Cayuga Lake at Ithaca Water Level
USGS gauge 04233500 · at Ithaca, NY
Latest reading Oct 26, 11:00 AM · elevation
Cayuga Lake at Ithaca is at 382.56 ft today — much higher than normal for late October. It has held steady since yesterday and is down 0.02 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Cayuga Lake at Ithaca fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETLake 0.9 ft above normal for the date and steady, light NW wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:41 AM–8:41 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 69°F / low 36°FPatchy Fog then Mostly Sunny
- WindLight NW1–12 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 23
- Level0.9 ft above normal for the dateLevel steady (±0.00 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Lake trout
- Rainbow trout
- Brown trout
- Largemouth bass
- Smallmouth bass
- Northern pike
- Chain pickerel
- Bluegill
- Pumpkinseed
- Black crappie
- Yellow perch
- Channel catfish
- Brown bullhead
- Freshwater drum
- Common carp
- Longnose gar
- Alewive
- Rainbow smelt
Source: New York State DEC — “Fish Species” listed by NYSDEC (game and panfish shown), as published on the NYSDEC Cayuga Lake page.
Official New York fishing report: NYSDEC — Freshwater fishing & regional fishing hotlines
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:32 AM · Sunset 6:06 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:12 PM–2:12 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:41 AM–8:41 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:34 PM–6:34 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 12:12 PM–2:12 PM Minor 7:41 AM–8:41 AM · 5:34 PM–6:34 PM Light wind 1–12 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:41 AM–2:41 AM · 1:10 PM–3:10 PM Minor 9:01 AM–10:01 AM · 6:13 PM–7:13 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 1:41 AM–3:41 AM · 2:13 PM–4:13 PM Minor 10:20 AM–11:20 AM · 7:03 PM–8:03 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:45 AM–4:45 AM · 3:17 PM–5:17 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 8:05 PM–9:05 PM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:50 AM–5:50 AM · 4:21 PM–6:21 PM Minor 12:30 PM–1:30 PM · 9:17 PM–10:17 PM Light wind 2–7 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:52 AM–6:52 AM · 5:21 PM–7:21 PM Minor 1:16 PM–2:16 PM · 10:34 PM–11:34 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:50 AM–6:50 AM · 5:17 PM–7:17 PM Minor 12:52 PM–1:52 PM · 10:50 PM–11:50 PM Light wind 5–9 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)
| 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 42.45, -76.51 (moon times from astronomical equations, Cayuga Lake at Ithaca local time).
Weather & wind at Cayuga Lake at Ithaca
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today69° / 36°Patchy Fog then Mostly SunnyWind NW 1 to 12 mphRain 4%
- Tuesday56° / 32°SunnyWind N 2 to 6 mphRain 2%
- Wednesday66° / 45°Partly SunnyWind SE 2 to 6 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 42.446, -76.513 (grid BGM), issued Oct 26, 6:47 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
66 years of level records- Today382.56 ft
- Same date last year382.36 ft2025
- Median381.66 ft
- Normal range381.29 ft – 382.10 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 1961383.02 ft2022
- Lowest since 1961380.89 ft1964
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 382.53 | ±0.00 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 382.53 | −0.03 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 382.56 | −0.06 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 382.62 | +0.01 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 382.61 | −0.01 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 382.62 | −0.03 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 382.65 | +0.08 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 382.57 | −0.03 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 382.60 | −0.14 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 382.74 | +0.13 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Tioughnioga River at Lisle27 mi · River0.61 ftstage 0.61 ft
- Susquehanna River at Owego27 mi · River1,680 cfs40% of normal
- Whitney Point Lake29 mi · Lake · Whitney Point973.15 ft+0.15 ft vs full pool
- Chemung River at Elmira29 mi · River342 cfs60% of normal
- Chemung River at Chemung31 mi · River396 cfs81% of normal
- Owasco Lake32 mi · Lake · Auburn712.04 ft+0.22 ft vs normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 04233500 — Cayuga Inlet (Cayuga Lake) At Ithaca Ny
- Location
- 42.4457, -76.5126 · New York
- Measures
- Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
- Daily statistics
- 1961–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 11:00 AM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge ICYN6 — 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.