Florida Freshwater Fishing Forecast for November 9-16, 2025
Sunday's Comprehensive Fishing Article for Florida's Freshwater Anglers
Ideal Weather Improves New Moon Fishing
The Florida Freshwater Fishing Forecast for the week of November 16, 2025, gives anglers the seven-day new moon phase which begins Monday and peaks when the new moon occurs Thursday, and a perfect fishing weather forecast consisting of ideal wind speeds, an even mix of sun and clouds, a minor pressure changes, which combined will create a higher than normal fish adjustment activity during the overhead period.
This week’s new moon phase will not have a strong lunar effect, but the ideal fall fishing weather will enable fish to feed at above average rates, and I predict better than advertised in your fishing apps.
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Solar-Lunar Factor: Solar noon occurs at 12:10:34 p.m. EST. today, and will advance over the next ten days to 12:13:07 p.m. EST. Today the moon is four days from being new and three days from the orbit apogee and six days from the lunar low. In other words, this month’s new moon will be weak but not as weak as a new moon occurring on the day of the orbit apogee and lunar low.
Therefore, the daily lunar periods will add a minor influence on fish adjustment activity due to the moon not altering the solar energy levels entering the earth’s atmosphere. When the solar energy remains consistent, fish and wildlife adjustment activity rates decline noticeably.
When the lunar influence is low the weather factors combining to cause fish adjustment activity is pretty much all that needs to be taken into consideration because the lunar contribution will at best be a half to one point to the feed rating one-in-ten scale with ten being best.
Weather Factors: The base weather factor is water temperature, which is currently right in the middle of the seventy-to-eighty-two-degree range which is perfect for fish to feed at their highest annual feed rate. As stated in recent articles, freshwater fish will put on at least half of their annual weight gain during the fall season and early winter up until water temps drop into the upper sixty-degree range.
Secondly, consistent daily bright sunshine is causing water bodies to produce high dissolved oxygen rates. Water bodies currently are still recovering from the summer heat and as oxygen rates climb the fish’s metabolisms and digestion rates climb. Fish right now are feeding at will. Opportunistic feeding is going full speed even with the low lunar influence.
Atmospheric pressure is the third factor which begins to become the norm during the fall season. Pressure change occurs during the fall weather cycle and greatly influences the fall feeding pattern. Today a high-pressure system will move from the Gulf to the Atlantic which will cause today’s twelve mph west wind but will change tomorrow to a very mild north wind (no temperature drop) and then late Monday night the high pressure will create an ideal seven to ten mph east wind. Pressure will climb 0.12 in hg by Tuesday midday and fish will adjust upward during the overhead moon period.
Pressure change will not be a factor for the rest of the week and won’t change enough to help the weak new moon occurring Thursday unless the extended weather forecast of the 0.08 in hg pressure drop predicted for Thursday is 0.10 in hg or greater. In which case fish will feed at a greater rate as they move downward. Friday also is predicted to have close to a 0.10 in hg drop. So, keep an eye on the pressure factor during the new moon Wednesday through Friday. The greater the pressure change the greater the fish adjustment activity which will certainly help out a weak new moon lunar effect.
The wind direction change forecasted to occur Tuesday morning when the east wind begins and the change Friday morning when the east wind changes to a southeastern to south wind, should cause some minor adjustment activity. And cloud cover will not be a factor worth considering this week.
Major Solar-Lunar Period: Today the moon is overhead at 9:32 a.m. producing a feed rating of five to six from 8-11 a.m. Daily the overhead moon occurs later by an average of forty-three minutes and remains at the same feed rating until Wednesday through Friday when the new moon occurs and the rating improves to a solid six or slightly better rating during the midday hours.
Minor Solar Lunar Periods: Today the moonset occurs at 3:21 p.m. producing a feed rating of three from 1:30-5 p.m. Daily the moonset occurs later by an average of thirty-eight minutes and remains at the same feed rating until the second half of the week when it harmonizes with the sunset period and produces a four to five feed rating.
A second minor period happens today when the moon is underfoot at 9:53 p.m. producing a feed rating of two or three from 9-11 p.m. Daily the underfoot moon occurs later by an average of forty minutes and remains at the same feed rating.
A third minor period happens today when the moonrise occurs at 3:36 a.m. producing a two-feed rating from 2:30-4:30 a.m. Daily the moonrise occurs later by an average of fifty minutes and remains at the same feed rating until the second half of the week when it begins to harmonize with the sunrise period and produces a four to five feed rating.
Best Fishing Days: Usually the day before, the day of, and the day after the new moon, even a weak new moon, are the best days of any seven-day new moon phase. However, with the pressure change predicted for Monday night into Tuesday midday and the pressure change forecasted for Thursday morning and Friday morning, if true, will create the best fishing periods of the new moon phase this week.
And if you’re not already throwing red shad-colored baits and using gold colors for accent on darker colors such as brown, black and blue, you’re making a mistake. These color combinations create the best contrast during the fall season. Add some noise to your offering and fish will be able to opportunistically feed on your fake bait at a much higher rate.
This time of year, I like throwing a large dark colored spinnerbait with gold blades, altering the retrieve speed from very slow to very fast as close to the bottom as possible. And a black top water frog being speed retrieved across the surface prior to using the spinnerbait, usually allow me to see where the big bass are waiting in ambush among the thicker vegetation.
Prime Monthly Periods: November 19-21 very weak new moon, December 1-7 very strong super full moon, 18-20 extremely weak new moon, Dec 31-January 6, 2026, strong full moon, 15-20 very weak new moon, Jan. 28-February 3 strong full moon.
Lake Istokpoga S68 Spillway and Lake Level Status: Lake level is currently at 38.06 NAVD88 with four S68 spillway gates closed. The NAVD88 Offset to NGVD29 is + 1.16 feet = 39.22NGVD29. The current seasonal schedule maximum level is 39.50 NGVD29 and the minimum level is 38.85’ NGVD29. Links to the USACE and SFWM websites are provided at HighlandsBassAngler.com.
Dave Douglass has been an artificial bait only bass fishing guide since 2005, and the writer of the Highlands News-Sun fishing forecast article since Oct. 2016 and previously the writer of the Highlands Today fishing forecast article which began in Nov. 2005. Contact email DavidPDouglass@hotmail.com or phone 863-381-8474.