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Gasconade River Fishing Report

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

Missouri’s crooked river: the Gasconade winds 280 miles of smallmouth and catfish through the Ozarks.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
510 cfs
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
SE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06934000, 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.

Gasconade River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 510 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:43 AM-11:43 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Smallmouth bassGood

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.

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 80 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Missouri requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $14.00 for residents. What a Missouri licence costs and where to buy it →

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

Water and weather

Live readings from Gasconade River near Rich Fountain.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06934000.

484524564510 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 77 years of October 23

At 510 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06934000 (Gasconade River near Rich Fountain) is at the 12th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 77 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 739 cfs; the highest was 20,600 cfs and the lowest 286 cfs.

p10 499median 739p90 3,068

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06934000; 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 temp77 F
High / Low78 / 47 F
WindSE 6-8 mph
Pressure1020.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain52% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:24 / 18:18
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 Gasconade River this week

The best day on Gasconade River this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 — 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
9:43 AM-11:43 AM and 10:12 PM-12:12 AM
Minor period
4:06 AM-5:06 AM
Sun
07:24 to 18:18
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Gasconade 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.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

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.

When to come: the Gasconade 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 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 Gasconade River 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. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 6 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Missouri license. Smallmouth special management areas have specific length limits: check current MDC regulations.

Access

Public accesses and outfitter put-ins throughout; gravel bar camping is traditional on Missouri float rivers.

About this water

A 280-mile Ozark river to the Missouri River at Gasconade, Missouri: one of the most sinuous rivers in the country.

Fishing Gasconade River: the full guide

The crookedest river

The Gasconade River winds about 280 miles through the Missouri Ozarks to the Missouri River, following a course so sinuous that it covers roughly half that distance in straight-line terms. It is a classic Ozark float river: gravel bars, bluff pools, spring branches and wood, holding smallmouth bass, rock bass, catfish and, in the lower reaches, larger river species.

Smallmouth and goggle-eye

Smallmouth are the target through the middle and upper river: work the bluff pools, current seams and wood with tubes, crankbaits and topwater from a canoe or johnboat. Rock bass, known locally as goggle-eye, are abundant and provide steady action for anglers who appreciate them. Special management areas protect the better smallmouth reaches.

Catfish and the lower river

Channel and flathead catfish grow large in the deeper holes, particularly toward the Missouri River confluence: live bait and cut bait fished on the bottom at night in summer. The lower river is broader and slower, holding larger fish generally. Spring rises can blow the river out quickly given the Ozark watershed.

Ozark logistics

Public accesses and outfitters serve the river throughout, with float trips the standard approach and gravel bar camping a tradition. Waynesville, Vienna and Hermann frame the different reaches. The Gasconade sees less traffic than the Current or Jacks Fork, which is much of its appeal for anglers.

Common questions

What is a goggle-eye?

The local name for rock bass: abundant in the Gasconade and excellent on light tackle.

Is it crowded?

Less than the Current or Jacks Fork: the Gasconade sees fewer floaters, which anglers appreciate.

Where are the big catfish?

The deeper holes in the lower river toward the Missouri confluence, fished at night with live and cut bait.

Is fishing good at Gasconade 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

Lake of the Ozarks60 miNiangua River66 miBennett Spring68 miMeramec River71 miMark Twain Lake80 miPomme de Terre Lake84 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06934000 — Gasconade River near Rich Fountain
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.3500, -91.8800 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
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be 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.