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Cahaba River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Alabama's longest free-flowing river, with 135 fish species and the largest known stand of Cahaba lilies at its wildlife refuge.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
111 cfs
Air / High
80 / 80 F
Wind
WSW 1 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02423647, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Cahaba River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 111 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 1 mph, steady pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 80. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:24 AM-11:24 AM and 9:51 PM-11:51 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Alabama requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $17.00 for residents. What a Alabama licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing catfish (blue, channel) here? Check the size and bag limits with ADCNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Alabama, read off the agency, are on the Alabama seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Cahaba River near West Blocton, AL.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02423647.

5951,5982,600111 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low80 / 46 F
WindWSW 1-3 mph
Pressure1020.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:59 / 18:05
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Cahaba River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Cahaba River, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:24 AM-11:24 AM and 9:51 PM-11:51 PM
Minor period
3:46 AM-4:46 AM
Sun
06:59 to 18:05
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Cahaba River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

When to come: the Cahaba River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Catfish (blue, channel)
Largemouth bass
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Cahaba River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 4 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Alabama requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Alabama freshwater fishing license; limits per ADCNR's current freshwater fishing regulations.

Access

Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge in Bibb County allows fishing; contact the refuge for current access.

About this water

Alabama's longest free-flowing river, from the Birmingham area through Bibb County, with 135 fish species (ADCNR).

Fishing Cahaba River: the full guide

Diversity

ADCNR's Outdoor Alabama calls the Cahaba the longest free-flowing river in Alabama and counts 135 fish species in the river and its tributaries, along with 50 freshwater mussel species and about 35 snail species, ten of them found nowhere else. It adds that the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy have recognized the river as a biodiversity hotspot.

Sport fish

Outdoor Alabama lists largemouth bass, Alabama spotted bass, bluegill, longear sunfish, crappie and chain pickerel, plus channel, flathead and blue catfish. Species with special conservation status include the Alabama sturgeon, Cahaba shiner, crystal darter, freckled darter, goldline darter and frecklebelly madtom.

The refuge and the lilies

Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge manages 3,681 acres in Bibb County to protect a section of the river. It holds the largest known stand of the shoals lily, known locally as the Cahaba lily, and fishing is allowed. The refuge scheduled its 2026 Cahaba Lily Festival for May 16.

Use and flows

Outdoor Alabama says the Cahaba gets the heaviest recreational use of any free-flowing river in the state, from canoeists, kayakers, rafters and anglers. This page's gauge, Cahaba River near Acton (02423500), is on the upper river in the Birmingham area, well above the Bibb County reach.

Common questions

How many fish species live in the Cahaba?

ADCNR counts 135 in the river and its tributaries.

When is the Cahaba lily festival?

The refuge scheduled its 2026 Cahaba Lily Festival for May 16.

Which bass are in the river?

Outdoor Alabama lists largemouth bass and Alabama spotted bass among the popular sport fish.

Is fishing good at Cahaba River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Bankhead Lake31 miLay Lake36 miLogan Martin Lake51 miDemopolis Lake61 miLewis Smith Lake65 miLake Martin70 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 02423647 β€” Cahaba River near West Blocton, AL
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 33.1000, -87.0500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.