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Putah Creek Fishing Report

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

The reach of Putah Creek between Monticello Dam and Lake Solano: catch-and-release trout water with barbless artificial lures, open all year.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
111 cfs
Air / High
65 / 66 F
Wind
N 14 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11454000, 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Putah Creek fishes cold and honest: earn your bites in the deep stuff. The river is running 111 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 14 mph, falling pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 66. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:48 AM-11:48 AM and 10:16 PM-12:16 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 75 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

California requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $64.54 for residents. What a California licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with CDFW before you keep anything. The season dates for California, read off the agency, are on the California seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Putah Creek near Winters.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11454000.

166270373111 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 96 years of October 23

At 111 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 11454000 (Putah Creek near Winters) is at the 54th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 96 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 91 cfs; the highest was 466 cfs and the lowest 1 cfs.

p10 4median 91p90 290

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 11454000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp65 F
High / Low66 / 56 F
WindN 14-20 mph
Pressure1018.3 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 9%
Sunrise / Sunset07:25 / 18:18
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 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 Putah Creek this week

Today is the pick of the week on Putah Creek, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:48 AM-11:48 AM and 10:16 PM-12:16 AM
Minor period
4:12 AM-5:12 AM
Sun
07:25 to 18:18
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 21 mph
Rain chance
9%

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

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Putah Creek 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Putah Creek 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. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 8 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 15 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

California fishing license. Putah Creek from Solano Lake to Monticello Dam: open all year, artificial lures with barbless hooks only, 0 trout (2026 California Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations).

Access

Reclamation describes Lake Solano, at the Putah Diversion Dam, as an area used for picnicking, boating, swimming and fishing. Check releases from Monticello Dam and the Winters gauge before wading.

About this water

Putah Creek below Monticello Dam (Lake Berryessa) to the Putah Diversion Dam at Lake Solano, Solano and Yolo counties, California; part of Reclamation's Solano Project.

Fishing Putah Creek: the full guide

Between two dams

Putah Creek is the water source for Reclamation's Solano Project. Monticello Dam, completed in 1957 and standing in Yolo County, holds back Lake Berryessa; about 6 miles downstream, the Putah Diversion Dam (also 1957) forms Lake Solano and sends water into the Putah South Canal. The trout regulation on this page covers the creek between those two structures, in Solano and Yolo counties. Flows in the reach depend on releases from Monticello Dam, and the USGS gauge on this page, Putah Creek near Winters, sits just below the dam, so it reflects what is coming down the creek.

Catch-and-release, all year

California's 2026 freshwater regulations (updated July 10, 2026) list Putah Creek in Solano and Yolo counties from Solano Lake to Monticello Dam as open all year, with only artificial lures with barbless hooks allowed and a bag limit of zero trout. There is no seasonal closure on this reach. California's environmental health agency, OEHHA, publishes fish-eating guidelines for Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano, which matter for any non-trout species you keep.

Common questions

Can I keep trout on Putah Creek below Monticello Dam?

No. From Solano Lake up to Monticello Dam the bag limit is zero trout all year, and only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.

Is Putah Creek closed to fishing part of the year?

Not this reach. California's 2026 regulations keep it open all year under the catch-and-release rule.

How far is Lake Solano from Monticello Dam?

Reclamation puts the Putah Diversion Dam, which forms Lake Solano, about 6 miles south of Monticello Dam.

Is fishing good at Putah Creek right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Berryessa11 miSacramento River31 miAmerican River37 miCalifornia Delta39 miSan Pablo Reservoir42 miLos Vaqueros Reservoir51 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 11454000 β€” Putah Creek near Winters
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 38.5100, -122.0500 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 6, 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 6, 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.