I've a friend who was catching fish like crazy before the eclipse, but they stopped biting during the eclipse. Afterwards, they started biting again.

Does anybody have a similar experience, or perhaps this is just a coincidence?

We took the kids into the totality path in Kansas City for the eclipse about seven? years ago. We found a nice park in the burbs that was not packed with people.

As we were approaching totality, a thousand crickets near us all started chirping at essentially the same time. I was not even thinking about that, so no observer bias. (When people talk about their dogs and cats reacting, I think they may have started filming their pet and that more likely caused the reaction.)

However, I believe that "wild" animals that are closely tied to the daily cycle could easily have a significant reaction to the eclipse.

The fish probably quit biting for your buddy because they were having a tough time holding up their "eclipse glasses" while lacking opposable thumbs.

Good point. We had to bungee-strap eclipse glasses on our beef cattle to keep them from going blind. Fortunately, our border collie is smart enough to wear them unassisted.

Anecdotal information follows:

I saw several reports from guys who were walleye fishing Stockton Lake in southwest Misery.

Those guys said it was slow until the eclipse started, then then bite was on fire until the eclipse was mostly done, then right back to slow.

I heard and saw guys hammered the walleye on the Maumee River during the eclipse. The Maumee River is one of the major spawning areas for Lake Erie walleye. I wish I could have been out there.

Next great walleye must-have fishing gadget - a drone with a big sun shade. Hover it over the point you are working and continuously yank in big walleye!

During the big eclipse of 17 we had supposed totality in this area but it never got really dark, we baited up bank poles on the river just before the eclipse thinking the catfish may go on a big sundown feed for some reason or other during the eclipse, couldnt wait to check our lines afterwards,, nothing, never caught one.

I wonder if big catfish "wake up" slowly, since they always know about when the sundown feed time is coming.

If totality had been for 60 minutes, would that have stirred the cats?