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Bighorn Lake Fishing Report, Wyoming

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

Bighorn Lake: a reservoir of more than 70 miles in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, from Wyoming into Montana, fished for walleye, trout, perch, crappie, catfish and ling.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.26 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Flow
791 cfs
Air / High
66 / 70 F
Wind
SW 21 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06279500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
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.

2/5Slow. The wind owns today.26 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Bighorn Lake is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The main inflow is running 791 cfs, falling. Today brings cloud cover, wind SW around 21 mph, steady pressure near 1003 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:50 AM-11:50 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

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.

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.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 53 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Wyoming requires a fishing licence from age 14, from $48.50 for residents. What a Wyoming licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with WGFD before you keep anything. The season dates for Wyoming, read off the agency, are on the Wyoming seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Bighorn River at Kane (inflow above the lake).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06279500.

7959351,075791 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 98 years of October 23

At 791 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06279500 (Bighorn River at Kane (inflow above the lake)) is at the 5th percentile for the date: much below normal. In half of the 98 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,620 cfs; the highest was 3,370 cfs and the lowest 592 cfs.

p10 1,010median 1,620p90 2,663

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06279500; 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 temp66 F
High / Low70 / 40 F
WindSW 21-32 mph
Pressure1002.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 42%
Sunrise / Sunset07:39 / 18:14
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Bighorn Lake this week

The best day on Bighorn Lake this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

26 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Solunar majors
9:50 AM-11:50 AM and 10:20 PM-12:20 AM
Minor period
4:14 AM-5:14 AM
Sun
07:39 to 18:14
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 26 mph
Rain chance
42%

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

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

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.

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.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

When to come: the Bighorn 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
Rainbow trout
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
Walleye
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Bighorn Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 8 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

A Wyoming or Montana license is required depending on which state's water you fish; NPS adds no park rules beyond state regulations. Wyoming sets special creel limits for Bighorn Lake downstream of the US 14A causeway; see the current Wyoming Fishing Regulations and Montana FWP rules. Every boat must pass an aquatic invasive species check at the Crooked Creek contact station near Lovell or at Garrison Stoker near Fort Smith. The Wyoming part of the lake is in Drainage Area 2 (the Bighorn River drainage), where northern pike are a nongame fish with unlimited harvest that must be killed immediately, and WGFD asks anglers to report any they catch (2026 regulations).

Access

South end from Lovell, Wyoming: Kane ramp (lake and river), Horseshoe Bend and Barry's Landing. North end from Fort Smith, Montana: Ok-A-Beh. Marinas operate at Horseshoe Bend and Ok-A-Beh. Yellowtail Dam has no tours or access to its top.

About this water

Reservoir behind Yellowtail Dam in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, from Big Horn County, Wyoming, into Montana. River flow on this page comes from USGS gauge 06279500, Bighorn River at Kane, on the inflow above the lake.

Fishing Bighorn Lake: the full guide

Two states, one canyon lake

The National Park Service gives Bighorn Lake a length of over 70 miles. The Montana end is 70 to 450 feet deep; the Wyoming end is 70 feet deep at the state line and 30 feet at Horseshoe Bend, then grows shallower to the south, where the river channel spreads onto flats south of the US 14A causeway at full lake.

What anglers catch

NPS lists walleye, brown and rainbow trout, yellow perch, carp, catfish, ling (burbot) and crappie in the lake. The Wyoming end has more than 50 miles of shoreline reachable from nearby roads, including the Yellowtail Wildlife Unit, while shore fishing in the Montana end is limited. The park mentions trolling with crankbaits, bottom bouncers, spinners and planer boards, and jigging with minnow, crawfish, leech or plastic trailers.

Launching at changing levels

Lake levels since 2000 have ranged from flood stage above 3,640 feet to a low of 3,572.70 feet. NPS lists the Horseshoe Bend ramp as usable from 3,620 feet (3,625 for larger boats) and the Barry's Landing and Ok-A-Beh ramps from 3,580 feet; below 3,625 feet it advises boaters to avoid the lake south of Horseshoe Bend and the South Narrows. Reclamation's hydromet showed Bighorn Lake at 3,624.61 feet on Oct. 7, 2026.

Common questions

Which license do I need on Bighorn Lake?

A state license for the state whose water you are on, Wyoming or Montana. NPS asks anglers to know where the state line falls.

What is ling?

The local name for burbot, which NPS lists among the fish of Bighorn Lake.

Can I launch at Horseshoe Bend this fall?

NPS lists the ramp as usable from 3,620 feet and for larger boats from 3,625 feet; the lake was at 3,624.61 feet on Oct. 7, 2026, so small boats could launch while larger boats were at the limit.

Is fishing good at Bighorn Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 26 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Bighorn Lake16 miBighorn River93 miBoulder River105 miBoysen Reservoir109 miOcean Lake119 miWind River120 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06279500 — Bighorn River at Kane (inflow above the lake)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 44.9000, -108.1800 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 8, 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 8, 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.