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Stampede Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Truckee's high shelf: Stampede stacks kokanee schools and Lahontan legends over sage flats at the Sierra's eastern gate.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
54 / 58 F
Wind
SW 18 mph

Sources: 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.

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

Stampede Reservoir sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 18 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 73 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 64 F. 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low58 / 44 F
WindSW 18-28 mph
Pressure1012.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain46% cloud, 37%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 58/44 F, wind 18 mph, rain 37%

Fair or better. A 18 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Stampede Reservoir: 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. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Stampede Reservoir 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
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Stampede Reservoir 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 the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 60 F, wind to 21 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 61 F, wind to 18 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 18 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

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

Regulations

California license. Kokanee 10/day; Lahontan rules: check CDFW. Ramp status varies with drawdown.

Access

Stampede boat ramp (USFS), shoreline access off Dog Valley Road.

About this water

3,400 acres on the Little Truckee, Sierra County, CA. The basin's kokanee bank.

Fishing Stampede Reservoir: the full guide

The Truckee-basin bowl

Stampede spreads 3,400 acres of sage-lined water above Boca on the Little Truckee: the basin's kokanee factory (eggs for California's program come from its run) and a Lahontan cutthroat program hinting at Pyramid-lite potential: with smallmouth colonizing the rocky edges.

Kokanee doctrine

Summer trolls the school: dodgers and pink hoochies at 30-70 feet over the old channel (the derby fleet works it weekends), and October's spawn run stains the Little Truckee inlet crimson: the egg-take's spectacle. Fish run 12-16 inches with cycle peaks: the basin's dependable meat game.

Lahontans and bronze

The big-cutthroat stockings cruise the flats spring and fall (trolled spoons flat-lined early: fish past 10 pounds possible), and smallmouth on the rocky points (Neds through summer) fill the midday. Browns from the river system ambush the inlets: the mixed bag runs wide.

Sierra-gate practicalities

Forest ramps serve the east shore (Stampede's launch low-water dependent: check): the drive from Truckee runs 20 minutes: and afternoon wind is Sierra-punctual. Boca and Prosser sit minutes away: the three-reservoir circuit is the local rotation.

Common questions

When is kokanee season at Stampede?

June-September at depth: the derby fleet's dodger game. October's inlet spawn run is the crimson spectacle (closed water: watch, don't cast).

Are there big cutthroat in Stampede?

The Lahontan program grows double-digit potential: spring and fall flat-lining hunts them. It is Pyramid's little cousin learning the trade.

Is fishing good at Stampede Reservoir 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

Truckee River6 miPyramid Lake47 miCarson River49 miCaples Lake54 miBullards Bar Reservoir54 miLahontan Reservoir56 mi
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