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Ute Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New Mexico’s walleye plains lake: Ute Reservoir spreads across the Canadian River near the Texas line.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Flow
2 cfs
Air / High
100 / 100 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07227500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Ute Reservoir locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. The river is running 2 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 100. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Fair

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassSlow

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassSlow

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 100 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Canadian River near Amarillo (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07227500.

3861,1011,8152 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp100 F
High / Low100 / 72 F
WindS 6-11 mph
Pressure1004.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 9%
Sunrise / Sunset06:28 / 19:16
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 100/72 F, wind 17 mph, rain 9%

Slow. 100 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Ute Reservoir 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Ute Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 19 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 101 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 96 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

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

Regulations

New Mexico license. Walleye, bass and crappie limits per current NMDGF regulations.

Access

Ute Lake State Park ramps, campgrounds and shoreline access near Logan.

About this water

An 8,000-acre reservoir on the Canadian River near Logan, Quay County, New Mexico.

Fishing Ute Reservoir: the full guide

A high plains reservoir

Ute Reservoir covers about 8,000 acres on the Canadian River in northeastern New Mexico near Logan, the state’s third-largest body of water. The setting is high plains: mesas, grassland and big sky. The fishery is warm-water and productive: walleye lead, joined by smallmouth and largemouth bass, white bass, channel catfish and crappie, in water that runs clear over rock and sand.

Walleye and white bass

Walleye hold the rocky points, shorelines and flats: jigs and minnows in spring, trolled crawler harnesses through summer at 15-25 feet, and a strong fall bite. New Mexico manages the population with stocking, and it supports both a sport fishery and a spring spawning operation. White bass school over the open water and provide fast summer action.

Bass and catfish

Smallmouth work the rocky shorelines and points, an unusual and welcome presence in New Mexico. Largemouth relate to the coves and any brush. Channel catfish are abundant and reliable from the bank, and crappie hold what structure the current level provides. Water levels vary with drought, which affects both access and patterns.

Logan-area logistics

Ute Lake State Park provides ramps, camping and shoreline access near Logan, with services in the village. The plains wind is a constant and builds chop quickly on open water: mornings are the reliable window. Tucumcari is 25 miles southwest, and the lake sits close enough to the Texas panhandle to draw anglers from both states.

Common questions

Is it a good walleye lake?

One of New Mexico’s best: consistent numbers on the rocky structure and flats, with spring and fall the strongest windows.

Are there smallmouth?

Yes: the rocky shorelines support them, an unusual bonus for a New Mexico plains reservoir.

How windy is it?

Persistently: open high plains with little shelter. Fish mornings and pick a lee shore when it blows.

Is fishing good at Ute Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Conchas Lake42 miLake Meredith110 miCimarron River120 miPecos River126 miEagle Nest Lake130 miTrinidad Lake139 mi
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