Mississippi River at Baton Rouge
River flow & level · USGS gauge 07374000 · Louisiana · drains 1,125,810 sq mi
Latest reading Oct 26, 5:15 PM · streamflow
The Mississippi River at Baton Rouge is running 288,000 cfs, 106% of the median flow for October 26 (272,000 cfs, 21 years). Gage height is 10.06 ft. Flow is down 3% 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 datumReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Mississippi River at Baton Rouge fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETWater 70°F, flow 106% of normal, flow steady, light E wind — excellent fall fishing day (8/10), best window 7:16 AM–8:16 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp70°Fmeasured Oct 26, 5:00 PM · this gauge
- Air temphigh 80°F / low 58°FPartly Sunny
- WindLight E4–6 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 9
- Flow106% of normalFlow steady (-3% in 24 h)
Official Louisiana fishing info: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries — Recreational 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 7:14 AM · Sunset 6:21 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:13 PM–2:13 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:16 AM–8:16 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:04 PM–7:04 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 8/10Excellent | Major 12:13 PM–2:13 PM Minor 7:16 AM–8:16 AM · 6:04 PM–7:04 PM Light wind 4–6 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:42 AM–2:42 AM · 1:11 PM–3:11 PM Minor 8:27 AM–9:27 AM · 6:51 PM–7:51 PM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:42 AM–3:42 AM · 2:14 PM–4:14 PM Minor 9:39 AM–10:39 AM · 7:47 PM–8:47 PM Light wind 2–6 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 3/10Poor | Major 2:46 AM–4:46 AM · 3:19 PM–5:19 PM Minor 10:47 AM–11:47 AM · 8:51 PM–9:51 PM Light wind 4–7 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:51 AM–5:51 AM · 4:22 PM–6:22 PM Minor 11:48 AM–12:48 PM · 10:00 PM–11:00 PM Light wind 6–8 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:53 AM–6:53 AM · 5:22 PM–7:22 PM Minor 12:40 PM–1:40 PM · 11:09 PM–12:09 AM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:51 AM–6:51 AM · 5:18 PM–7:18 PM Minor 12:24 PM–1:24 PM · 11:17 PM–12:17 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 30.45, -91.19 (moon times from astronomical equations, Mississippi River at Baton Rouge local time).
Weather & wind at Mississippi River at Baton Rouge
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon80° / 58°Partly SunnyWind E 5 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday82° / 59°Mostly SunnyWind E 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday84° / 56°SunnyWind E 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 30.446, -91.192 (grid LIX), issued Oct 26, 1:57 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
21 years of flow records- Today288,000 cfs
- Same date last year177,000 cfs2025
- Median272,000 cfs
- Normal range189,000 cfs – 334,000 cfs25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 2005759,000 cfs2019
- Lowest since 2005141,000 cfs2023
Last 10 days
| Date | Mean flow (cfs) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 293,814 | -2% |
| Sun Oct 25 | 299,000 | -1% |
| Sat Oct 24 | 301,000 | -1% |
| Fri Oct 23 | 304,000 | -1% |
| Thu Oct 22 | 306,000 | -1% |
| Wed Oct 21 | 309,000 | -2% |
| Tue Oct 20 | 316,000 | -2% |
| Mon Oct 19 | 323,000 | -3% |
| Sun Oct 18 | 333,000 | +0% |
| Sat Oct 17 | 333,000 | +3% |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 07374000 — Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, LA
- Location
- 30.4457, -91.1916 · Louisiana
- Drainage area
- 1,125,810 sq mi
- Measures
- Streamflow (discharge), cubic feet per second
- Daily statistics
- 2005–2025 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 5:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 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.