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Elkhorn River Fishing Report

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

Elkhorn River at Waterloo, Nebraska: a river reach with a live USGS flow gauge, where only the water, not the riverbed, belongs to the state.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
1,100 cfs
Air / High
79 / 79 F
Wind
SSE 18 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06800500, 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.

Elkhorn River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 1,100 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 18 mph, falling pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 79. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:01 AM-12:01 PM and 10:30 PM-12:30 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

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.

Tomorrow: Similar at 75 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

Nebraska requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $41.00 for residents. What a Nebraska licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing catfish (blue, channel) here? Check the size and bag limits with NGPC before you keep anything. The season dates for Nebraska, read off the agency, are on the Nebraska seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Elkhorn River at Waterloo.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06800500.

1,4422,7063,9701,100 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 102 years of October 23

At 1,100 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06800500 (Elkhorn River at Waterloo) is at the 73rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 102 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 612 cfs; the highest was 6,630 cfs and the lowest 169 cfs.

p10 324median 612p90 1,714

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06800500; 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 temp79 F
High / Low79 / 59 F
WindSSE 18-26 mph
Pressure1014.3 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:46 / 18:32
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)64 F USGS
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 Elkhorn River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Elkhorn River, 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
10:01 AM-12:01 PM and 10:30 PM-12:30 AM
Minor period
4:24 AM-5:24 AM
Sun
07:46 to 18:32
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 18 mph
Rain chance
1%

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

Species guide

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

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 Elkhorn 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
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 Elkhorn 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. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 73 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

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

Regulations

Nebraska fishing permit. For catfish, bass and other limits, see the current Nebraska Game and Parks Fishing Guide.

Access

Use public access sites; riverbeds and banks are private, and picnicking or camping needs landowner permission (NGPC).

About this water

The Elkhorn River at Waterloo, Douglas County, Nebraska, measured by USGS gauge 06800500.

Fishing Elkhorn River: the full guide

The Waterloo gauge

This page follows the Elkhorn River at Waterloo in Douglas County, where USGS gauge 06800500 reports streamflow, gage height, water temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen every 15 minutes. On Oct. 8, 2026 it read about 1,230 cubic feet per second and 17.9 degrees C.

Who owns the river

Nebraska Game and Parks reminds river users that only the water belongs to the state: riverbeds and adjacent land belong to the landowners the river flows through. State law lets paddlers portage around fences and other obstructions, but they are liable for damage, and picnicking or camping needs the landowner's permission.

Common questions

Can I walk the riverbed or camp on a sandbar?

Not without permission: NGPC says riverbeds and adjacent lands belong to the landowners, and camping or picnicking needs their consent.

Where does the flow figure come from?

From USGS gauge 06800500, Elkhorn River at Waterloo, which reports every 15 minutes.

Is fishing good at Elkhorn 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 Wanahoo17 miPlatte River19 miBranched Oak Lake37 miLoup River76 miStorm Lake109 miLewis and Clark Lake129 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06800500 β€” Elkhorn River at Waterloo
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.2800, -96.2800 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 8, 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 8, 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.