Warwickshire Avon - Red Moons and Reductionisms

Skygazers in the UK and biteless bored anglers have been treated to unusually vivid sunrises and sunsets over the weekend.Social media (apparently) has been full of dazzling pictures of a red-hued Sun and Moon at dawn and dusk. The spectacular displays have been caused smoke particles from wildfires in North America - carried thousands of miles by the jet stream to the skies above the British Isles.

However skywatchers will be craning their necks upwards in the hope of spotting a rare blue supermoon over the UK (tonight). As is the case now, a blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. The label is also used for the second full moon in a month with two full moons. A supermoon appears brighter and bigger than usual because it has been brought closer to earth by the Moon's orbit.

Think something happening 'once in a blue moon' is rare? Blue moons are actually fairly common, at least in astronomical terms. First things first, a blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the Moon. Instead, it is all to do with the timing of full moons during the year. 

Cultures around the world, including the Native Americans, have given names to each of the full Moons, with each typically happening in its own month. For example the 'Wolf Moon' is usually the full Moon occurring within January. With the cycle of the phases of the Moon lasting approximately one month, and there being 12 months in a year, we typically have 12 full moons each year.

However, the phases of the Moon actually take 29.5 days to complete, meaning 354 days total for 12 full cycles. This falls some way short of the 365/366 days in a calendar year: therefore, roughly every two and a half years a 13th full moon is seen. This additional full moon does not fit with the normal naming scheme and so is instead referred to as a ‘blue moon’.

Normally blue moons occur about every two or three years. In 2018, unusually, we had two blue moons in one year and only two months apart – and one was a lunar eclipse! The next time we will get two blue moons in a year will be 2037.

Quite where the term blue moon came from is unclear. It may be a mispronunciation of the disused word “belewe” which means ‘to betray’. This may be a reference to the betrayal of the usual idea of having one full moon in each month or perhaps the “betrayal” by the Moon of worshippers attempting to determine the position and duration of Lent in the calendar year.

Now talking about betray, well looking back at my blog, the last time I caught a barbel was over a year ago when I was trotting on the river Wye with Nic from Avon Angling. It was a rapidly rising river that day and the fish really switched on to the feed and we had a great day. 

I've been back on the Wye since and also tried a number of times on the Warwickshire Avon and despite seeing them in the swim they are eluding me big time. This short post Sunday dinner session was no exception you see after arriving at the swim I was going to fish I spotted a couple of barbel after half an hour pinging pellets in to the swim.

They didn't seem to be interested brushing in to the line a few times and didn't spook either. The chub on the other hand, well this the biggest of the three I caught caught me off guard and almost took the rod in the bite the was so violent. 

When I left at 9.40pm or so the moon was illuminating the sky rather nicely where it was initially red and then lightened up to to a dull orange half an hour or so later. Sadly not a picture in focus but my Sony 63x zoom camera isn't the best to be honest.

So no barbel again, but I'm sure one will slip up again soon enough because at least I've been seeing them and not fishing blind like I often do. The next session Sam wants to catch a big chub, only a short session again, but fingers crossed for a big-un. They were showing big time at dusk the last time on the stretch we are going to fish.