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Snake River Fishing Report

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

The Snake River below Jackson Lake Dam: native Snake River cutthroat water through Grand Teton National Park, floated from launches the park names.

Seasonal closure: The river from the Buffalo Fork at Moran to Menors Ferry at Moose. Next closed from December 15, 2026 through March 31, 2027. Grand Teton National Park closes this section of the Snake River to all access from December 15 through March 31. Source, read October 12, 2026.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
266 cfs
Air / High
43 / 49 F
Wind
SSW 20 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 13011000, 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.

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

Snake River is in its winter mode: slow, deep and deliberate. The river is running 266 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 20 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 49. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:60 AM-11:60 AM and 10:30 PM-12:30 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 45 F with a rain chance. 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 Snake River near Moran.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 13011000.

5311,0271,523266 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 123 years of October 23

At 266 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 13011000 (Snake River near Moran) is at the 48th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 123 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 284 cfs; the highest was 1,380 cfs and the lowest 2 cfs.

p10 15median 284p90 722

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 13011000; 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 temp43 F
High / Low49 / 35 F
WindSSW 20-33 mph
Pressure1011.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain65% cloud, 73%
Sunrise / Sunset07:47 / 18:25
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)52 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 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 Snake River this week

Today is the pick of the week on Snake River, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 — fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:60 AM-11:60 AM and 10:30 PM-12:30 AM
Minor period
4:24 AM-5:24 AM
Sun
07:47 to 18:25
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 21 mph
Rain chance
73%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Snake River: 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. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the Snake River 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
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Snake River 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. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 60 F, wind to 10 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 61 F, wind to 9 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 60 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

Wyoming fishing license (sold in the park at Flagg Ranch, Colter Bay Marina and Signal Mountain Lodge, per NPS). Flies and lures only from the gauging station below Jackson Lake Dam to the Wilson Bridge; cutthroat catch-and-release Nov. 1-Mar. 31 (2026 Wyoming regulations). Elsewhere in the park, see the WGFD Area 1 limits for streams in Grand Teton.

Access

Jackson Lake Dam, Pacific Creek Landing, Deadmans Bar and Moose Landing inside the park; no floating within 1,000 ft of the dam. Every boat needs a Grand Teton boat permit, a Wyoming AIS decal and an AIS inspection; only human-powered rafts, canoes, drift boats and kayaks are allowed on the river in the park.

About this water

The Snake River from Jackson Lake Dam through Jackson Hole, Teton County, Wyoming; the USGS gauge near Moran sits just below the dam.

Fishing Snake River: the full guide

The native cutthroat

Wyoming Game and Fish describes the Snake River cutthroat trout as native to the upper Snake River above Palisades Reservoir and tells it apart from Wyoming's other cutthroats by its profuse, very fine spotting. The agency notes that the fish has also been introduced into other drainages, and it runs population estimates on the Snake every year.

The reaches the park describes

The National Park Service splits the river inside Grand Teton into float sections: Jackson Lake Dam to Pacific Creek (5 miles, calmer water, few obstructions), Pacific Creek to Deadmans Bar, and Deadmans Bar to Moose Landing (10 miles), which the park calls its most challenging stretch, where many accidents occur. Below Moose there is no take-out at the park boundary; the next one is the Snake River Bridge east of Wilson, 14 miles downstream. Channels and logjams shift every year, so the park asks boaters to check its river-features map and the posted flows before launching.

Rules that change by reach

In the 2026 Wyoming regulations, the Snake from the gauging station 1,000 feet below Jackson Lake Dam down to the Wilson Bridge (Wyoming 22) is artificial flies and lures only, and every cutthroat must be released from November 1 through March 31. For the short stretch between 150 feet below the dam and that gauging station, the 2026 rules raised the limit to 6 trout, no more than 3 of them cutthroat and only 1 cutthroat over 12 inches. The park also closes the river bottom from the Buffalo Fork confluence at Moran to Menors Ferry at Moose from December 15 through March 31.

Common questions

What is a Snake River cutthroat?

A cutthroat that Wyoming Game and Fish recognizes as native to the upper Snake above Palisades Reservoir, told apart from other Wyoming cutthroats by its profuse, very fine spots.

Can I keep cutthroat in winter?

No. From November 1 through March 31 all cutthroat caught in the Snake must be released, and the park closes the river bottom from Moran to Menors Ferry from December 15 through March 31.

Do I need a permit to float the Snake in the park?

Yes. The park requires a Grand Teton boat permit for every vessel, plus a Wyoming aquatic invasive species decal and an inspection, and it allows only human-powered rafts, canoes, drift boats and kayaks on the river.

Is fishing good at Snake River 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

Jackson Lake10 miSnake River (South Fork)42 miHenrys Fork67 miFremont Lake69 miHenrys Lake72 miWind River77 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 13011000 — Snake River near Moran
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 43.7589, -110.6068 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.