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Boysen Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Wind River country: Boysen’s wind-swept water holds walleye, and the canyon below it holds trout worth the drive.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Flow
1,040 cfs
Air / High
63 / 65 F
Wind
SW 21 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06236100, 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.25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Boysen Reservoir feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The main inflow is running 1,040 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 21 mph, steady pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 65. Water sits around 55 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

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.

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.

White bassFair

The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

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 51 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 walleye 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 WIND RIVER AB BOYSEN RESERVOIR, NR SHOSHONI, WY (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06236100.

6401,1721,7041,040 cfs09/2310/0210/1410/23

Today’s flow against 29 years of October 23

At 1,040 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06236100 (WIND RIVER AB BOYSEN RESERVOIR, NR SHOSHONI, WY (inflow)) is at the 79th percentile for the date: above normal. In half of the 29 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 753 cfs; the highest was 1,470 cfs and the lowest 214 cfs.

p10 278median 753p90 1,350

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06236100; 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 temp63 F
High / Low65 / 45 F
WindSW 21-28 mph
Pressure1007.2 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 7%
Sunrise / Sunset07:36 / 18:16
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)55 F USGS
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 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Boysen Reservoir this week

The best day on Boysen Reservoir 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

25 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
07:36 to 18:16
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 25 mph
Rain chance
7%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Boysen Reservoir: 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.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. The spring run happens in this band: tributaries, shoals and the upper ends of reservoirs as the water reaches about 55°F.

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.

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.

When to come: the Boysen 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
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
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 Boysen Reservoir 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. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 11 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 69 F, wind to 7 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

Wyoming license. Walleye, sauger and burbot limits per current Game and Fish regulations; tribal permits required for parts of the Wind River Canyon. Boysen is in Wyoming’s Drainage Area 2 (the Wind 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

Boysen State Park ramps (Tough Creek, Brannon, Lakeside); canyon access below the dam via US 20.

About this water

A 19,560-acre reservoir on the Wind River, Fremont County, Wyoming, at the head of the Wind River Canyon.

Fishing Boysen Reservoir: the full guide

A reservoir in the wind

Boysen Reservoir covers 19,500 acres on the Wind River in central Wyoming, at the mouth of the Wind River Canyon. It is a walleye lake first: Wyoming manages it as one of the state’s premier fisheries, with fish in numbers on the flats and points. Sauger, ling (burbot), yellow perch, crappie, trout and smallmouth fill out a diverse card in water that is almost always moving with wind.

Walleye water

Spring puts walleye on the rocky shorelines and near the river inflows: jigs and minnows in shallow water after ice-out. Summer moves them to the 12-25-foot flats and points, where trolling crawler harnesses and bottom bouncers covers water efficiently. Wind is the friend here: chop concentrates fish and turns the bite on. Fall brings a jig bite before ice-up, and winter ice fishing is a Wyoming tradition.

Ling, perch and the canyon

Burbot: ling, locally: are a winter specialty, taken at night on the bottom with cut bait, and Boysen hosts a dedicated following for them. Perch and crappie fill the ice-fishing card. Below the dam, the Wind River Canyon holds trout in scenic tailwater water, accessible through the canyon on the highway with a tribal permit required in parts: check the boundary rules carefully.

State park logistics

Boysen State Park manages ramps and campgrounds around the reservoir, with Tough Creek, Brannon and Lakeside among the main access points. Wind is the defining condition: it can build dangerous waves quickly on open water, and small boats should plan around morning calm. Shoshoni and Thermopolis provide services at either end.

Common questions

What is ling?

The local name for burbot, a freshwater cod fished at night in winter with cut bait: a Wyoming specialty with a devoted following.

How bad is the wind?

Persistent and strong: it improves the walleye bite but makes boating hazardous. Fish mornings and respect the forecast.

Can I fish the canyon below?

Yes, but parts require a Wind River tribal fishing permit: check boundaries and permits before fishing below the dam.

Is fishing good at Boysen Reservoir 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. 25 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Ocean Lake23 miWind River51 miFremont Lake86 miPathfinder Reservoir89 miNorth Platte River (Grey Reef)91 miSeminoe Reservoir105 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06236100 — WIND RIVER AB BOYSEN RESERVOIR, NR SHOSHONI, WY (inflow)
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 43.3200, -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.
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 guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be 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.