El Capitan Reservoir Water Level
USGS gauge 11020600 · near Lakeside, CA
Latest reading Oct 26, 8:45 AM · elevation
El Capitan Reservoir is at 638.15 ft today. It has fallen 0.01 ft since yesterday and is down 0.01 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReading
El Capitan Reservoir fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETLevel steady, light W wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:08 AM–8:08 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 81°F / low 57°FSunny
- WindLight W1–12 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 20
- Level638.15 ftLevel steady (−0.01 ft in 24 h)
Official California fishing info: California Department of Fish and Wildlife — Inland fishing info
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Sun, Nov 8 · Sunrise 7 AM · Sunset 6:01 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot11:59 AM–1:59 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:08 AM–8:08 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:44 PM–6:44 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 11:59 AM–1:59 PM Minor 7:08 AM–8:08 AM · 5:44 PM–6:44 PM Light wind 1–12 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:28 AM–2:28 AM · 12:58 PM–2:58 PM Minor 8:21 AM–9:21 AM · 6:31 PM–7:31 PM Light wind 1–8 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:29 AM–3:29 AM · 2:01 PM–4:01 PM Minor 9:34 AM–10:34 AM · 7:26 PM–8:26 PM Light wind 2–7 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:33 AM–4:33 AM · 3:06 PM–5:06 PM Minor 10:42 AM–11:42 AM · 8:30 PM–9:30 PM Light wind 2–8 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:38 AM–5:38 AM · 4:09 PM–6:09 PM Minor 11:42 AM–12:42 PM · 9:40 PM–10:40 PM Light wind 5–9 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:40 AM–6:40 AM · 5:09 PM–7:09 PM Minor 12:32 PM–1:32 PM · 10:51 PM–11:51 PM Light wind 4–8 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:37 AM–6:37 AM · 5:04 PM–7:04 PM Minor 12:14 PM–1:14 PM · 11:00 PM–12:00 AM Light wind 7–12 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 32.88, -116.81 (moon times from astronomical equations, El Capitan Reservoir local time).
Weather & wind at El Capitan Reservoir
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today81° / 57°SunnyWind NW 0 to 10 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday78° / 55°SunnyWind N 0 to 10 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday75° / 56°Patchy Fog then Mostly SunnyWind SW 0 to 5 mphRain 1%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 32.882, -116.809 (grid SGX), issued Oct 26, 1:20 AM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Past 12 months
daily readings from the operator- Today638.15 ft
- 12-month high661.77 ftJan 7, 2026
- 12-month low637.90 ftOct 8, 2026
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 638.15 | ±0.00 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 638.15 | −0.01 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 638.16 | −0.01 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 638.17 | ±0.00 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 638.17 | +0.02 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 638.15 | ±0.00 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 638.15 | −0.01 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 638.16 | −0.03 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 638.19 | +0.01 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 638.18 | ±0.00 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 11020600 — El Capitan Res Nr Lakeside Ca
- Location
- 32.8823, -116.8092 · California
- Measures
- Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
- Daily statistics
- Not available (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 8:45 AM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.