Solunar Calendar · Updated 2026-07-06
Best Fishing Times for Bright Lake
14-day solunar fishing calendar for Bright Lake, Martin County, Minnesota — sun and moon times calculated for lat 43.560, lon -94.578.
On the LakeGrade rubric Bright Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 76 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.
The hypereutrophic status — TSI 76 — reflects sustained heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed and frequent algal pressure. At only 7 ft deep, Bright Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. Bright Lake covers 639 acres alongside 4.6 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within the 14 graded lakes of Martin County, Bright Lake sits at rank 13, near the bottom of the county list.
Full water-quality breakdown: Bright Lake water-quality report.
Today at Bright Lake
Sunrise 5:44 AM, sunset 9:02 PM. Moon is Last Quarter (58% illuminated). Day rating: ★★☆☆☆.
Major periods: 5:09 AM – 7:09 AM; 5:31 PM – 7:31 PM
Minor periods: 11:28 PM – 12:28 AM; 12:02 PM – 1:02 PM
14-Day Fishing Calendar
No 3.5+ star solunar days in the next 14 days at Bright Lake — consider focusing on dawn and dusk windows. Anglers target bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, channel catfish, and others on Bright Lake.
| Date | Rating | Moon | Sunrise | Sunset | Major Periods | Minor Periods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Jul 6 | ★★☆☆☆ | Last Quarter 58% lit | 5:44 AM | 9:02 PM | 5:09 AM – 7:09 AM 5:31 PM – 7:31 PM | 11:28 PM – 12:28 AM 12:02 PM – 1:02 PM |
| Tue, Jul 7 | ★½☆☆☆ | Last Quarter 47% lit | 5:44 AM | 9:01 PM | 5:53 AM – 7:53 AM | 11:48 PM – 12:48 AM 1:13 PM – 2:13 PM |
| Wed, Jul 8 | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 37% lit | 5:45 AM | 9:01 PM | 6:17 PM – 8:17 PM 6:41 AM – 8:41 AM | 12:09 AM – 1:09 AM 2:27 PM – 3:27 PM |
| Thu, Jul 9 | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 27% lit | 5:46 AM | 9:00 PM | 7:06 PM – 9:06 PM 7:33 AM – 9:33 AM | 12:35 AM – 1:35 AM 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM |
| Fri, Jul 10 | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 18% lit | 5:47 AM | 9:00 PM | 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM 8:29 AM – 10:29 AM | 1:07 AM – 2:07 AM 5:05 PM – 6:05 PM |
| Sat, Jul 11 | ½☆☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 11% lit | 5:47 AM | 8:59 PM | 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM 9:32 AM – 11:32 AM | 1:49 AM – 2:49 AM 6:22 PM – 7:22 PM |
| Sun, Jul 12 | ★☆☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 5% lit | 5:48 AM | 8:59 PM | 10:04 PM – 12:04 AM 10:37 AM – 12:37 PM | 2:44 AM – 3:44 AM |
| Mon, Jul 13 | ★½☆☆☆ | Waning Crescent 1% lit | 5:49 AM | 8:58 PM | 11:11 PM – 1:11 AM 11:43 AM – 1:43 PM | 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM 3:54 AM – 4:54 AM |
| Tue, Jul 14 | ★★½☆☆ | New Moon 0% lit | 5:50 AM | 8:58 PM | 12:16 AM – 2:16 AM 12:47 PM – 2:47 PM | 8:24 PM – 9:24 PM 5:13 AM – 6:13 AM |
| Wed, Jul 15 | ★★☆☆☆ | New Moon 1% lit | 5:51 AM | 8:57 PM | 1:17 AM – 3:17 AM 1:45 PM – 3:45 PM | 9:06 PM – 10:06 PM 6:36 AM – 7:36 AM |
| Thu, Jul 16 | ★☆☆☆☆ | Waxing Crescent 4% lit | 5:51 AM | 8:56 PM | 2:13 AM – 4:13 AM 2:39 PM – 4:39 PM | 9:39 PM – 10:39 PM 7:58 AM – 8:58 AM |
| Fri, Jul 17 | ½☆☆☆☆ | Waxing Crescent 9% lit | 5:52 AM | 8:56 PM | 3:04 AM – 5:04 AM 3:28 PM – 5:28 PM | 10:04 PM – 11:04 PM 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM |
| Sat, Jul 18 | ★½☆☆☆ | Waxing Crescent 16% lit | 5:53 AM | 8:55 PM | 3:51 AM – 5:51 AM 4:14 PM – 6:14 PM | 10:26 PM – 11:26 PM 10:28 AM – 11:28 AM |
| Sun, Jul 19 | ★★☆☆☆ | Waxing Crescent 25% lit | 5:54 AM | 8:54 PM | 4:36 AM – 6:36 AM 4:58 PM – 6:58 PM | 10:46 PM – 11:46 PM 11:39 AM – 12:39 PM |
Server-rendered 14-day calendar starting 2026-07-06. Live in your browser shortly.
How to Read This Calendar
Major periods (≈2 hours) are centered on lunar transit (when the moon is highest in the sky) and lunar opposition (when the moon is directly underfoot). These are typically the strongest feeding windows.
Minor periods (≈1 hour) are centered on moonrise and moonset. They're secondary windows that often produce well — especially when they coincide with sunrise or sunset.
Day rating combines moon phase (peak near new and full moons, when lunar gravity is strongest) with the overlap of major periods and the dawn/dusk twilight. A 4–5 star day stacks all three.
At Bright Lake (lat 43.56°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with 15h 26m of daylight. The shortest is around December 21 with 8h 56m. Plan summer trips around the early-morning bite (around 5:30 AM) and the long evening window before sunset.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to fish Bright Lake today?
Today's solunar calendar for Bright Lake (lat 43.56, lon -94.58) shows sunrise at 5:44 AM and sunset at 9:02 PM. The strongest fishing windows are around major solunar periods at 5:09 AM–7:09 AM and 5:31 PM–7:31 PM, plus the 30-90 minutes around dawn and dusk.
What does the moon phase mean for fishing Bright Lake?
Solunar theory holds that fish activity peaks during major periods (when the moon is overhead or directly underfoot) and minor periods (moonrise and moonset). Fish feeding tends to intensify during the days surrounding the new moon and full moon, when lunar gravity is strongest. Today's moon at Bright Lake is Last Quarter (58% illuminated).
When are the longest and shortest days at Bright Lake?
At Bright Lake's latitude (43.56°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with about 15h 26m of daylight. The shortest day is around December 21 with about 8h 56m of daylight. Sunrise and sunset shift by roughly 6 hours between solstices.
Are major or minor solunar periods more important?
Major periods (about 2 hours, centered on lunar transit and lunar opposition) are generally considered the strongest feeding windows. Minor periods (about 1 hour, centered on moonrise and moonset) are secondary but still productive — especially when they overlap with sunrise or sunset.
More for Bright Lake
Solunar calculations based on lat/lon and Meeus astronomical formulas. Times shown in Central Time. Solunar theory is a heuristic — fish activity also depends on weather, water temperature, barometric pressure, and recent forage conditions. Always check local regulations and conditions before fishing.