Share your catch

American Falls Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Idaho’s big Snake River water: American Falls grows trophy trout and walleye across 56,000 acres of high desert.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
8,110 cfs
Air / High
67 / 74 F
Wind
ESE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13077000, 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.

American Falls Reservoir lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 8,110 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 74. 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.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

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.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 81 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 from Snake River at Neeley (below dam).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13077000.

8,0459,13010,2168,110 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp67 F
High / Low74 / 46 F
WindESE 5-5 mph
Pressure1008.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:59 / 20:01
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 · Overcast, 74/46 F, wind 22 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 22 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

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.

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.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

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.

When to come: the American Falls 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
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 American Falls Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 12 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 74 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 80 F, wind to 16 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

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

Regulations

Idaho license. Trout, walleye and perch limits per current IDFG regulations.

Access

Willow Bay, Seagull Bay, Sportsman’s Park and other ramps around the reservoir.

About this water

A 56,000-acre Bureau of Reclamation reservoir on the Snake River, Power and Bingham counties, Idaho.

Fishing American Falls Reservoir: the full guide

A reservoir on the Snake

American Falls Reservoir covers 56,000 acres of the Snake River plain in southeastern Idaho, the largest reservoir on the river and one of the state’s most productive fisheries. Rainbow trout grow to remarkable size on the rich forage base, joined by brown trout, a well-established walleye population, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and channel catfish. The setting is sage and farmland, with the Portneuf and Snake feeding the upper end.

Trophy trout

The trout fishery is the draw: rainbows commonly reach several pounds, growing fast on the abundant forage. Trolling flies, spoons and plugs near the surface produces in spring and fall, while summer sends fish deeper. Bank anglers do well near the inflows and along the dam. Winter fishing continues on open water and through the ice in cold years.

Walleye and the rest

Walleye have established themselves and now support a genuine fishery: jigs and crawler harnesses on the flats and points, best at low light. Yellow perch school in numbers and anchor the ice fishery, smallmouth work the rock, and catfish patrol the flats. The Snake River above and below the reservoir adds river fishing for the same species mix.

Southeastern Idaho logistics

Ramps and access points ring the reservoir, including Willow Bay, Seagull Bay and the Sportsman’s Park area. Wind is a constant across the open plain and builds serious chop on a large, shallow basin: mornings are the reliable window. Pocatello and American Falls provide supplies, with Interstate 86 running alongside.

Common questions

How big do the trout get?

Rainbows of several pounds are common and trophies are realistic: the reservoir’s fertility grows fish quickly.

Are the walleye established?

Yes: they now support a legitimate fishery on the flats and points, most productive at dawn and dusk.

How windy is it?

Very: an open basin on the Snake River plain. Fish mornings and watch the forecast in small boats.

Is fishing good at American Falls 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

Blackfoot Reservoir63 miSilver Creek72 miHenrys Fork77 miMagic Reservoir80 miSnake River (South Fork)90 miLogan River96 mi
Share your catch