launch at 6:00 PM into a Mercury hour; the window that matters is 6:00 PM–6:20 PM (golden hour), parked on the inline spinner / spoon (kastmaster). Overall 6.4/10 — solid conditions with one clear prime window; be there for it.

The locked numbers

Weather layer

• clear sky — fish tight to shade/structure
• 8 mph chop breaks up overhead predators (plus)
• barometer slowly falling (-1.2 hPa/6h)

Almanac layer (the old-timers' calendar)

• Moon in Gemini — scattered fish — cover water, expect schools not singles (almanac tradition, honored as lore)
• Near-quarter moon (transition) — the almanac rates this a strong-feeding stretch
• void-of-course until Moon enters the next sign at 12:54 — quiet hours, almanacs say fish pick at baits
• Planetary hour at launch: Mercury — skillful hands — knots, skips and hooksets are dialed (published in almanacs for centuries)

The session, hour-by-hour

Best presentations for these conditions

• Inline spinner / spoon (kastmaster) — stocked-fish standard
  • build: inline spinner / spoon 1/16 oz–1/64 oz · monofilament 4–6 lb (Iowa DNR — Trout (lure size) + ODFW — How to fish for trout (starter sizes))
• Powerbait / floating bait off bottom — patience bait
  • build: Bait hook (small) 8–12 · sliding sinker / split shot #5 · monofilament 4–6 lb (ODFW — How to fish for trout (prepared bait rig + sizes) + Iowa DNR — Trout (prepared bait form))
• Worm / nightcrawler (drifted) — the year-round natural-bait default
  • build: Bait hook (small) 6–14 · Split shot #5 · monofilament 4–6 lb (ODFW — How to fish for trout (rig + sizes) + Iowa DNR — Trout (hook range, threading))

Line & knots for these rigs

• Monofilament (nylon) — buoyant and stretches under load, which damps the surge on a hooked fish Knots quoted from the cited guides — facts, not folklore.
• Uni knot (line-to-terminal, line-to-line, reel-spool) — The uni knot is a multi-purpose fishing knot used in angling that can be used for attaching the fishing line to the spool of a reel, for joining main line to leader/backing lines, and for attaching lures, swivels and snaps. (Wikipedia — Uni knot)
• Palomar knot (line-to-terminal) — The Palomar knot is a knot that is used for securing a fishing line to a fishing lure, hook, or swivel. It is strong and easy to tie and with practice can even be tied in the dark. (Wikipedia — Palomar knot) Practice: always wet knots before tightening, regardless of line material; fluoro under 10 lb: 10 wraps when tying the snell or uni.

Decision rules

• Wind from SE at 6 mph → the W shore is wind-stacked (fetch ~528 m); fish it first — the SE shore is the lee.
• Slow start ≠ bad session → barren-sign evenings backload — the payoff window is late. (shoreline wind model — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

fishwitch mvp — weather via Open-Meteo · sky via Swiss Ephemeris · solunar + almanac tradition (fruitful/barren signs are old lore, honored but labeled).