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Storm Lake Fishing Report

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

Storm Lake: a 3,097-acre natural lake in Buena Vista County, dredged from 2003 to 2017, with walleye under a protected slot.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Gauge
13.47 ft
Air / High
75 / 77 F
Wind
SSE 17 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05482140, 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.

Storm Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The gauge reads 13.47 ft, up 0.07 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 17 mph, falling pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

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.

Yellow perchExcellent

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

White bassGood

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

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 74 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

Chasing walleye 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 Storm Lake at Storm Lake, IA.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05482140.

13.2113.3613.5213.47 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp75 F
High / Low77 / 56 F
WindSSE 17-25 mph
Pressure1015.1 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 16%
Sunrise / Sunset07:43 / 18:25
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)58 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~55 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 Storm Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Storm Lake, at 4 out of 5.

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

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

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

Solunar majors
9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM
Minor period
4:20 AM-5:20 AM
Sun
07:43 to 18:25
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 18 mph
Rain chance
16%

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

Species guide

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

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.

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 55Β°F.

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.

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.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

When to come: the Storm Lake 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
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Storm Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. High of 77 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 70 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

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

Regulations

Iowa fishing license. Walleye: 3 per day, 6 in possession; all walleye 19 to 25 inches must be released immediately; no more than one over 25 inches per day. Channel, blue and flathead catfish combined: 8 per day (Iowa DNR lake page, read Oct. 5, 2026).

Access

Boat ramps, fishing jetties, accessible piers, a fish-cleaning station, camping, picnic areas and beach access (Iowa DNR).

About this water

3,097-acre natural lake in Buena Vista County, Iowa; mean depth 8.6 feet, maximum 20.3 feet. Dredged 2003 to 2017.

Fishing Storm Lake: the full guide

Shallow natural lake

The Iowa DNR lists Storm Lake at 3,097 acres, with a mean depth of 8.6 feet and a maximum of 20.3 feet. Hydraulic dredging from 2003 to 2017 removed more than 7 million cubic yards of sediment.

Walleye

Walleye are the main target. The DNR stocked 11.3 million walleye fry in May 2025 and 6,967 fingerlings averaging 4.2 inches that fall, and it collects walleye broodstock here every year for its hatcheries. A protected slot keeps every walleye from 19 to 25 inches in the water.

Other fish

The DNR’s list of popular species also includes channel catfish, white bass, yellow perch, black crappie, bigmouth buffalo and common carp. Its October 2026 report sent catfish anglers to the rocky shorelines and the dredge cuts.

Common questions

What was the restoration?

Hydraulic dredging from 2003 to 2017 that removed more than 7 million cubic yards of sediment.

Can I keep a 20-inch walleye?

No. Every walleye from 19 to 25 inches must be released immediately; one walleye over 25 inches may be kept per day.

Is Storm Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR put 11.3 million walleye fry and 6,967 fingerlings into the lake in 2025.

Is fishing good at Storm Lake 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 Okoboji52 miEast Okoboji Lake53 miSpirit Lake58 miClear Lake97 miSaylorville Lake100 miBig Sioux River107 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05482140 β€” Storm Lake at Storm Lake, IA
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 42.6300, -95.2000 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.