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Lake MacBride Fishing Report

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

Iowa City's park lake: MacBride's no-wake arms grow muskies, walleye and the university town's fishing habits.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
94 / 94 F
Wind
SSW 10 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.

Lake MacBride lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 10 mph, steady pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 94. Water sits around 66 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

WalleyeGood

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

Northern pikeGood

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

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

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

Tomorrow: Similar at 94 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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp94 F
High / Low94 / 72 F
WindSSW 10-14 mph
Pressure1010.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:35 / 19:34
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 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 · Partly cloudy, 94/72 F, wind 11 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 11 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

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.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

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.

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 Lake MacBride 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
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Lake MacBride today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 93 F, wind to 9 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

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

Regulations

Iowa license. Muskie 40-inch; walleye 15-inch: check DNR. No-wake lake-wide.

Access

Lake MacBride SP ramps and rentals; spillway access below.

About this water

940 no-wake acres, Johnson County, IA. The university town's muskie park.

Fishing Lake MacBride: the full guide

The park flagship

MacBride spreads 940 no-wake acres beside Coralville's big water: Iowa's flagship state-park lake: stocked muskies (the state's program matured here: 45-plus-inch fish annually), walleye on the rock, and the crappie-bluegill culture a university town fishes hard.

Muskie and gold

The cabbage edges and timber points hold the tigers' pure-strain cousins (bucktails June, suckers October: figure-eight faith), while walleye ride the riprap and roadbeds (jigs at dusk, the classic Iowa slow-death summer). The no-wake calm keeps both programs honest.

The town's water

Crappie stack the flooded timber each spring (the causeway's brush the standby), bluegills raft the coves for the family fleet, and channel cats cruise everywhere: with the spillway's tailwater tossing bonus walleye when Coralville releases. Sailing club regattas share the calm: everyone fits.

Johnson County practicalities

State-park ramps and rental docks serve the arms: the beach crowds own summer middays (fish the no-wake dawn): and winter's ice culture (modest but real) jigs the deep points. Iowa City's fifteen minutes make it the studybreak fishery.

Common questions

Does Lake MacBride really hold muskies?

Iowa's program matured here: 45-plus-inch fish come every season off the cabbage. October's sucker soak is the trophy tradition.

When do MacBride walleye bite?

Dusk on the riprap, May through September: slow-death rigs over the roadbeds midsummer. The no-wake water keeps the pattern gentle.

What is the spillway fishery at MacBride?

When Coralville runs high, the spillway pool below turns on: walleye and white bass stacking in the flow. It is Johnson County's flood-season bonus: locals watch the reservoir releases like a second forecast.

Is fishing good at Lake MacBride 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

Coralville Lake6 miCedar River14 miTurkey River66 miRed Rock Lake79 miRathbun Lake95 miMississippi River Pool 9100 mi
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