Share your catch
US

Platte River Fishing Report, Nebraska

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The lower Platte at Louisville: a USGS-gauged reach with canoe access from Louisville State Recreation Area.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
8,270 cfs
Air / High
41 / 65 F
Wind
SW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06805500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 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.

Platte River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 8,270 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 3 mph, steady pressure near 1018 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 51 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:08 PM-1:08 AM and 11:28 AM-1:28 PM: 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.

MuskellungeGood

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 bassFair

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.

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

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 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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 →

Chasing smallmouth bass 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 Platte River at Louisville, Nebr..

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06805500.

5,7368,44011,1448,270 cfs10/1010/2010/3011/09

Today’s flow against 73 years of November 9

At 8,270 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06805500 (Platte River at Louisville, Nebr.) is at the 82nd percentile for the date: above normal. In half of the 73 years of approved record the daily mean on November 9 was below 5,200 cfs; the highest was 13,300 cfs and the lowest 2,370 cfs.

p10 3,192median 5,200p90 9,384

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06805500; 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 temp41 F
High / Low65 / 40 F
WindSW 3-14 mph
Pressure1017.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:05 / 17:11
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (gauge)50 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~51 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 Platte River this week

The best day on Platte River this week looks like Wednesday Nov 11, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Nov 11 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:08 PM-1:08 AM and 11:28 AM-1:28 PM
Minor period
7:19 AM-8:19 AM
Sun
07:05 to 17:11
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 9 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Platte 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 Platte 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 51 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~51 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 Platte River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 6 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 11 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 44 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

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 required; limits per the current Nebraska Game and Parks fishing guide.

Access

Louisville State Recreation Area (15810 Hwy 50, Louisville): canoe access to the Platte River.

About this water

The lower Platte River at Louisville, Cass County, Nebraska; the point on this page is the USGS gauge site.

Fishing Platte River: the full guide

Louisville State Recreation Area

Nebraska Game and Parks describes Louisville SRA as 192 acres with five sandpit lakes of about 50 surface acres, fishing, non-power boating and canoe access to the Platte River. Only non-powered and electric boats are allowed on the SRA's lakes. Platte River State Park, Mahoney State Park and Schramm Park SRA are nearby.

Reading the gauge

USGS gauge 06805500, Platte River at Louisville, reports discharge, stage and water temperature in real time; check it before wading or launching a canoe, since conditions on the river change with flow.

Common questions

Where can I put a canoe in near Louisville?

Louisville State Recreation Area offers canoe access to the Platte River, according to Nebraska Game and Parks.

Is there a live flow reading?

Yes: USGS gauge 06805500 at Louisville reports discharge and stage in real time.

Is fishing good at Platte 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

Elkhorn River19 miLake Wanahoo28 miBranched Oak Lake37 miLoup River87 miStorm Lake122 miMilford Lake133 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06805500 — Platte River at Louisville, Nebr.
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 10:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.0150, -96.1575 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 6, 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 6, 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.