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Lake Geneva Fishing Report

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

Geneva Lake: 5,401 acres of very clear Walworth County water, 135 feet deep, where smallmouth bass are the abundant game fish.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
864.36 ft
Air / High
69 / 69 F
Wind
SE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 423525088260400, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
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.

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

Lake Geneva is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The gauge reads 2.50 ft, holding steady. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 69. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:29 AM-11:29 AM and 9:59 PM-11:59 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.

Smallmouth bassGood

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.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Tomorrow: Similar at 68 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

Wisconsin requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $20.00 for residents. What a Wisconsin licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with WI DNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Wisconsin, read off the agency, are on the Wisconsin seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from GENEVA LAKE AT LAKE GENEVA, WI.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 423525088260400.

2.432.572.712.50 ft09/2310/0510/1410/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low69 / 43 F
WindSE 6-7 mph
Pressure1023.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:16 / 17:59
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 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 Lake Geneva this week

The best day on Lake Geneva this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:29 AM-11:29 AM and 9:59 PM-11:59 PM
Minor period
3:52 AM-4:52 AM
Sun
07:16 to 17:59
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

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

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.

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.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

When to come: the Lake Geneva 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
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Largemouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Lake Geneva 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. Walleye led the card at good. High of 71 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

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

Regulations

Wisconsin fishing license. Read the current Wisconsin DNR hook-and-line regulations for Walworth County before keeping bass, pike or walleye.

Access

The WDNR lake page lists six public boat landings and six public beaches. The shore path can be joined at Edgewater Park (Williams Bay), Reid Park (Fontana), downtown Lake Geneva and Big Foot Beach State Park.

About this water

5,401 acres, maximum depth 135 feet, Walworth County, Wisconsin (WDNR). Very clear water. Lake-level gauge: USGS 423525088260400 at Lake Geneva.

Fishing Lake Geneva: the full guide

Deep, clear water

The Wisconsin DNR lists Geneva Lake, the lake beside the city of Lake Geneva, at 5,401 acres with a maximum depth of 135 feet and describes its water as very clear. Smallmouth bass are the only game fish the DNR rates as abundant; largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, trout and panfish are listed as present.

Fishing clear water

Clarity rewards long casts, light line and the low-light hours. Conference Point on the north shore and the two named bays, Williams Bay at the west end and Geneva Bay at the east end, give a first map: smallmouth along the breaks off the points, pike and panfish along the weed edges in the bays.

Shore access

A public shore path follows the roughly 21-mile shoreline. VISIT Lake Geneva notes that the path is public but the land it crosses is private, so stay on the path. Public entry points include Edgewater Park in Williams Bay, Reid Park in Fontana, the downtown lakefront in Lake Geneva and Big Foot Beach State Park.

Common questions

How big and deep is Geneva Lake?

The Wisconsin DNR gives 5,401 acres and a maximum depth of 135 feet.

Can I walk the shore to fish?

The shore path is public and passes several public parks, but the land beside it is private: stay on the path and use the public parks and beaches to reach the water.

What is the main game fish?

Smallmouth bass, the one species the DNR rates abundant here; largemouth, northern pike, walleye, trout and panfish are also present.

Is fishing good at Lake Geneva 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

Delavan Lake7 miFox Chain O’Lakes20 miFox Lake21 miWind Lake25 miFox River30 miPewaukee Lake37 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 423525088260400 β€” GENEVA LAKE AT LAKE GENEVA, WI
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.5650, -88.5038 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 5, 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 5, 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.