Lake Lanier Water Level
USGS gauge 02334400 · near Buford, GA · USACE
Latest reading Oct 26, 12:15 PM · elevation
Lake Lanier is 8.0 ft below full pool today (1,063.04 ft vs 1,071.00 ft) — about normal for late October. It is 86% full. The Army Corps seasonal target for today is 1,070.58 ft (7.5 ft below). It has fallen 0.08 ft since yesterday and is down 0.42 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (1,071.0 ft) is 8.0 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Lake Lanier fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETLake 8.0 ft below full pool and steady, light ENE wind, pressure falling — excellent fall fishing day (9/10), best window 7:53 AM–8:53 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 70°F / low 52°FSunny
- WindLight ENE4–8 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 13
- PressureFalling-0.10 inHg 6 AM → 6 PM
- Level8.0 ft below full poolLevel steady (−0.08 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Alabama bass
- Striped bass
- Largemouth bass
- Black crappie
- Walleye
Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division — “Best Bets”, as published on the GA WRD Lanier fishing forecast.
Official Georgia fishing forecast: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division — Lake & river fishing forecasts
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
9/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:50 AM · Sunset 6:48 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:16 AM–2:16 AM
- Moon underfoot12:43 PM–2:43 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:53 AM–8:53 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:27 PM–7:27 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 9/10Excellent | Major 12:16 AM–2:16 AM · 12:43 PM–2:43 PM Minor 7:53 AM–8:53 AM · 6:27 PM–7:27 PM Light wind 4–8 mph · pressure falling |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 6/10Good | Major 1:12 AM–3:12 AM · 1:42 PM–3:42 PM Minor 9:07 AM–10:07 AM · 7:12 PM–8:12 PM Light wind 2–7 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:13 AM–4:13 AM · 2:44 PM–4:44 PM Minor 10:20 AM–11:20 AM · 8:06 PM–9:06 PM Light wind 8–12 mph · pressure falling |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 3:17 AM–5:17 AM · 3:49 PM–5:49 PM Minor 11:30 AM–12:30 PM · 9:09 PM–10:09 PM Light wind 6–10 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:21 AM–6:21 AM · 4:53 PM–6:53 PM Minor 12:30 PM–1:30 PM · 10:19 PM–11:19 PM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:23 AM–7:23 AM · 5:53 PM–7:53 PM Minor 1:21 PM–2:21 PM · 11:30 PM–12:30 AM Light wind 6–9 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:21 AM–7:21 AM · 5:48 PM–7:48 PM Minor 1:02 PM–2:02 PM · 11:41 PM–12:41 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)
| 4 |
| Today | 9, rounded | 9/10 |
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 34.16, -84.08 (moon times from astronomical equations, Lake Lanier local time).
Weather & wind at Lake Lanier
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today70° / 52°SunnyWind NE 5 to 10 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday73° / 54°SunnyWind NE 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday70° / 56°Partly SunnyWind E 10 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 34.163, -84.076 (grid FFC), issued Oct 26, 6:26 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.
October 26 in history
21 years of level records- Today1,063.04 ft
- Same date last year1,065.79 ft2025
- Median1,066.72 ft
- Normal range1,062.51 ft – 1,070.18 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19891,071.70 ft1990
- Lowest since 19891,052.88 ft2009
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 1,063.07 | −0.09 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 1,063.16 | −0.06 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 1,063.22 | −0.05 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 1,063.27 | −0.04 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1,063.31 | −0.06 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1,063.37 | −0.05 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 1,063.42 | −0.08 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 1,063.50 | −0.07 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 1,063.57 | −0.06 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 1,063.63 | −0.04 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Chattahoochee River at Morgan Falls Dam22 mi · Lake · Morgan Falls Dam864.53 ft−0.37 ft vs normal
- Chattahoochee River at Atlanta30 mi · River1,050 cfs67% of normal
- Randy Poynter Lake31 mi · Lake · Spillway, near Milstead731.98 ft24h −0.05 ft
- Allatoona Lake37 mi · Lake · Cartersville833.97 ft−6.03 ft vs summer pool
- Chattahoochee River at Helen42 mi · River38.3 cfs60% of normal
- Carters Lake46 mi · Lake · Carters1,071.94 ft−2.06 ft vs full pool
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02334400 — Lake Sidney Lanier Near Buford, Ga
- Location
- 34.1627, -84.0755 · Georgia
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation above datum
- Daily statistics
- 1989–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 12:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Full pool
- 1,071.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District
- Seasonal target today
- 1,070.58 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
- Storage
- 1,665,000 of 1,939,262 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
- Also from
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge CMMG1 — 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.