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Saylorville Lake Water Level

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Iowa

836.94ftAbove full pool

Latest reading Oct 26, 3:00 PM · elevation

Saylorville Lake is 0.9 ft above full pool today (836.94 ft vs 836.00 ft), 1.6 ft lower than a year ago. It is 94% full. It has fallen 0.29 ft since yesterday and is down 0.10 ft over 7 days.

Lake 0.9 ft above full pool, level falling, light ENE wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:52 AM–8:52 AM (moonset near sunrise).

vs full pool+0.94 ftFull pool 836.0 ft · USACE
How full94%69k of 74k acre-ft
Change since yesterday−0.29 ft7 days: −0.10 ft
Same date last year838.53 ftNow −1.59 ft vs 2025
Dam release1,596 cfsOutflow below the dam · inflow 2,960 cfs
Air temp & weather now66°F · Partly SunnyWind E 5 mph, gusts 8NWS forecast · see Weather & wind below
Sun today7:40 AM – 6:16 PMFirst light 7:10 AM · Last light 6:45 PM

Water level chart

ft above sea level

Full pool (836.0 ft) is 0.9 ft below the latest reading, off this chart

Reading

Saylorville Lake fishing report & conditions

updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ET

Lake 0.9 ft above full pool, level falling, light ENE wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:52 AM–8:52 AM (moonset near sunrise).

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 7:40 AM · Sunset 6:16 PM

Major fishing times

  • Moon underfoot12:23 PM–2:23 PM

Minor fishing times

  • Moonset7:52 AM–8:52 AM
    Sunrise
  • Moonrise5:46 PM–6:46 PM
    Sunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
TodayOct 266/10GoodMajor 12:23 PM–2:23 PM
Minor 7:52 AM–8:52 AM · 5:46 PM–6:46 PM
Light wind 1–7 mph
TueOct 275/10FairMajor 12:52 AM–2:52 AM · 1:22 PM–3:22 PM
Minor 9:11 AM–10:11 AM · 6:26 PM–7:26 PM
Light wind 6–8 mph
WedOct 283/10PoorMajor 1:53 AM–3:53 AM · 2:25 PM–4:25 PM
Minor 10:29 AM–11:29 AM · 7:17 PM–8:17 PM
Light wind 5–13 mph
ThuOct 295/10FairMajor 2:57 AM–4:57 AM · 3:29 PM–5:29 PM
Minor 11:39 AM–12:39 PM · 8:20 PM–9:20 PM
Light wind 4–5 mph
FriOct 304/10FairMajor 4:01 AM–6:01 AM · 4:33 PM–6:33 PM
Minor 12:38 PM–1:38 PM · 9:32 PM–10:32 PM
Light wind 6–7 mph
SatOct 315/10FairMajor 5:03 AM–7:03 AM · 5:33 PM–7:33 PM
Minor 1:24 PM–2:24 PM · 10:48 PM–11:48 PM
Light wind 4–7 mph
SunNov 15/10FairMajor 5:01 AM–7:01 AM · 5:28 PM–7:28 PM
Minor 1:00 PM–2:00 PM · 11:04 PM–12:04 AM
Light wind 2–6 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.

Baseevery day starts at 11
Sunrise / sunseta period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1)2
Moon phasewithin 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days)2
Local conditionspressure 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)
  • Pressure: No NWS pressure forecast for this day +0
  • Wind: Light ENE 1–7 mph, gusts 12 +1
  • Level: Level falling 0.29 ft in 24 h +0
1
Today6, rounded6/10

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 41.70, -93.69 (moon times from astronomical equations, Saylorville Lake local time).

Weather & wind at Saylorville Lake

air temperature, not water
Air temp66°FNWS forecast for this hour
Wind5 mphfrom the E · NWS forecast this hour
Gusts8 mphpeak gusts this hour

3-day forecast

NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 41.704, -93.689 (grid DMX), issued Oct 26, 2:36 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.

Past 12 months

daily readings from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Last 10 days

DateLevel (ft)Change
Mon Oct 26 (today)836.98−0.40
Sun Oct 25837.38−0.35
Sat Oct 24837.73+0.02
Fri Oct 23837.71+0.63
Thu Oct 22837.08+0.06
Wed Oct 21837.02+0.03
Tue Oct 20836.99−0.08
Mon Oct 19837.07−0.16
Sun Oct 18837.23−0.06
Sat Oct 17837.29+0.04

Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.

Nearby lakes & rivers

About this data

Source
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Saylorville Lake Reservoir
Location
41.7036, -93.6892 · Iowa
Measures
Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
Latest reading
Oct 26, 3:00 PM local time
History
399 days on file since 2025-09-21
Page built
Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
Full pool
836.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
Storage
69,301 of 73,600 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (official page). Operator data is preliminary and may be revised. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.