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Neosho River Fishing Report

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

Southeast Kansas' Neosho: catfish water fished from public access sites, since Kansas treats its bed as private.

Private riverbed. Kansas treats the bed of the Neosho as private: only the Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas rivers are public. Fish it from public access sites such as the Neosho Wildlife Area, or with the landowner’s permission. Source, read October 5, 2026.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
4,360 cfs
Air / High
78 / 78 F
Wind
S 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07183500, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Neosho River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 4,360 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind S around 11 mph, steady pressure near 1019 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 62 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

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.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

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 bassFair

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.

CrappieFair

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

Before you go

Kansas requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $27.50 for residents. What a Kansas licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with KDWP before you keep anything. The season dates for Kansas, read off the agency, are on the Kansas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Neosho River near Parsons.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07183500.

1,3122,5883,8634,360 cfs09/2310/0410/1410/23

Today’s flow against 105 years of October 23

At 4,360 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 07183500 (Neosho River near Parsons) is at the 83rd percentile for the date: above normal. In half of the 105 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 192 cfs; the highest was 20,800 cfs and the lowest 0 cfs.

p10 18median 192p90 7,026

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 07183500; 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 temp78 F
High / Low78 / 49 F
WindS 11-14 mph
Pressure1018.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain83% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:36 / 18:33
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 Neosho River this week

The best day on Neosho River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:57 AM-11:57 AM and 10:26 PM-12:26 AM
Minor period
4:20 AM-5:20 AM
Sun
07:36 to 18:33
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 11 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Neosho River: 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.

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.

When to come: the Neosho 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
Walleye
Catfish (blue, channel)
Hybrid striped bass
Crappie
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 Neosho 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. Walleye led the card at good. High of 79 F, wind to 6 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 77 F, wind to 7 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 73 F, wind to 9 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Kansas fishing license. At Humboldt's Neosho River Park, KDWP sets channel catfish at 10 a day, flathead catfish 5, walleye 5 at 18 inches, sauger and saugeye 5 at 15 inches, wipers 2 and crappie 50. Elsewhere statewide limits apply; the statewide 15-inch walleye, sauger and saugeye minimum does not apply in rivers, streams and tailwaters.

Access

Neosho Wildlife Area (fishing April 1-August 31), Neosho River Park in Humboldt and other KDWP river access areas; elsewhere, landowner permission is required.

About this water

A river through southeast Kansas toward Oklahoma; this page follows the USGS gauge near Parsons, Labette County.

Fishing Neosho River: the full guide

A private-bed river

Kansas regulations say that, unless posted otherwise, all streams other than the Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas rivers belong to the adjoining landowners. On the Neosho that means fishing from public access areas or with the landowner's or tenant's permission, which the rules also require when fishing from roads, bridges and railroad rights-of-way.

Public access

KDWP's Neosho Wildlife Area near St. Paul is a 3,246-acre marsh built in 1960 below the junction of Flat Rock Creek and the Neosho; fishing is allowed there from April 1 to August 31, and the department says the Neosho River, Flat Rock Creek and Brogan Creek can fish well at times. Humboldt's Neosho River Park, on Bridge Street on the west side of town, has its own site limits. KDWP's 2026 Fishing Atlas maps river access areas statewide.

Catfish and other fish

KDWP's site limits at Humboldt's Neosho River Park cover channel and flathead catfish, walleye, sauger, saugeye, wipers and crappie. The USGS gauge near Parsons (07183500) shows current flow.

Alligator snapping turtles

KDWP released alligator snapping turtles into the Neosho between Chanute and the Oklahoma border in 2024. If you catch one, photograph it and send the photo to the department before releasing it.

Common questions

Can I fish anywhere along the Neosho?

No. Kansas treats streambeds other than the Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas rivers as private unless posted, so use public access sites or ask permission.

When is the Neosho Wildlife Area open to fishing?

From April 1 through August 31, according to KDWP.

What if I catch an alligator snapping turtle?

Photograph it, send the photo to KDWP and release it; the department stocked the turtles in this stretch in 2024.

Is fishing good at Neosho 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

Verdigris River21 miOologah Lake58 miGrand Lake o the Cherokees60 miLake Hudson75 miSkiatook Lake82 miMelvern Lake83 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07183500 — Neosho River near Parsons
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 37.3500, -95.2700 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.