Arkansas River at Fort. Smith
River flow & level · USGS gauge 07249455 · Arkansas · drains 145,940 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 2:15 PM · streamflow
The Arkansas River at Fort. Smith is running 1,480 cfs, 14% of the median flow for October 26 (10,300 cfs, 27 years). Gage height is 11.34 ft. Flow is up 342000% from 24 hours ago.
Streamflow
cubic feet per secondReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Gage height & flood stages
ft above gauge datumReading
Arkansas River at Fort. Smith fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETFlow 14% of normal, light ESE wind — good fall fishing day (6/10), best window 7:40 AM–8:40 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 79°F / low 55°FMostly Sunny
- WindLight ESE4–5 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 10
- Flow14% of normalFlow change not available
Official Arkansas fishing report: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission — Weekly fishing report
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 7:34 AM · Sunset 6:28 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:26 PM–2:26 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:40 AM–8:40 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:06 PM–7:06 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 6/10Good | Major 12:26 PM–2:26 PM Minor 7:40 AM–8:40 AM · 6:06 PM–7:06 PM Light wind 4–5 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:55 AM–2:55 AM · 1:25 PM–3:25 PM Minor 8:54 AM–9:54 AM · 6:51 PM–7:51 PM Light wind 5–6 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:56 AM–3:56 AM · 2:28 PM–4:28 PM Minor 10:08 AM–11:08 AM · 7:45 PM–8:45 PM Light wind 4–7 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:00 AM–5:00 AM · 3:32 PM–5:32 PM Minor 11:17 AM–12:17 PM · 8:48 PM–9:48 PM Calm wind 4–5 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:04 AM–6:04 AM · 4:36 PM–6:36 PM Minor 12:17 PM–1:17 PM · 9:58 PM–10:58 PM Light wind 5–6 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 5:06 AM–7:06 AM · 5:36 PM–7:36 PM Minor 1:07 PM–2:07 PM · 11:10 PM–12:10 AM Light wind 5–6 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:04 AM–7:04 AM · 5:31 PM–7:31 PM Minor 12:48 PM–1:48 PM · 11:21 PM–12:21 AM Calm wind 2–5 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 river 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 · flow within ±15% in 24 h +1, rising over 25% −1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 1 |
| Today | 6, rounded | 6/10 |
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 35.39, -94.43 (moon times from astronomical equations, Arkansas River at Fort. Smith local time).
Weather & wind at Arkansas River at Fort. Smith
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon79° / 55°Mostly SunnyWind SE 5 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday80° / 59°Partly SunnyWind SE 5 mphRain 5%
- Wednesday84° / 61°SunnyWind SE 5 mphRain 2%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 35.392, -94.432 (grid TSA), issued Oct 26, 2:50 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.
October 26 in history
27 years of flow records- Today1,480 cfs
- Same date last year21,700 cfs2025
- Median10,300 cfs
- Normal range3,670 cfs – 26,300 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 1998126,000 cfs2020
- Lowest since 1998-281.00 cfs2025
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 56.5 | -99% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 4,020 | -26% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 5,400 | -23% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 7,030 | -22% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 9,020 | +16% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 7,760 | +43% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 5,440 | -8% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 5,910 | +96% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 3,010 | +6% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 2,840 | -83% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Wister Lake35 mi · Lake474.36 ft−3.64 ft vs full pool
- Tenkiller Lake37 mi · Lake624.70 ft−7.30 ft vs full pool
- Illinois River near Tahlequah46 mi · River233 cfs84% of normal
- Blue Mountain Lake48 mi · Lake370.94 ft−3.06 ft vs full pool
- Lake Eufaula53 mi · Lake581.64 ft−3.36 ft vs full pool
- Fort Gibson Lake56 mi · Lake555.28 ft+1.28 ft vs full pool
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 07249455 — Arkansas River at Ft. Smith, Ar.
- Location
- 35.3918, -94.4324 · Arkansas
- Drainage area
- 145,940 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1998–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 2:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
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.