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Weiss Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Crappie Capital of the World: the Coosa's fertile first lake in Alabama.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Gauge
2.05 ft
Air / High
95 / 95 F
Wind
E 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02419500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Weiss Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 2.05 ft, 561.95 ft below pool, easing 0.09 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind E around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 95. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 92 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from TALLAPOOSA RIVER AT MILSTEAD AL.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02419500. Conservation pool is 564 ft.

100.39283.03465.66pool 5642.05 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp95 F
High / Low95 / 75 F
WindE 6-9 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain16% cloud, 11%
Sunrise / Sunset06:20 / 19:04
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 95/75 F, wind 7 mph, rain 11%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Weiss Lake 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Weiss Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 95 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 97 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

Crappie: 10-inch/30 (AL). Bass 5/day. Confirm with ADCNR; GA rules above the line.

Access

Little River Marina, Yellow Creek, Leesburg Landing, JR's; county ramps throughout.

About this water

30,200 acres on the Coosa, Cherokee County, AL. Alabama Power, impounded 1961.

Fishing Weiss Lake: the full guide

The title-holder

Weiss wears its title legitimately: the Coosa's nutrients pour into 30,000 shallow acres that grow crappie fast and thick, with spring spider-riggers filling the flats and fall dock-shooters working the deep ends. Spotted bass run the river channel, largemouth the bays: but here, crappie is the economy, the culture and the point.

Spider-rig season

February-April is the title defense: spider-riggers crawl the Coosa flats with eight poles of minnows, intercepting pre-spawn waves at 8-14 ft. The river channel edges at Little River and Yellow Creek load first: fronts push fish shallow and back daily: our pressure panel is the Weiss tell.

After the spawn circus

Summer crappie drop to the channel ledges (dock shooting shade at midday); the bass program steadily delivers on riprap and grass; and fall's second crappie run rebuilds the flats. Winter draws the lake down 6 feet: fish concentrate in the channels and the pros fill livewells in peace.

Common questions

Why is Weiss the Crappie Capital?

Coosa fertility + shallow structure + culture: the lake grows 2-lb white crappie at factory pace and the town runs on them. The proclamation is Alabama law; the fish keep ratifying it.

Winter drawdown crappie

Weiss' six-foot winter drawdown is the crappie insider's season: the lake shrinks to its channels, schools stack in the bends at 12-18 ft, and December spider-riggers work water that summer boats cross without a glance. The drawdown also exposes the lake's structure for scouting: photograph the bare flats in January and you own the spring bite's map.

Is there a walleye history at Weiss?

Yes: the Coosa strain persists and Alabama has worked on restoration: winter jig bites near the dam still surprise crappie anglers. A conversation piece more than a target fishery today.

Is fishing good at Weiss Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Martin31 miLake Harding54 miTallapoosa River57 miWest Point Lake60 miLay Lake66 miLogan Martin Lake77 mi
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