Share your catch
US

Cedar River Fishing Report

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

The Cedar at Cedar Rapids, where Iowa DNR stocks walleye above and below the city and the river holds smallmouth, catfish and shovelnose sturgeon.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
7,980 cfs
Air / High
75 / 75 F
Wind
SSE 10 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05464500, 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.

Cedar River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 7,980 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 10 mph, falling pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 75. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:42 AM-11:42 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

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.

WalleyeExcellent

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)Excellent

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.

Northern pikeExcellent

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Hybrid striped bassGood

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.

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.

White bassGood

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Tomorrow: Similar at 76 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Iowa requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $22.00 for residents. What a Iowa licence costs and where to buy it →

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

Water and weather

Live readings from Cedar River at Cedar Rapids.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05464500.

10,75216,99523,2387,980 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 124 years of October 23

At 7,980 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 05464500 (Cedar River at Cedar Rapids) is above the 95th percentile for the date: much above normal. In half of the 124 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,705 cfs; the highest was 16,700 cfs and the lowest 430 cfs.

p10 673median 1,705p90 5,735

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 05464500; 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 temp75 F
High / Low75 / 50 F
WindSSE 10-15 mph
Pressure1020.6 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset07:28 / 18:12
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 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 Cedar River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Cedar River, at 4 out of 5.

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

Today, Oct 23 — Good

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

Solunar majors
9:42 AM-11:42 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM
Minor period
4:05 AM-5:05 AM
Sun
07:28 to 18:12
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 11 mph
Rain chance
3%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Cedar 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.

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.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

When to come: the Cedar 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)
Hybrid striped bass
Crappie
White bass
Northern pike
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Cedar River 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

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 73 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

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

Regulations

Iowa fishing license. Iowa DNR's reach pages summarize statewide seasons and limits; read the full Iowa Fishing Regulations for walleye, bass and catfish rules.

Access

Iowa DNR lists boat access with hard-surface, gravel and carry-down launches in both reaches, including the Winegar and North Cedar accesses above the city and the Palisades-Kepler ramp below it.

About this water

The Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, between Iowa DNR's La Porte City-Cedar Rapids and Cedar Rapids-Moscow reaches.

Fishing Cedar River: the full guide

The Cedar at Cedar Rapids

This page sits on the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, where the USGS gauge Cedar River at Cedar Rapids reports flow. Iowa DNR divides the river into reaches, and two of them meet here: La Porte City to Cedar Rapids, and Cedar Rapids to Moscow.

Upstream: La Porte City to Cedar Rapids

Iowa DNR credits an interior-river stocking program for good walleye and northern pike fishing in this reach, especially in Benton County, and says smallmouth bass and channel catfish are doing well, though that summary dates from 2016. Its records show walleye fingerlings stocked here most years since 2016, including about 22,400 2-inch fish in 2026 split between the Winegar and North Cedar accesses.

Downstream: Cedar Rapids to Moscow

Below the city, Iowa DNR describes a popular channel and flathead catfish reach that is also seasonally very good for shovelnose sturgeon, with walleye and smallmouth bass among the other draws and sauger numbers improving (updated December 2025). About 22,000 2-inch walleye were stocked at the Palisades-Kepler ramp in 2026.

Other species

Iowa DNR's lists for these reaches also include black and white crappie, bluegill, white bass, freshwater drum, goldeye, mooneye, gars and several suckers and buffalo; the reach below Cedar Rapids adds paddlefish, wipers and yellow bass.

Common questions

Does Iowa DNR stock the Cedar?

Yes. It stocks walleye fingerlings in the reaches above and below Cedar Rapids, about 22,000 in each in 2026, and has stocked northern pike above the city in some years.

What is the river known for below Cedar Rapids?

Iowa DNR highlights channel and flathead catfish and seasonal shovelnose sturgeon fishing, along with walleye and smallmouth bass.

Where can I launch?

Iowa DNR names the Winegar and North Cedar accesses above the city and the Palisades-Kepler ramp below it.

Is fishing good at Cedar 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 MacBride14 miCoralville Lake19 miTurkey River56 miRed Rock Lake79 miMississippi River Pool 990 miUpper Iowa River100 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05464500 — Cedar River at Cedar Rapids
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 41.9800, -91.6700 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 5, 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 5, 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.