Lake Sharpe Water Level
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · South Dakota
Latest reading Oct 26, 11:00 AM · elevation
Lake Sharpe is 0.8 ft above full pool today (1,420.79 ft vs 1,420.00 ft), 0.2 ft higher than a year ago. It is 104% full. It has risen 0.06 ft since yesterday and is up 0.09 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (1,420.0 ft) is 0.8 ft below the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Lake Sharpe fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETWater 58°F, lake 0.8 ft above full pool and steady, moderate ENE wind — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 8:23 AM–9:23 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp58°Fmeasured Oct 26, 1:00 AM · Big Bend Dam & Reservoir
- Air temphigh 42°F / low 38°FRain
- WindModerate ENE12–15 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 24
- Level0.8 ft above full poolLevel steady (+0.06 ft in 24 h)
Official South Dakota fishing info: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks — Fishery survey reports
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 8:06 AM · Sunset 6:35 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:20 AM–2:20 AM
- Moon underfoot12:47 PM–2:47 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset8:23 AM–9:23 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:03 PM–7:03 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:20 AM–2:20 AM · 12:47 PM–2:47 PM Minor 8:23 AM–9:23 AM · 6:03 PM–7:03 PM Moderate wind 12–15 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:16 AM–3:16 AM · 1:46 PM–3:46 PM Minor 9:44 AM–10:44 AM · 6:41 PM–7:41 PM Moderate wind 4–16 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:17 AM–4:17 AM · 2:49 PM–4:49 PM Minor 11:03 AM–12:03 PM · 7:31 PM–8:31 PM Light wind 6–10 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 3:21 AM–5:21 AM · 3:53 PM–5:53 PM Minor 12:14 PM–1:14 PM · 8:33 PM–9:33 PM Light wind 1–12 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:25 AM–6:25 AM · 4:57 PM–6:57 PM Minor 1:12 PM–2:12 PM · 9:46 PM–10:46 PM Light wind 6–12 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:27 AM–7:27 AM · 5:57 PM–7:57 PM Minor 1:56 PM–2:56 PM · 11:05 PM–12:05 AM Light wind 8–9 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:25 AM–7:25 AM · 5:52 PM–7:52 PM Minor 1:30 PM–2:30 PM · 11:23 PM–12:23 AM Light wind 6–10 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)
| 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; water temperature measured by USACE at Big Bend Dam & Reservoir. 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 44.04, -99.45 (moon times from astronomical equations, Lake Sharpe local time).
Weather & wind at Lake Sharpe
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today42° / 38°RainWind NE 15 mphRain 100%
- Tuesday58° / 40°Areas Of Fog then Partly SunnyWind SE 3 to 16 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday61° / 36°Patchy Fog then Partly SunnyWind SSW 6 to 10 mphRain 13%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 44.041, -99.445 (grid ABR), issued Oct 26, 11:21 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.
Past 12 months
daily readings from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Today1,420.79 ft
- Same date last year1,420.57 ft+0.2 ft change
- 12-month high1,421.38 ftDec 28, 2025
- 12-month low1,420.27 ftNov 8, 2025
- Full pool1,420.00 ftUSACE
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 1,420.96 | +0.23 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 1,420.73 | +0.11 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 1,420.62 | +0.22 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 1,420.40 | −0.10 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1,420.50 | −0.15 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1,420.65 | −0.01 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 1,420.66 | −0.14 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 1,420.80 | +0.05 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 1,420.75 | +0.25 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 1,420.50 | −0.27 |
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 — Big Bend Dam & Reservoir
- Location
- 44.0410, -99.4453 · South Dakota
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 11:00 AM local time
- History
- 400 days on file since 2025-09-21
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Full pool
- 1,420.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
- Storage
- 1,691,000 of 1,631,474 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.