Waters · Lakes · IA · Thu, Aug 13

How's the bite at Lake Okoboji today? Biting — get there by six.

Worth a cast.

Built from solunar, pressure, level, wind.

7/10
Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
12:54 AM–2:54 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
6:54 AM–7:54 AM
Moonrise
Major
1:19 PM–3:19 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:29 PM–9:29 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:23 AM · sunset 8:26 PM · tomorrow's first major 1:43 AM–3:43 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

Conditions right now

Water level
4.12ft
0 ft in 24h
USGS 06604200 updated 2:45 AM
Pressure
29.91inHg
rising · +2.03 hPa/12h
NOAA KSPW updated 3:20 AM
Wind
5mph N
NOAA KSPW updated 3:20 AM
Moon
1% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

What this means

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

Lake Okoboji water level today

4.12 ft down 0.00 ft in 24 hours

That sits 17% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 4.11 and 4.17 ft. Over the week it is down0.03ft.

08-05 4.11–4.17 ft 08-13
USGS 06604200 updated 2:45 AM

The week ahead

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

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

Before you go

A Iowa fishing license covers this water — $22 a year for residents. Iowa DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Lake Okoboji

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 Lake Okoboji.

Is it worth fishing Lake Okoboji today?
7 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 12:54 AM–2:54 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.
What time should you fish Lake Okoboji?
Today's major windows run 12:54 AM–2:54 AM and 1:19 PM–3:19 PM, with minor windows at 6:54 AM–7:54 AM and 8:29 PM–9:29 PM. Sunrise is 6:23 AM and sunset 8:26 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Lake Okoboji?
No gauge on Lake Okoboji measures water temperature. US reservoir gauges report height, not temperature — so rather than estimate it, this page leaves it out and leans on the windows and the pressure trend instead.
What is the water level at Lake Okoboji right now?
4.12 ft, read at 2:45 AM from USGS station 06604200. Over 24 hours it is down 0.00 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Lake Okoboji?
That is a health question and it belongs with the state, not with us. IA publishes fish consumption advisories through its health or environmental agency, and those are the ones that count. We give no eating advice.
Do you need a licence to fish Lake Okoboji?
Yes. A Iowa fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. Iowa DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Iowa license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in IA?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: walleye, sauger and saugeye (a combined total), black bass (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted, a combined total), crappie (black and white). Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

West Okoboji Lake at Lakeside Lab — one of the few natural lakes in the country whose gauge also reports water temperature.

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