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Seminoe Reservoir Fishing Report

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

Wyoming’s desert trout lake: Seminoe grows big rainbows and browns in the sagebrush, with walleye moving in.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.30 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Flow
245 cfs
Air / High
58 / 59 F
Wind
SW 29 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06630000, 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.30 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Seminoe Reservoir rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The main inflow is running 245 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 29 mph, steady pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 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.

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.

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.

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.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 50 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 smallmouth bass 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 North Platte River above Seminoe (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06630000.

177237297245 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 87 years of October 23

At 245 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 06630000 (North Platte River above Seminoe (inflow)) is at the 14th percentile for the date: below normal. In half of the 87 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 398 cfs; the highest was 970 cfs and the lowest 160 cfs.

p10 231median 398p90 688

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 06630000; 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 temp58 F
High / Low59 / 40 F
WindSW 29-42 mph
Pressure1009.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset07:29 / 18:13
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 Seminoe Reservoir this week

The best day on Seminoe 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

30 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Solunar majors
9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:14 PM-12:14 AM
Minor period
4:09 AM-5:09 AM
Sun
07:29 to 18:13
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 30 mph
Rain chance
6%

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

Species guide

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

When to come: the Seminoe 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
Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Rainbow trout
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 Seminoe 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 14 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. Trout and walleye limits per current Game and Fish regulations; the Miracle Mile below has its own special rules.

Access

Seminoe State Park ramps and campgrounds via the Seminoe Road from Sinclair; Miracle Mile access below the dam.

About this water

A 20,000-acre reservoir on the North Platte River, Carbon County, Wyoming, between the Seminoe Mountains and sand dunes.

Fishing Seminoe Reservoir: the full guide

Sand dunes and cold water

Seminoe Reservoir floods 20,000 acres of the North Platte River valley in central Wyoming, ringed by sagebrush and the Seminoe sand dunes. Despite the desert setting, the water is cold and deep enough to grow trophy trout: rainbows and browns that reach several pounds on abundant forage. Walleye have established themselves in recent decades, adding a second fishery that continues to grow.

Trout tactics

Trolling is the standard method: spoons, crankbaits and worm harnesses pulled along the shoreline drop-offs and points, shallow in spring and fall, deeper through summer. Big browns hunt the rocky shorelines in low light, and casting jerkbaits at dawn produces the season’s better fish. Shore anglers do well from the rocky points and near the inflow when fish push shallow.

Walleye and the North Platte

Walleye have grown in numbers and now support a legitimate fishery on the flats and points: jigs and crawler harnesses in the classic depths. Below the dam, the North Platte River runs through the Miracle Mile: a famous stretch of trophy trout water between Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs, drawing fly anglers from across the region. Fishing both in one trip is the standard plan.

Remote logistics

Seminoe State Park provides ramps and campgrounds, reached by a long gravel road from Sinclair. Services are minimal: bring fuel, water and supplies. Wind sweeps the reservoir relentlessly, and weather changes fast at this elevation. The isolation is the appeal: on weekdays you may see nobody, in one of the more striking landscapes in Wyoming fishing.

Common questions

How big do the trout get?

Rainbows and browns of several pounds are realistic, with the forage-rich water producing genuine trophies most seasons.

What is the Miracle Mile?

The famous stretch of North Platte between Seminoe and Pathfinder reservoirs: trophy trout water and a destination in its own right.

How remote is it?

Genuinely: a long gravel road, minimal services and no cell coverage. Bring everything you need.

Is fishing good at Seminoe 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. 30 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Pathfinder Reservoir23 miNorth Platte River (Grey Reef)32 miSteamboat Lake93 miGlendo Reservoir103 miBoysen Reservoir105 miOcean Lake114 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 06630000 — North Platte River above Seminoe (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.1300, -106.9000 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.