Waters · Lakes · CA · Fri, Oct 30

New Bullards Bar Reservoir water level today 1880.87 ft, falling

Bite index 8/10 — On fire — save your energy for the evening.

Drop everything. Go.

Built from solunar, pressure, level, wind. This water has no live gauge for every reading — see the sources below.

8/10
On fire

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
3:55 AM–5:55 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
12:22 PM–1:22 PM
Moonset
Major
4:27 PM–6:27 PM
Moon underfoot
Minor
9:36 PM–10:36 PM
Moonrise

Sunrise 7:30 AM · sunset 6:05 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:57 AM–6:57 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 7:48 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp estimated
≈53.9°F
7-day mean of air temperature, ±4.5°F typical
computed from NOAA KGOO updated 7:15 AM
Water level
1880.87ft
-0.37 ft in 24h
USACE New Bullards Bar Reservoir updated 7:00 AM
Pressure
29.88inHg
falling · -1 hPa/12h
NOAA KGOO updated 7:15 AM
Wind
5mph SE
NOAA KGOO updated 7:15 AM
Moon
73% waning
Solunar · computed updated 7:48 AM

What this means

Largemouth bass, Crappie, Catfish
This gauge reports level but no water temperature, so depth calls stay open. Read the windows and the pressure trend instead.

New Bullards Bar Reservoir level over the last 8 days

1880.87 ft above NGVD-29 down 0.37 ft in 24 hours

That sits 0% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 1880.87 and 1884.44 ft. Over the week it is down3.12ft.

10-22 1880.87–1884.44 ft 10-30
USACE New Bullards Bar Reservoir updated 7:00 AM

The week ahead

Sat 7 Biting
Sun 6 Biting
Mon 7 Biting
Tue 6 Biting
Wed 5 Picky
Thu 6 Biting
Fri 6 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A California fishing license covers this water — $64.54 a year for residents. CDFW sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about New Bullards Bar Reservoir

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for New Bullards Bar Reservoir.

Is it worth fishing New Bullards Bar Reservoir today?
8 out of 10 — on fire. Drop everything. Go. The strongest stretch is 3:55 AM–5:55 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.
What time should you fish New Bullards Bar Reservoir?
Today's major windows run 3:55 AM–5:55 AM and 4:27 PM–6:27 PM, with minor windows at 12:22 PM–1:22 PM and 9:36 PM–10:36 PM. Sunrise is 7:30 AM and sunset 6:05 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at New Bullards Bar Reservoir?
No gauge on New Bullards Bar Reservoir measures it, so this is an estimate: roughly 53.9°F, worked out from the 7-day mean of air temperature at NOAA weather station KGOO (Nevada County Air Park). Checked against the lakes that do have a thermometer, that method lands within about 4.5°F of the real reading and was off by 8.3°F at worst. Treat it as a ballpark, not a measurement — and note the bite index above ignores it entirely, because an error that size would move the verdict as often as it would fix it.
What is the water level at New Bullards Bar Reservoir right now?
1880.87 ft above NGVD-29, read at 7:00 AM from the New Bullards Bar Reservoir gauge run by the USACE. Over 24 hours it is down 0.37 ft.
Are water levels rising or falling at New Bullards Bar Reservoir?
Falling. The lake is down 0.37 ft in 24 hours and down 3.12 ft over the week. Over the last 8 days it has held between 1880.87 and 1884.44 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
Can you eat the fish you catch in New Bullards Bar Reservoir?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where over 150 site-specific advisories, searchable by water, species or county, plus a statewide default for untested waters. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish New Bullards Bar Reservoir?
Yes. A California fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. CDFW sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What size fish can you keep in California?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: california halibut, pacific halibut, striped bass, white seabass. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Where these numbers come from

Held by New Bullards Bar Dam on the North Yuba, gauged by the Corps of Engineers. Full pool is about 1,956 ft; the reservoir is drawn down through the irrigation season, so a reading well below that is normal for late summer.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.