Rifle Gap Reservoir Water Level
USGS gauge 09091900 · near Rifle, CO · U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Upper Colorado HydroData)
Latest reading Oct 26, 2:00 PM · elevation
Rifle Gap Reservoir is at 5,913.96 ft today — lower than normal for late October. It has risen 0.24 ft since yesterday and is up 1.82 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Rifle Gap Reservoir fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETLake 20.1 ft below normal for the date and steady, calm wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:46 AM–8:46 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 57°F / low 34°FSunny
- WindCalm2–7 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 14
- Level20.1 ft below normal for the dateLevel steady (+0.24 ft in 24 h)
Official Colorado fishing info: Colorado Parks and Wildlife — Fishing conditions & stocking report
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
6/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:33 AM · Sunset 6:16 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:22 PM–2:22 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:46 AM–8:46 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:50 PM–6:50 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:22 PM–2:22 PM Minor 7:46 AM–8:46 AM · 5:50 PM–6:50 PM Calm wind 2–7 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:51 AM–2:51 AM · 1:21 PM–3:21 PM Minor 9:03 AM–10:03 AM · 6:32 PM–7:32 PM Light wind 4–10 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:52 AM–3:52 AM · 2:23 PM–4:23 PM Minor 10:19 AM–11:19 AM · 7:24 PM–8:24 PM Light wind 4–10 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:56 AM–4:56 AM · 3:28 PM–5:28 PM Minor 11:29 AM–12:29 PM · 8:28 PM–9:28 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:00 AM–6:00 AM · 4:32 PM–6:32 PM Minor 12:28 PM–1:28 PM · 9:39 PM–10:39 PM Light wind 4–7 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:02 AM–7:02 AM · 5:31 PM–7:31 PM Minor 1:15 PM–2:15 PM · 10:54 PM–11:54 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:59 AM–6:59 AM · 5:26 PM–7:26 PM Minor 12:52 PM–1:52 PM · 11:08 PM–12:08 AM Light wind 4–6 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)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
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 39.63, -107.76 (moon times from astronomical equations, Rifle Gap Reservoir local time).
Weather & wind at Rifle Gap Reservoir
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon57° / 34°SunnyWind SW 5 mphRain 3%
- Tuesday62° / 35°SunnyWind SSE 5 to 10 mphRain 3%
- Wednesday61° / 34°SunnyWind SSE 5 to 10 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 39.627, -107.758 (grid GJT), issued Oct 26, 12:31 PM 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.
October 26 in history
16 years of level records- Today5,913.96 ft
- Same date last year5,910.94 ft2025
- Median5,934.06 ft
- Normal range5,918.58 ft – 5,939.56 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 20065,951.76 ft2012
- Lowest since 20065,910.94 ft2026
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 5,913.89 | +0.17 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 5,913.72 | +0.27 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 5,913.45 | +0.25 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 5,913.20 | +0.31 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 5,912.89 | +0.28 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 5,912.61 | +0.24 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 5,912.37 | +0.24 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 5,912.13 | +0.25 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 5,911.88 | +0.26 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 5,911.62 | +0.26 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Vega Reservoir28 mi · Lake · Collbran7,934.14 ft−14.43 ft vs normal
- Colorado River near Cameo38 mi · River1,850 cfs87% of normal
- Paonia Reservoir52 mi · Lake6,377.65 ft−39.02 ft vs full pool
- Ruedi Reservoir53 mi · Lake7,679.81 ft24h +0.06 ft
- Fruit Growers Reservoir56 mi · Lake · Orchard City5,467.49 ft−0.99 ft vs normal
- Gunnison River at Delta63 mi · River765 cfs81% of normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 09091900 — Rifle Gap Reservoir Near Rifle, Co
- Location
- 39.6269, -107.7576 · Colorado
- Measures
- Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
- Daily statistics
- 2006–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 2:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
- Also from
- U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Upper Colorado HydroData)
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge RRGC2 — National Water Prediction Service
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.