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Wabash River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Wabash at Lafayette: a long free-flowing river with catfish, sauger and black bass, under Indiana's river bass slot.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
2,990 cfs
Air / High
36 / 61 F
Wind
SW 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 03335500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 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.

Wabash River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 2,990 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 61. Water sits around 51 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:30 PM-1:30 AM and 11:50 AM-1:50 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

CrappieGood

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.

Smallmouth bassFair

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

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 bassFair

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.

Hybrid striped bassSlow

In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

Tomorrow: Similar at 63 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Indiana requires a fishing licence, from $23.00 for residents. What a Indiana licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing smallmouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Indiana, read off the agency, are on the Indiana seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from WABASH RIVER AT LAFAYETTE, IN.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 03335500.

3,0884,4955,9022,990 cfs10/1010/2010/3011/09

Today’s flow against 103 years of November 9

At 2,990 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 03335500 (WABASH RIVER AT LAFAYETTE, IN) is at the 57th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 103 years of approved record the daily mean on November 9 was below 2,580 cfs; the highest was 19,100 cfs and the lowest 730 cfs.

p10 1,196median 2,580p90 8,174

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 03335500; 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 temp36 F
High / Low61 / 35 F
WindSW 5-7 mph
Pressure1019.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:26 / 17:35
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~51 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 Wabash River this week

The best day on Wabash River this week looks like Thursday Nov 12, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Thursday, Nov 12 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:30 PM-1:30 AM and 11:50 AM-1:50 PM
Minor period
7:39 AM-8:39 AM
Sun
07:26 to 17:35
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

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.

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. In spring, windblown shorelines, riprap and dams during the shad spawn (May in Oklahoma); in fall, the pre-winter feed on the same kind of banks.

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 Wabash 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Catfish (blue, channel)
Largemouth bass
Hybrid striped bass
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 51 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~51 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 Wabash River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 15 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 52 F, wind to 10 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 52 F, wind to 13 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Indiana license. Rivers and streams: 5 bass combined, 12–15 in. protected, no more than 2 over 15 in.; walleye, sauger and saugeye 6 combined (no size limit on sauger); shovelnose sturgeon 25 in. fork length; lake sturgeon endangered (Indiana 2026–2027 regulations). The lower Wabash is an Indiana–Illinois border water.

Access

Ramps and bank access along the Wabash have not yet been checked against an official list.

About this water

The Wabash River at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana; free-flowing for more than 400 miles from the Huntington Dam to the Ohio River.

Fishing Wabash River: the full guide

Free-flowing below Huntington

An Illinois DNR OutdoorIllinois feature (March 2010) calls the Wabash one of the largest free-flowing rivers east of the Mississippi: it runs unimpeded for more than 400 miles from the Huntington Dam in Indiana to the Ohio, with no navigation channel and no commercial navigation. Its drainage covers about 33,000 square miles, two-thirds of it agricultural, and depths range from 6 inches to 50 feet, so boaters should check river stages; some stretches cannot be run at low water.

Species

The same feature lists blue, channel and flathead catfish, white, striped and hybrid striped bass, smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass, white and black crappie, bluegill, freshwater drum and sauger, with walleye present but less common than sauger. In its account of the Illinois portion it puts smallmouth in the upper 100 miles and catfish and sauger along the river's whole length.

Indiana rules on the river

Indiana's 2026–2027 regulations allow 5 bass a day in rivers and streams in any combination, with no fish from 12 to 15 inches kept and no more than two over 15 inches. Sauger count in the 6-fish aggregate with walleye and saugeye and have no size limit. Shovelnose sturgeon have no daily limit and a 25-inch fork-length minimum, while lake sturgeon are endangered in Indiana and may not be taken.

The Lafayette gauge

The gauge on this page is USGS 03335500, Wabash River at Lafayette, which reports flow, stage and water-surface elevation.

Common questions

Is the Wabash dammed?

Not below Huntington: Illinois DNR describes more than 400 unimpeded miles from the Huntington Dam to the Ohio River.

Can I keep shovelnose sturgeon in Indiana?

Yes, with no daily limit if they are at least 25 inches fork length. Lake sturgeon are endangered and must be released.

What are the bass rules on the river?

Five a day in any combination; fish from 12 to 15 inches go back, and only two may be longer than 15 inches.

Is fishing good at Wabash 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

Lake Freeman22 miSugar Creek27 miTippecanoe River45 miMississinewa Lake54 miWhite River59 miGeist Reservoir61 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 03335500 — WABASH RIVER AT LAFAYETTE, IN
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 10:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.4219, -86.8969 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.