American River at Fair Oaks
River flow & level · USGS gauge 11446500 · California · drains 1,888 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 1:00 PM · streamflow
The American River at Fair Oaks is running 1,180 cfs, 70% of the median flow for October 26 (1,690 cfs, 71 years). Gage height is 6.10 ft. Flow is about the same as 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
American River at Fair Oaks fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETWater 59°F, flow 70% of normal, flow steady, light S wind — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 7:40 AM–8:40 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp59°Fmeasured Oct 26, 1:00 PM · this gauge
- Air temphigh 69°F / low 47°FSunny
- WindLight S2–8 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 14
- Flow70% of normalFlow steady (+1% in 24 h)
Official California fishing info: California Department of Fish and Wildlife — Inland fishing info
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
8/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Sun, Nov 8 · Sunrise 7:25 AM · Sunset 6:11 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:18 PM–2:18 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:40 AM–8:40 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:48 PM–6:48 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:18 PM–2:18 PM Minor 7:40 AM–8:40 AM · 5:48 PM–6:48 PM Light wind 2–8 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:47 AM–2:47 AM · 1:17 PM–3:17 PM Minor 8:57 AM–9:57 AM · 6:31 PM–7:31 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:48 AM–3:48 AM · 2:20 PM–4:20 PM Minor 10:12 AM–11:12 AM · 7:24 PM–8:24 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:52 AM–4:52 AM · 3:24 PM–5:24 PM Minor 11:21 AM–12:21 PM · 8:28 PM–9:28 PM Calm wind 1–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:56 AM–5:56 AM · 4:28 PM–6:28 PM Minor 12:20 PM–1:20 PM · 9:40 PM–10:40 PM Calm wind 2–5 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 4:58 AM–6:58 AM · 5:27 PM–7:27 PM Minor 1:07 PM–2:07 PM · 10:54 PM–11:54 PM Calm wind 4–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:55 AM–6:55 AM · 5:22 PM–7:22 PM Minor 12:45 PM–1:45 PM · 11:07 PM–12:07 AM Light wind 2–6 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)
| 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 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 38.64, -121.23 (moon times from astronomical equations, American River at Fair Oaks local time).
Weather & wind at American River at Fair Oaks
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon69° / 47°SunnyWind SSW 6 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday66° / 43°SunnyWind SSW 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday68° / 43°SunnyWind NNE 1 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 38.635, -121.228 (grid STO), issued Oct 26, 11:31 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
71 years of flow records- Today1,180 cfs
- Same date last year1,060 cfs2025
- Median1,690 cfs
- Normal range1,220 cfs – 2,370 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 19564,600 cfs1970
- Lowest since 1956268 cfs1978
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 1,175 | +0% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 1,170 | +0% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 1,170 | +1% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 1,160 | +1% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 1,150 | -21% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 1,450 | -1% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 1,460 | -1% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 1,470 | -2% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 1,500 | +2% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 1,470 | -17% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Folsom Lake6 mi · Lake400.21 ft−65.79 ft vs full pool
- Sacramento River at Verona22 mi · River7,530 cfs85% of normal
- New Hogan Lake41 mi · Lake666.21 ft−29.59 ft vs full pool
- New Bullards Bar Reservoir53 mi · Lake1,882.81 ft−39.87 ft vs full pool
- New Melones Reservoir61 mi · Lake1,003.71 ft−51.14 ft vs full pool
- Tulloch Reservoir62 mi · Lake · Knights Ferry497.16 ft−5.57 ft vs full pool
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 11446500 — American R A Fair Oaks Ca
- Location
- 38.6354, -121.2277 · California
- Drainage area
- 1,888 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 1956–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 1:00 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.