Lake levels and season openers this week: October 19, 2026

In the week to Oct 18, 13 of 14 Texas reservoirs we track fell (largest drop: Lake Travis and Sam Rayburn Reservoir, −0.30 ft), Lake Champlain rose +0.35 to +0.42 ft, and 23 hunting season segments open in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio between Oct 19 and Nov 1. Updated 2026-10-19.

Key points

• Texas: 13 of 14 reservoirs fell over the week; only Lake Texoma rose (+0.15 ft). Biggest drops: Lake Travis −0.30 ft, Sam Rayburn Reservoir −0.30 ft.
• Lake Erie: −0.26 ft on the 3-gauge average, but the Toledo gauge alone moved −0.66 ft, a reminder that wind pushes water around the lake.
• Lake Ontario: −0.07 ft on the 3-gauge average, close to flat.
• Lake Champlain: up at all 3 USGS gauges (+0.38, +0.35, +0.42 ft).
• Rivers: the biggest flow rise was Yampa River at Steamboat Springs, CO (+62.5%, 72.6 → 118 cfs); the biggest drop was Yellow Breeches Creek (−65.8%).
• Seasons: 23 segments open Oct 19–Nov 1 in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio; first up is Pennsylvania black bear on Oct 22.

Texas reservoirs: 7-day change

Daily lake elevation in feet above sea level, Oct 11, 2026 vs Oct 18, 2026. USGS daily means where USGS publishes the lake gauge; otherwise the Texas Water Development Board daily value (facts only, linked to TWDB). Each lake name opens its live page with today's level and the Texas fishing rules pointer.

Great Lakes and northern lakes

NOAA gauges report in feet above IGLD 1985; Lake Champlain is USGS (NGVD 1929); Lake Lanier and Lake Minnetonka are USGS reservoir/lake gauges. NOAA daily values are our mean of NOAA's provisional 6-minute readings for each local day.

Canadian lakes and rivers (Water Survey of Canada)

Levels in metres above each station's own datum, so compare a station with itself, not with another station. Daily values are our mean of the Water Survey of Canada's provisional real-time readings.

River flows: biggest changes

USGS daily mean streamflow in cubic feet per second (cfs), sorted from the biggest rise to the biggest drop. Flow can swing quickly after rain or dam releases, so check the live page before you wade.

Hunting seasons opening Oct 19 – Nov 1

From our published 2026–27 records for agencies whose terms allow it. We show the dates and zones only; open the agency link for the full rules, tags and bag limits. Season dates in Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Ontario and British Columbia are not republished here, so they are not counted (see Data sources).

What this means for you

When a reservoir drops a few tenths of a foot in a week, ramps and shallow flats can change before your next trip, so check the live page for your lake before you launch. On Lake Erie this week the Toledo gauge moved 0.40 ft more than the lake average, which is why we show all three gauges. If you hunt in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, several seasons open in the next two weeks; the agency link in each row is the version that counts.

FAQ

Method and downloads

7-day change = stored daily value on the end date minus the stored daily value 7 days earlier (falls back up to 2 days if a day is missing; the actual dates are listed per row). Values are provisional agency data as stored by seasonsandlimits.com. Generated 2026-10-19 16:59:51 UTC by a script from our database; no number on this page was written by AI. Readings are provisional agency data and can be revised.

Download the data (CSV) · Data sources & licences · Free lake-level widget · All reports

Related pages

Lake Travis level · Sam Rayburn level · Toledo Bend level · Lake Erie level · Lake Champlain level · Susquehanna River · Pennsylvania deer season · Florida deer season · Ohio hunting seasons