Best Days to Fish in October 2026, by the Moon

The Farmers’ Almanac fishing calendar has never been about one rule. It uses the phase of the Moon, the zodiac sign the Moon is passing through, and a long accumulation of experience. But the Moon phase is the part you can plan a weekend around, and in October 2026 the dates fall unusually neatly.

The Two Windows Worth Booking

The tradition holds that fish feed hardest around the new and full Moon, when the gravitational pull is strongest and light levels change fastest. In October that gives two clear windows, and they are conveniently spaced a fortnight apart.

Window	Dates	Moon	Why the tradition favours it
First	Thursday 8 to Monday 12 October	New Moon, Sat 10 Oct	Darkest nights of the month, strongest tidal pull, baitfish move
Second	Saturday 24 to Wednesday 28 October	Full Moon, Mon 26 Oct	Bright nights, strong pull, extended feeding after dusk

Between those two, the quarter moons on 3 and 18 October are the quiet stretches in the tradition. That does not mean staying home. It means the calendar expects you to work harder for the same fish.

The Second Ingredient: the Moon’s Sign

The other half of the formula is which zodiac sign the Moon is passing through, a piece of almanac practice that goes back centuries. The water signs and the fertile signs have always been rated most favourably. In October 2026 the Moon is in Virgo on the 8th, Libra on the 10th, Scorpio on the 12th, Sagittarius on the 15th, Capricorn on the 18th, Pisces on the 22nd and Taurus on the 26th.

Scorpio and Pisces are the two water signs the Moon passes through in October. Here is the whole month, with the Moon’s illumination and sign computed for noon Eastern each day.

Dates	Moon sign	Illumination	Note
1 to 2 Oct	Gemini	71 to 60 percent	Waning after the Harvest Moon
3 to 4 Oct	Cancer	49 to 38 percent	Last Quarter on the 3rd
5 to 6 Oct	Leo	27 to 18 percent	Quiet stretch
7 to 8 Oct	Virgo	10 to 5 percent	First window opens
9 to 10 Oct	Libra	1 to 0 percent	New Moon, Sat 10 Oct
11 to 13 Oct	Scorpio	1 to 9 percent	Water sign, window closes
14 to 15 Oct	Sagittarius	16 to 23 percent	Quiet stretch
16 to 18 Oct	Capricorn	32 to 50 percent	First Quarter on the 18th
19 to 20 Oct	Aquarius	60 to 69 percent	Building
21 to 23 Oct	Pisces	78 to 92 percent	Water sign, second window opens
24 to 25 Oct	Aries	97 to 100 percent	Peak brightness
26 to 27 Oct	Taurus	99 to 97 percent	Hunter’s Moon, Mon 26 Oct
28 to 29 Oct	Gemini	91 to 84 percent	Window closes
30 to 31 Oct	Cancer	74 to 63 percent	Waning into November

Read across it and the shape of the month is obvious. The two water sign stretches, Scorpio from the 11th and Pisces from the 21st, each sit right beside a major moon phase. That overlap is what the old calendars were built to catch.

Major and Minor Periods

There is a third layer that most anglers use without naming it. The major feeding period is traditionally taken as the hour or so either side of the Moon crossing your meridian, whether it is above your head or below your feet. The minor periods are moonrise and moonset. During the first October window the Moon crosses overhead in New York at 11:09 a.m. on the 8th, 11:53 a.m. on the 9th, 12:38 p.m. on the 10th, 1:24 p.m. on the 11th and 2:11 p.m. on the 12th, sliding about three quarters of an hour later each day. Subtract roughly an hour per time zone as you head west.

For the day by day ratings, the fishing calendar does the whole calculation for you and rates each day Best, Good, Fair or Poor, with a best time of morning or evening.

What the Calendar Cannot Know

The formula is a starting point, not a guarantee. Local conditions, tides, water temperature and the weather on the day will all matter more than the Moon on any single trip. October is also a month of fast cooling water in the north, which moves fish deeper and shortens the productive part of the day.

• Fish the hour either side of dawn and dusk, whatever the calendar says.
• A falling barometer ahead of a front often beats a textbook moon date.
• In the north, check the water temperature before the calendar. Cold water slows everything.
• Take the local regulations seriously. October is a closed season for some species in some states.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best days to fish in October 2026?

The tradition points at two windows: 8 to 12 October around the new Moon on Saturday 10 October, and 24 to 28 October around the full Hunter’s Moon at 12:11 a.m. EDT on Monday 26 October.

When is the new Moon in October 2026?

Saturday 10 October at 11:50 a.m. EDT. The nights either side of it are the darkest of the month.

When is the full Moon in October 2026?

The Hunter’s Moon is full at 12:11 a.m. EDT on Monday 26 October, so it is best watched on Sunday night, 25 October.

Does the Moon really affect fishing?

Anglers have worked to the Moon for centuries, and the reasoning is that gravitational pull and changing light levels influence feeding. Treat it as a way to choose between two free weekends rather than a promise of a full net.

How does the Farmers’ Almanac fishing calendar work?

It combines the phase of the Moon, the zodiac sign the Moon is in, and long accumulated experience, then rates each day Best, Good, Fair or Poor with a best time of morning or evening.

Read Next

• Fishing Calendar: Best Days and Times to Fish
• Hunter’s Moon 2026: October Full Moon Date and Folklore
• Next Full Moon: Dates, Times, and Traditional Names