Gaston Shoals Reservoir Water Level
USGS gauge 02153051 · above Blacksburg, SC
Latest reading Oct 26, 12:00 PM · elevation
Gaston Shoals Reservoir is at 94.48 ft today — the lowest on record for late October. It has fallen 0.03 ft since yesterday and is up 1.40 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gaston Shoals Reservoir fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETLake 4.6 ft below normal for the date and steady, calm wind, pressure falling — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 7:45 AM–8:45 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 71°F / low 42°FSunny
- WindCalm0–2 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 7
- PressureFalling-0.14 inHg 6 AM → 6 PM
- Level4.6 ft below normal for the dateLevel steady (−0.03 ft in 24 h)
Official South Carolina fishing info: South Carolina DNR — Fishing info
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
8/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:42 AM · Sunset 6:37 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:06 AM–2:06 AM
- Moon underfoot12:33 PM–2:33 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:45 AM–8:45 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:14 PM–7:14 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:06 AM–2:06 AM · 12:33 PM–2:33 PM Minor 7:45 AM–8:45 AM · 6:14 PM–7:14 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph · pressure falling |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:02 AM–3:02 AM · 1:31 PM–3:31 PM Minor 8:59 AM–9:59 AM · 6:58 PM–7:58 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:02 AM–4:02 AM · 2:34 PM–4:34 PM Minor 10:13 AM–11:13 AM · 7:52 PM–8:52 PM Light wind 4–7 mph · pressure falling |
| ThuOct 29 | 6/10Good | Major 3:06 AM–5:06 AM · 3:39 PM–5:39 PM Minor 11:23 AM–12:23 PM · 8:55 PM–9:55 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph · pressure falling |
| FriOct 30 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:11 AM–6:11 AM · 4:42 PM–6:42 PM Minor 12:23 PM–1:23 PM · 10:05 PM–11:05 PM Calm wind 1–2 mph · pressure falling |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:13 AM–7:13 AM · 5:43 PM–7:43 PM Minor 1:13 PM–2:13 PM · 11:17 PM–12:17 AM Calm wind 1–4 mph · pressure steady |
| SunNov 1 | 6/10Good | Major 5:11 AM–7:11 AM · 5:38 PM–7:38 PM Minor 12:54 PM–1:54 PM · 11:28 PM–12:28 AM Calm wind 2–5 mph · pressure falling |
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)
| 3 |
| Today | 8, rounded | 8/10 |
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 35.14, -81.60 (moon times from astronomical equations, Gaston Shoals Reservoir local time).
Weather & wind at Gaston Shoals Reservoir
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today71° / 42°SunnyWind NNE 2 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday74° / 45°SunnyWind NNE 0 to 3 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday71° / 50°Mostly SunnyWind NE 3 to 7 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 35.138, -81.598 (grid GSP), issued Oct 26, 6:28 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
26 years of level records- Today94.48 ft
- Same date last year96.87 ft2025
- Median99.09 ft
- Normal range97.35 ft – 99.43 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 1998100.33 ft1998
- Lowest since 199894.88 ft2025
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 94.47 | −0.05 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 94.52 | −0.17 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 94.69 | +0.09 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 94.60 | −0.14 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 94.74 | −0.12 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 94.86 | +0.67 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 94.19 | +0.49 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 93.70 | −0.77 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 94.47 | −0.66 |
| Fri Oct 16 | 95.13 | −2.65 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Ninetynine Island Reservoir9 mi · Lake · Cherokee Falls99.36 ft−0.16 ft vs normal
- Lake Blalock16 mi · Lake · Cowpens710.07 ft+0.55 ft vs normal
- Lake William C. Bowen25 mi · Lake · Fingerville815.07 ft+0.53 ft vs normal
- Lake Wylie31 mi · Lake567.30 ft−2.10 ft vs normal full pond
- Neal Shoals Reservoir34 mi · Lake · Carlisle331.32 ft−1.36 ft vs normal
- Mountain Island Lake41 mi · Lake644.20 ft−3.30 ft vs normal full pond
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02153051 — Gaston Shoals Reservoir Above Blacksburg, Sc
- Location
- 35.1379, -81.5979 · South Carolina
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation above datum
- Daily statistics
- 1998–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 12:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge BLAS1 — 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.