WATER TEMPS · 150 USGS GAUGES · 35 STATES

How cold is it? Check before you jerk.

Water temperature decides how long a jerkbait should sit still. Here's the latest reading from 150 lake and river gauges run by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the call each number earns: pause length, cadence, and what to tie on.

THIS WEEK'S CONDITIONS REPORT

Bass fishing by water temperature

WHERE THE GAUGES SIT · AS OF OCTOBER 17, 2026 · TAP A BAND FOR THE FULL CALL

IN THE WINDOW

Jerkbait water right now

Gauges reading 45–60°F at the last build, coldest first. That's suspending-jerkbait range, from long-pause cold to the peak window.

EVERY BAND, ONE TABLE

The jerkbait water-temperature chart

Surface temperature decides how long a jerkbait should sit still. These are the bands we fish by. They're a starting point, not a law: clarity, the last front and the fish themselves get a vote.

WATER	PAUSE	THE CALL	THROW
Below 45°FPause 15–30 sec	15–30 sec	Too cold to rush. The jerkbait is a long-pause gamble.Throw: Rapala Husky Jerk 12, Z-Man TRD TubeZ (Ned Rig), Pautzke Fire Neds Micro Finesse Jigs	Rapala Husky Jerk 12, Z-Man TRD TubeZ (Ned Rig), Pautzke Fire Neds Micro Finesse Jigs
45–52°FPause 5–15 sec	5–15 sec	Prime suspending-jerkbait water. Slow down and let it hang.Throw: Megabass Vision 110 Jr., Smithwick Suspending Rogue, Rapala Husky Jerk 12	Megabass Vision 110 Jr., Smithwick Suspending Rogue, Rapala Husky Jerk 12
53–60°FPause 2–5 sec	2–5 sec	Peak jerkbait window. Fish are awake and chasing.Throw: Megabass Vision 110 Jr., Jackall Rerange 110SP, Lucky Craft Pointer 100SP	Megabass Vision 110 Jr., Jackall Rerange 110SP, Lucky Craft Pointer 100SP
61–68°FPause 0–2 sec	0–2 sec	Speed it up. Short pauses, more water covered.Throw: Jackall Rerange 110SP, Rapala X-Rap SubWalk 09, Zoom Super Fluke (5")	Jackall Rerange 110SP, Rapala X-Rap SubWalk 09, Zoom Super Fluke (5")
69–76°FPause Barely	Barely	Warm water. The jerk moves to soft plastics and the surface.Throw: Zoom Super Fluke (5"), Heddon Zara Spook 3/4oz, Rapala X-Rap SubWalk 09	Zoom Super Fluke (5"), Heddon Zara Spook 3/4oz, Rapala X-Rap SubWalk 09
77°F and upPause None	None	Bathwater. Jerk early, jerk late, or jerk at night.Throw: Heddon Zara Spook 3/4oz, Zoom Super Fluke (5"), Yamamoto Senko 5" Green Pumpkin	Heddon Zara Spook 3/4oz, Zoom Super Fluke (5"), Yamamoto Senko 5" Green Pumpkin

EVERY GAUGE

Water temperatures by state

Where these numbers come from

Every reading comes from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System (parameter 00010, water temperature). USGS publishes it as provisional data. We show the latest value in °F plus a 7-day trend, and your browser re-checks USGS when the page loads. A gauge that hasn't reported in 48 hours gets flagged as stale instead of passed off as today's water.

The jerkbait call is ours: it's the cadence we'd start with at that temperature, built from the same playbook as the cold-water jerkbait guide and Jerking 101.

How cold is it? Check before you jerk.

Bass fishing by water temperature

Jerkbait water right now

The jerkbait water-temperature chart

Water temperatures by state

Alabama

Arkansas

California

Connecticut

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Where these numbers come from