Richard B. Russell Lake Water Level
USGS gauge 02188100 · above Calhoun Falls, SC · USACE
Latest reading Oct 26, 12:00 PM · elevation
Richard B. Russell Lake is 1.1 ft below full pool today (473.91 ft vs 475.00 ft) — about normal for late October. It is 97% full. It has risen 0.13 ft since yesterday and is up 0.44 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (475.0 ft) is 1.1 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Richard B. Russell Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETWater 69°F, lake 1.1 ft below full pool and steady, light NE wind, pressure falling — excellent fall fishing day (9/10), best window 7:47 AM–8:47 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp69°Fmeasured Oct 26, 12:00 PM · this gauge
- Air temphigh 69°F / low 48°FSunny
- WindLight NE2–7 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 13
- PressureFalling-0.13 inHg 6 AM → 6 PM
- Level1.1 ft below full poolLevel steady (+0.13 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Spotted bass
- Largemouth bass
- Crappie
- Catfish
- Striped bass
Source: South Carolina DNR — species named in the SCDNR lake description, as published on the SCDNR Lake Russell page.
Official South Carolina fishing info: South Carolina DNR — Fishing info
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 7:45 AM · Sunset 6:43 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:10 AM–2:10 AM
- Moon underfoot12:37 PM–2:37 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:47 AM–8:47 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:21 PM–7:21 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 9/10Excellent | Major 12:10 AM–2:10 AM · 12:37 PM–2:37 PM Minor 7:47 AM–8:47 AM · 6:21 PM–7:21 PM Light wind 2–7 mph · pressure falling |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:06 AM–3:06 AM · 1:36 PM–3:36 PM Minor 9:01 AM–10:01 AM · 7:06 PM–8:06 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:07 AM–4:07 AM · 2:38 PM–4:38 PM Minor 10:14 AM–11:14 AM · 8:00 PM–9:00 PM Light wind 7–9 mph · pressure falling |
| ThuOct 29 | 7/10Good | Major 3:11 AM–5:11 AM · 3:43 PM–5:43 PM Minor 11:23 AM–12:23 PM · 9:03 PM–10:03 PM Light wind 6–8 mph · pressure falling |
| FriOct 30 | 6/10Good | Major 4:15 AM–6:15 AM · 4:47 PM–6:47 PM Minor 12:24 PM–1:24 PM · 10:13 PM–11:13 PM Light wind 4–6 mph · pressure falling |
| SatOct 31 | 7/10Good | Major 5:17 AM–7:17 AM · 5:47 PM–7:47 PM Minor 1:15 PM–2:15 PM · 11:24 PM–12:24 AM Light wind 5–7 mph · pressure falling |
| SunNov 1 | 7/10Good | Major 5:15 AM–7:15 AM · 5:42 PM–7:42 PM Minor 12:56 PM–1:56 PM · 11:35 PM–12:35 AM Light wind 4–7 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)
| 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; water temperature measured at this gauge. 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 34.10, -82.62 (moon times from astronomical equations, Richard B. Russell Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Richard B. Russell Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today69° / 48°SunnyWind NE 7 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday72° / 51°SunnyWind NE 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday70° / 56°Mostly SunnyWind NE 9 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 34.101, -82.618 (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
22 years of level records- Today473.91 ft
- Same date last year472.78 ft2025
- Median473.83 ft
- Normal range472.65 ft – 474.34 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 2006475.06 ft2024
- Lowest since 2006471.31 ft2009
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 473.80 | +0.02 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 473.78 | −0.02 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 473.80 | −0.09 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 473.89 | +0.09 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 473.80 | +0.19 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 473.61 | +0.12 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 473.49 | +0.07 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 473.42 | +0.12 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 473.30 | −0.04 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 473.34 | −0.05 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Lake Hartwell21 mi · Lake648.19 ft−11.06 ft vs full pool
- Clarks Hill Lake (J. Strom Thurmond)24 mi · Lake · Plum Branch318.85 ft−11.15 ft vs full pool
- Clarks Hill Lake (J. Strom Thurmond)39 mi · Lake318.85 ft−9.59 ft vs full pool
- Lake Greenwood41 mi · Lake · Chappells438.69 ft+1.47 ft vs normal
- Savannah River near Evans45 mi · River13.74 ftstage 13.74 ft
- Savannah Rvr at Stevens Creek Dam near Morgana49 mi · Lake · Stevens Creek Dam near Morgana184.54 ft−0.34 ft vs normal
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02188100 — Russell Lake Above Calhoun Falls, Sc
- Location
- 34.1011, -82.6181 · South Carolina
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation above datum
- Daily statistics
- 2006–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 12:00 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Full pool
- 475.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District
- Storage
- 995,192 of 1,026,244 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
- Also from
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge RBDS1 — 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.