Water temperature by species
Water temperature is the single heaviest input to a fishing grade, and the right number depends entirely on what you are fishing for. 55°F is a good day for a trout and a poor one for a bass.
These are the exact figures our engine uses. When the water sits outside a species range, the grade is capped no matter how good the weather looks, which is why a forecast can show the same score all week. More on that ceiling.
Coldest preference
Lingcod, ideal 48°F
Warmest preference
Peacock Bass, ideal 82°F
| Species | Ideal | Viable range | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lingcod | 48°F | 38–58°F | Saltwater |
| Rockfish | 50°F | 42–60°F | Saltwater |
| Pacific Halibut | 50°F | 36–60°F | Saltwater |
| Lake Trout | 52°F | 38–72°F | Freshwater |
| Steelhead | 52°F | 40–60°F | Freshwater |
| Landlocked Salmon | 52°F | 36–64°F | Freshwater |
| Kokanee | 53°F | 42–58°F | Freshwater |
| Chinook Salmon | 53°F | 44–62°F | Freshwater |
| Tautog | 54°F | 42–70°F | Saltwater |
| Rainbow Trout | 55°F | 45–65°F | Freshwater |
| Cutthroat Trout | 56°F | 44–63°F | Freshwater |
| Brown Trout | 58°F | 50–70°F | Freshwater |
| Brook Trout | 58°F | 46–65°F | Freshwater |
| Striped Bass | 58°F | 40–78°F | Freshwater and salt |
| Coho Salmon | 59°F | 46–68°F | Freshwater |
| Northern Pike | 60°F | 43–75°F | Freshwater |
| Black Sea Bass | 60°F | 40–78°F | Saltwater |
| Walleye | 62°F | 50–75°F | Freshwater |
| Smallmouth Bass | 65°F | 55–80°F | Freshwater |
| Flounder | 65°F | 55–75°F | Saltwater |
| California Halibut | 65°F | 54–76°F | Saltwater |
| Barred Surfperch | 65°F | 50–76°F | Saltwater |
| Yellow Perch | 68°F | 52–78°F | Freshwater |
| Musky | 68°F | 55–78°F | Freshwater |
| Crappie | 68°F | 55–80°F | Freshwater |
| Largemouth Bass | 70°F | 60–85°F | Freshwater |
| Bluefish | 70°F | 55–82°F | Saltwater |
| Spotted Bass | 72°F | 55–82°F | Freshwater |
| Bluegill | 72°F | 60–85°F | Freshwater |
| White Bass | 72°F | 50–88°F | Freshwater |
| White Sturgeon | 72°F | 42–78°F | Freshwater |
| Black Drum | 72°F | 50–90°F | Saltwater |
| Redfish (Red Drum) | 75°F | 65–85°F | Saltwater |
| Blue Catfish | 76°F | 45–88°F | Freshwater |
| Wahoo | 76°F | 68–86°F | Saltwater |
| Flathead Catfish | 77°F | 58–88°F | Freshwater |
| Spotted Seatrout | 77°F | 60–88°F | Saltwater |
| Sheepshead | 78°F | 55–90°F | Saltwater |
| Yellowfin Tuna | 79°F | 66–88°F | Saltwater |
| Blacktip Shark | 79°F | 70–88°F | Saltwater |
| Channel Catfish | 80°F | 50–90°F | Freshwater |
| Snook | 80°F | 70–90°F | Saltwater |
| Red Snapper | 80°F | 64–90°F | Saltwater |
| Mahi-Mahi | 81°F | 70–88°F | Saltwater |
| Tarpon | 82°F | 75–95°F | Saltwater |
| Peacock Bass | 82°F | 72–92°F | Freshwater |
How to read the two numbers
The ideal is where that species feeds most actively. The viable range is where it will still feed, with the edges scoring meaningfully lower than the middle. Outside the range entirely, the grade is capped, and the further outside the water sits the tighter that cap gets.
Cold and warm are not treated as mirror images, because they are not. A pike under the ice is still feeding, so a cold-tolerant species keeps a far higher ceiling in cold water than a snook does, and snook suffer documented cold-kill events. The ceiling is also lifted during the pre-spawn stage-up, when fish genuinely feed in water colder than their usual comfort.
Check today’s water where you fish
We use a live reading when a gauge, buoy, shore thermometer or satellite covers the water you fish. Where none does, we model it from the lake’s own seasonal pattern or from recent air temperatures.