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Willard Bay Fishing Report

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

The Great Salt Lake's freshwater neighbor: a diked bay of wipers, walleye and gizzard shad chaos on Utah's improbable west side.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
83 / 84 F
Wind
SSW 19 mph

Sources: 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Willard Bay lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 19 mph, steady pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 66 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 84 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low84 / 61 F
WindSSW 19-30 mph
Pressure1004.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 19:56
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 84/61 F, wind 20 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 20 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Willard Bay 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
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 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 Willard Bay today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 20 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 82 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

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

Regulations

Utah license. Wiper/walleye limits: check DWR. State-park entry; ANS certification required.

Access

Willard Bay SP north and south marinas: dike access along the loops.

About this water

9,900 diked acres beside the Great Salt Lake, Box Elder County, UT. The wiper bay.

Fishing Willard Bay: the full guide

The freshwater dike

Willard Bay walls 9,900 freshwater acres off the Great Salt Lake's flood plain: an engineered anomaly that became northern Utah's warm-water flagship: wipers (the state's best), walleye, crappie and enough gizzard shad to keep everything violent. Minutes off I-15, the bay fishes bigger than its profile.

Wiper riots

The hybrid stripers made Willard famous: summer boils erupt when wolfpacks push shad (run-and-gun with pencil poppers and spoons: the state's most exciting freshwater minutes), while trollers pull cranks along the dikes between shows. The 8-12-pound class arrives every few years by cycle: the bay's signature fish.

Walleye and the spring wall

April stacks walleye along the rock dikes (jigs and cranks parallel to the walls at dusk: the bay's classic bite), summer spreads them across the shallow bowl (harnesses over 10-18 ft), and the fall shad migrations re-concentrate everything at the outlets and corners. Crappie fill the marinas' brush each spring: the north marina's slips are the community hole.

Bay practicalities

State-park marinas anchor both ends (north's the fishing hub): the shallow bowl builds wind chop fast: dike lees save days: and summer's beach crowds stay south: anglers own the north. Winter freezes bring a cautious ice culture (wipers through the ice: rare and prized): follow local reports: the bay's springs keep edges thin.

Common questions

When do wipers boil at Willard Bay?

June-September when shad ball: watch for bird sprays along the dikes and run carefully. A rigged popper rod is bay law all summer.

Is Willard Bay saltwater?

No: the dikes wall Great Salt Lake's flood plain into a freshwater reservoir. The name confuses: the wipers clarify.

Is fishing good at Willard Bay 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

Weber River10 miOgden River13 miPineview Reservoir16 miLogan River33 miBear Lake57 miJordanelle Reservoir63 mi
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