Ward Lake Water Level
USGS gauge 02300042 · near Bradenton, FL
Latest reading Oct 26, 4:00 PM · gage height
Ward Lake is at 3.88 ft today — about normal for late October. It has fallen 0.01 ft since yesterday and is down 0.09 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft (gage height)ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Ward Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETLake at its normal level for the date and steady, breezy NE wind — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 7:34 AM–8:34 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 86°F / low 68°FSlight Chance Rain Showers
- WindBreezy NE17–21 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 32
- Levelat its normal level for the dateLevel steady (−0.01 ft in 24 h)
Official Florida fishing forecast: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — Freshwater sites & fishing forecasts
Best fishing times today
Today is a fair fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
5/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:36 AM · Sunset 6:50 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:09 AM–2:09 AM
- Moon underfoot12:37 PM–2:37 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:34 AM–8:34 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:35 PM–7:35 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:09 AM–2:09 AM · 12:37 PM–2:37 PM Minor 7:34 AM–8:34 AM · 6:35 PM–7:35 PM Breezy wind 17–21 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 1:05 AM–3:05 AM · 1:35 PM–3:35 PM Minor 8:43 AM–9:43 AM · 7:23 PM–8:23 PM Moderate wind 13–20 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 2:06 AM–4:06 AM · 2:38 PM–4:38 PM Minor 9:54 AM–10:54 AM · 8:20 PM–9:20 PM Breezy wind 15–21 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:10 AM–5:10 AM · 3:42 PM–5:42 PM Minor 11:02 AM–12:02 PM · 9:23 PM–10:23 PM Moderate wind 12–14 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:15 AM–6:15 AM · 4:46 PM–6:46 PM Minor 12:03 PM–1:03 PM · 10:31 PM–11:31 PM Moderate wind 9–13 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:17 AM–7:17 AM · 5:46 PM–7:46 PM Minor 12:57 PM–1:57 PM · 11:40 PM–12:40 AM Light wind 8–10 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:14 AM–7:14 AM · 5:41 PM–7:41 PM Minor 12:42 PM–1:42 PM · 11:46 PM–12:46 AM Light wind 6–9 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)
| 0 |
| Today | 5, rounded | 5/10 |
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 27.44, -82.49 (moon times from astronomical equations, Ward Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Ward Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon86° / 68°Slight Chance Rain ShowersWind NE 21 mphRain 19%
- Tuesday86° / 71°SunnyWind NNE 13 to 20 mphRain 7%
- Wednesday86° / 72°Mostly Sunny then Chance Rain ShowersWind NE 15 to 21 mphRain 29%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 27.441, -82.488 (grid TBW), issued Oct 26, 3:01 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
34 years of level records- Today3.88 ft
- Same date last year3.38 ft2025
- Median3.91 ft
- Normal range3.83 ft – 3.96 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19934.37 ft2006
- Lowest since 19933.38 ft2026
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 3.90 | ±0.00 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 3.90 | ±0.00 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 3.90 | −0.01 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 3.91 | −0.01 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 3.92 | −0.02 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 3.94 | −0.02 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 3.96 | −0.02 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 3.98 | −0.01 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 3.99 | −0.02 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 4.01 | −0.01 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
Nearby tides
Heading to the coast? The nearest NOAA tide station is Ellenton, Manatee River, FL, 6 mi away — see Ellenton, Manatee River, FL tide times on TideCharts USA.
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02300042 — Ward Lake Near Bradenton Fl
- Location
- 27.4414, -82.4876 · Florida
- Measures
- Gage height (stage) above the gauge datum
- Daily statistics
- 1993–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 4:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 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.