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Wabash River Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Indiana’s state river: the Wabash runs smallmouth, catfish and sauger for 500 miles.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
2,350 cfs
Air / High
70 / 76 F
Wind
E 9 mph

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

Satellite view
Monday
14
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.

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

Wabash River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 2,350 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1023 hPa and a high of 76. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 94 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 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.

9,65623,22536,7942,350 cfs08/1508/2509/0409/14

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp70 F
High / Low76 / 52 F
WindE 9-13 mph
Pressure1023.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:27 / 19:57
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
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.

Mon Sep 14 · Overcast, 76/52 F, wind 10 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: 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.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

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. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

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
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
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 Wabash River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 14 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 7 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

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 81 F, wind to 8 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

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

Regulations

Indiana license. Smallmouth, catfish and sauger limits per current DNR regulations; sturgeon are protected.

Access

Public ramps, bridge crossings and riverside parks through the corridor at Lafayette, Terre Haute and Vincennes.

About this water

A 500-mile river across Indiana to the Ohio, with the longest free-flowing reach east of the Mississippi.

Fishing Wabash River: the full guide

The longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi

The Wabash River runs about 500 miles from Ohio across Indiana to the Ohio River, and below Huntington it flows unimpounded for more than 400 miles, the longest free-flowing stretch east of the Mississippi. It holds smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, sauger, white bass, freshwater drum, and a notable population of shovelnose sturgeon.

Smallmouth and sauger

Smallmouth hold the rock, the wing dams, the riffles and the current seams through the middle river, taken on tubes, small crankbaits and hair jigs. Sauger concentrate below the riffles and in the deeper holes, particularly in late fall and winter when they school: jigs tipped with minnows are the standard approach.

Catfish and the big-river species

Channel and flathead catfish grow large in the deeper holes and around log jams, taken on cut and live bait at night. Blue catfish appear in the lower river. Freshwater drum and white bass fill out the catch, and the free-flowing character means the whole system fishes more like a river than a chain of pools.

Tippecanoe County logistics

Access is via public ramps, bridge crossings and riverside parks through the corridor, with Lafayette, Terre Haute and Vincennes the main base towns. Flows respond to rain across a large agricultural basin and the river can rise and muddy for days: check the gauge before committing to a trip.

Common questions

Is it dammed?

Below Huntington it runs free for more than 400 miles: the longest unimpounded reach east of the Mississippi.

When is sauger fishing best?

Late fall and winter, when they school in the deeper holes below riffles: jigs tipped with minnows.

Does it muddy up?

Yes, quickly after rain across the agricultural basin, and it can stay off-color for days.

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

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 waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv. Latest value timestamped 2026-09-14 at 12:30 station time.
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.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

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.

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