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Jordan Lake Fishing Report

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

The Triangle's bass factory: fertile Piedmont water with a big-fish reputation.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Lake level
215.73 ft -0.27 vs pool
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
SW 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02098197, 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.

Jordan Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The gauge reads 215.73 ft, 0.27 ft below pool, easing 0.37 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 98. 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 95 F with a rain chance. 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 B. EVERETT JORDAN LAKE AT DAM NR MONCURE, NC.

Water level, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02098197. Conservation pool is 216 ft.

215.86216.19216.51pool 216215.73 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 75 F
WindSW 7-9 mph
Pressure1012.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 14%
Sunrise / Sunset06:50 / 19:39
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, 98/75 F, wind 7 mph, rain 14%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Jordan Lake: 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 Jordan Lake 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 Jordan Lake 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 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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 99 F, wind to 5 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 97 F, wind to 5 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

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

Regulations

Black bass 14-inch/5. Crappie 20/day. Confirm with NCWRC.

Access

Ebenezer, Farrington, Poplar Point, Crosswinds ramps; state rec areas ring it.

About this water

13,900 acres on the Haw/New Hope, Chatham County, NC. Corps, impounded 1982.

Fishing Jordan Lake: the full guide

New-water fertility that lasted

Jordan filled in 1982 and immediately grew giants: the fertile Haw River arm still pumps out 8-plus largemouth every spring. Stained water keeps it a power-fishing lake (spinnerbaits, jigs, squarebills around wood), crappie fill the bridges, and the eagles watching your cast are a bonus. Beat the Raleigh-Durham crowds at dawn.

Fertility does the work

Jordan stays stained and rich: the Haw arm's nutrients grow bass fast and keep them shallow longer than clear Piedmont lakes: spinnerbaits and squarebills around wood produce nine months a year. The 8-lb class shows every spring around the flooded timber.

Crappie bridges and eagle mornings

The 1008 and Farrington bridges stack crappie year-round: vertical jigs on pilings, 8-20 ft by season. Jordan doubles as the Southeast's bald-eagle showcase: dawn trips collect sightings with the bites: bring the long lens with the flipping stick.

Common questions

When does Jordan fish best?

March-May for the big-bag window (stained water warms early); October's shad migration is the underrated second act. Summer runs a dawn-and-dusk lake.

Big-bag physics

Jordan grows heavyweight Piedmont largemouth on a simple recipe: fertile Haw River water, flooded timber left standing, and gizzard shad by the ton. Spring flippers work the buttonbush and cypress-like stickups of the upper arms; summer crankers grind the channel ledges off the causeways. The lake's tournament weights routinely embarrass fancier fisheries: 20-lb bags live here.

Why are there so many eagles at Jordan?

The lake hosts one of the East's densest bald-eagle populations: the shad base feeds them and the anglers alike. The wildlife observation decks double as bird-marking scouts.

Is fishing good at Jordan Lake 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

Falls Lake38 miBadin Lake64 miKerr Lake (Buggs Island)74 miLake Gaston85 miTar River85 miCape Fear River86 mi
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