Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites

Where to fish

  • Forecast
  • Catches

Mine

  • Favorites
Forecast
AboutHow the forecast worksWhere fish livePrivacyTerms[email protected]
© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
0.1.0+2161 · b4069346

We use cookies for analytics and advertising. Cookies necessary for the site to function are always kept. Learn more

United States / Wisconsin / Lake Winnebago

Bite forecast: Lake Winnebago

  • 205.3 sq mi
  • depth up to 15 ft
Loading map…

Best fishing days for the next week

  1. TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
    79/100high activity

    Cloudy: 52–61 °F

Lake Winnebago (Wisconsin) — a spot well known among anglers. About 531.6 km² in area, up to 4.7 m deep. Nearby towns: Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Appleton. This page shows an hourly bite forecast for today and the week ahead; the algorithm factors in the weather, atmospheric pressure, and the moon phase.

SundaySeptember 6weather-based forecast
72/100high activity

Cloudy: 61–66 °F

  • ThursdaySeptember 3weather-based forecast
    58/100medium activity

    Cloudy: 63–77 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Oshkosh0.7 mi
    • Fond du Lac1 mi
    • Appleton4 mi

    Nearby rivers

    • Sawyer Creek6 mi

    Nearby water bodies

    • PondLake Louisa5 mi
    • PondLake Fly5 mi
    • PondParkwood Neighborhood Pond8 mi

    Measured river conditions are available for Lake Winnebago: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    2.89 ft

    USGS gauge LAKE WINNEBAGO AT OSHKOSH, WI, 3 mi away · measured 2026-09-02 03:00 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision

    Loading map…

    Catches

    Recorded 8 catches here. Most commonly caught: Walleye, Largemouth bass, Black crappie. Peak season: May–December.

    • Walleye
      Lake Winnebago
      72 °F2 mph
      Jun 21, 2019
    • Black crappie
      Wisconsin, Winnebago County
      55 °F16 mph
      May 21, 2019
    • Yellow perch
      Wisconsin, Winnebago County
      30 °F7 mph
      Dec 17, 2018
    • Walleye
      Lake Winnebago
      Jul 20, 2018
    • Largemouth bass
      Little Lake Butte des Morts
      73 °F9 mph
      Jun 12, 2018
    • Smallmouth bass
      Wisconsin, Winnebago County
      63 °F9 mph
      Jun 06, 2018
    • Largemouth bass
      Wisconsin, Winnebago County
      63 °F9 mph
      Jun 06, 2018
    • Walleye
      Menasha Canal Approach
      52 °F11 mph
      Nov 28, 2017

    BiteGuide·From anglers’ reports

    What actually worked on this water

    Based on 8 verified catchesPeriod: 2017–2019

    This is a summary of anglers' reports, not a proven cause of the bite: conditions lining up does not mean they drove it.

    By fish species

    vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    32111
    WalleyeLargemouth bassBlack crappieSmallmouth bassYellow perch
    By fish species
    ValueCatchesShare
    Walleye338%
    Largemouth bass225%
    Black crappie113%
    Smallmouth bass113%
    Yellow perch113%

    By month

    vertical axis — number of catches

    024
    14111
    MayJunJulNovDec
    By month
    ValueCatchesShare
    May113%
    Jun450%
    Jul113%
    Nov113%
    Dec113%

    Air temperature, °F

    7 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    012
    1222
    23505968
    Air temperature, °F
    ValueCatchesShare
    23–30 °F114%
    50–57 °F229%
    59–66 °F229%
    68–75 °F229%

    Pressure, inHg

    7 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    232
    28.9429.1329.33
    Pressure, inHg
    ValueCatchesShare
    28.94–29.09 inHg229%
    29.13–29.29 inHg343%
    29.33–29.49 inHg229%

    Wind direction

    7 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    023
    2311
    ESWNW
    Wind direction
    ValueCatchesShare
    E229%
    S343%
    W114%
    NW114%

    Wind speed, mph

    7 catches have this data · vertical axis — number of catches

    024
    1141
    04913
    Wind speed, mph
    ValueCatchesShare
    0–2 mph114%
    4–7 mph114%
    9–11 mph457%
    13–16 mph114%

    Bite calendar

    Wednesday, September 2

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    PikeYellow perchBurbotCoho salmonMuskellungeSmallmouth bassWalleyeWhite bassBlack crappieBrook troutLake troutSteelheadWhite crappieWhitefishLargemouth bassBluegillCarpChannel catfishFlathead catfishChinook salmonRainbow trout

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Weather is steady, with no sharp swings — fish behave predictably.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Look for drop-offs and gaps in the weeds, retrieve slowly, lingering over promising spots.

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    It's a hot day — a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water are a must. Rain is expected — don't forget a rain jacket or a waterproof shell.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 68 °F — inside the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F68 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is flat: it moves no more than 0.03 inHg over the day, so the weather isn't shifting today's bite.

    Pressure through the day, 0.03 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.8823:00 · 29.90 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    2 SepWednesday, September 2
    +77°

    Clear · feels like +80°

    Low / high
    +62°…+83°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    4 mph WNW
    Cloud cover
    2%
    Humidity
    57%
    Pressure
    29.90 inHg
    00:00+68°—5 mphnorthwest wind, 5 mph50%94%
    01:00+67°—5 mphnorth wind, 5 mph55%100%
    02:00+67°—3 mphnortheast wind, 3 mph57%100%
    03:00+65°—2 mphnortheast wind, 2 mph58%89%
    04:00+65°—3 mpheast wind, 3 mph57%100%
    05:00+64°—3 mphsouthwest wind, 3 mph68%73%
    06:00+63°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph76%100%
    07:00+62°0.06 in9 mphsouth wind, 9 mph87%100%
    08:00+62°—2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph90%93%
    09:00+65°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph87%100%
    10:00+69°—6 mphwest wind, 6 mph80%100%
    11:00+73°—5 mphnorthwest wind, 5 mph68%100%
    12:00+77°—4 mphnorthwest wind, 4 mph57%2%
    13:00+79°—4 mphwest wind, 4 mph49%25%
    14:00+81°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph43%8%
    15:00+82°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph39%25%
    16:00+83°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph37%5%
    17:00+83°—6 mphsouthwest wind, 6 mph38%2%
    18:00+82°—7 mphsouthwest wind, 7 mph41%3%
    19:00+79°—5 mphsouthwest wind, 5 mph45%0%
    20:00+74°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph53%0%
    21:00+71°—3 mphwest wind, 3 mph58%0%
    22:00+71°—7 mphnortheast wind, 7 mph50%35%
    23:00+68°—5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph57%76%
    +83°+72°+62°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Wednesday, September 2
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:21
    Sunset
    19:34
    Day length
    13 h 13 min
    Sunshine hours
    10 h
    UV index
    5
    moderate
    Moon
    Waning gibbous
    Moonrise
    21:45
    Moonset
    12:39

    The day is 3 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +12% in the windowWednesday, September 2
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Major03:48–05:48Moon overhead
    • Minor12:09–13:09Moonset
    • Major16:16–18:16Moon underfoot
    • Minor21:15–22:15Moonrise

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?