The Man Behind the Moon Charts: Don Green

This special episode of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta Fishing Report revisits a conversation with Don Green, a longtime Great Days Outdoors writer, tournament angler, and the man behind the magazine’s legendary lunar fishing charts. Nick Williams sits down with Don to discuss a lifetime spent fishing the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the origins of his popular solunar predictions, and the lessons he has learned from decades of paying close attention to fish, weather, water levels, and the natural world.

Don explains how his fascination with moon phases began as a child fishing with his father and studying the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Over the years, he developed his own lunar charts, eventually becoming a fixture in Great Days Outdoors magazine. He breaks down how he uses the positions of the sun and moon, moon phases, tides, barometric pressure, seasonal changes, and water temperatures to predict productive fishing periods. He also explains why keeping a detailed fishing log can help anglers recognize patterns and improve their success over time.

The conversation goes well beyond lunar charts. Don shares his approach to fishing the Delta during winter floods, catching bass around drainage areas, targeting bream and crappie in different seasons, and building his own soft plastics, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and fishing rods. He reflects on how fishing tackle, tournament fishing, and pressure on local fisheries have changed since the 1940s, and why old-school techniques can still be just as effective as modern tackle.

Don also shares memorable stories from a lifetime on the water, including salvaging his first boat from Lake Seminole, catching bass on Christmas morning, encountering thousands of ducks in the Delta, and navigating creeks and bayous that have changed dramatically over the decades. He discusses the loss of aquatic vegetation, sediment filling historic waterways, and his concerns about the future of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta fishery.

Throughout the conversation, one theme stands out: Don’s commitment to sharing what he has learned. From helping tournament anglers and teaching kids to fish to publishing his lunar charts for generations of Great Days Outdoors readers, Don has spent a lifetime passing along his knowledge. This episode is part fishing masterclass, part Delta history, and part tribute to one of the people who helped shape the Great Days Outdoors community.