Fishing report
7.98 Reservoir Rock Bass Fishing Report
Ridgeway, WI
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Modeled from live National Weather Service data as of Sep 4, 2026 at 9:01 PM CDT, plus solunar and sun/moon times computed in-house. This is a computed report, not an eyewitness catch report.
7.98 Reservoir has no state survey naming Rock Bass. Its presence is an estimate inferred from 8 confirmed lakes within 40 miles — not a record of a catch.
Overall rating
Rock Bass at 7.98 Reservoir — 2026-09-04
Excellent · 86/100Best window: 11 PM (Excellent · 89/100)
- Season
- Summer
- Moon
- 41% illuminated, waningLast Quarter
- Est. surface temp
- 82.2°F
- Pressure
- 29.92 inHgRising
Est. water temp
82.2°F
v1 estimate from air temperature — not a sensor reading
In Rock Bass's 80-87°F range
Air vs. last week
15°F warmer
79°F now vs 64°F this time last week
Measured air temperature at the nearest weather station — not water
Sun & moon
- Sunrise
- 6:28 AM
- Sunset
- 7:29 PM
- Moonrise
- 11:37 PM
- Moonset
- 3:12 PM
Sky, wind & pressureat best window · 11 PM
- Cloud cover
- 28%
- Precip chance
- 2%
- Wind
- 0 mph
- Pressure
- 29.92 inHg Rising
Species context
Why this score
Excellent (86/100) for Rock Bass: water is estimated at 82.2°F, inside Rock Bass's 80-87°F optimal range. Best window: Night — boosts feeding activity by about 30%. That hour also overlaps a minor solunar period. 29.92 inHg and rising pressure modeled about 5% below this fish's baseline. Calm (0-5 mph) wind modeled about 10% below this fish's baseline.
What's driving the 11 PM score
Water temperature (82.2°F estimated) is doing the most for this score. The score gives up the most on solunar period — minor period, about 6 points below its best.
- Water temperature · helping
- Light window · helping
- Solunar period · neutral
- Barometric pressure · helping
- Wind · helping
Show the numbers behind this
Water temperature: 82.2°F estimated
40 of 40 pts
Optimal range 80-87°F
Well supportedWater temperature governs a cold-blooded fish's metabolism, so it is the largest term in the model (Christie & Regier 1988). The figure is a thermal-lag estimate built from forecast air temperature and the time of year — not a sensor reading, and not this lake's actual measured water.
Light window: Night
23.2 of 25 pts
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%
Well supportedLow-light feeding windows are the strongest timing signal inside a single day. How much each window is worth is this species' own cited response, sourced in its model file, not a generic curve.
Solunar period: Minor period
9 of 15 pts
Not supported by testingPeer-reviewed testing of North American freshwater fisheries found no significant relationship between solunar values, lunar phase or lunar illumination and catch rates (SN Applied Sciences, 2023) — air temperature predicted catch better than any solunar table tested. It is shown because anglers expect it, and it is shown separately so you can discount it. Its weight is under owner review.
Barometric pressure: Rising
9 of 10 pts
Modeled about 5% below this fish's baseline
ContestedThe barometric effect is real to most anglers but small and contested in the literature — several of the species studies cited in this model report null results — so it carries one of the smallest weights here.
Wind: Calm (0-5 mph)
7.8 of 10 pts
Modeled about 10% below this fish's baseline
Moderately supportedWind stacks forage on windward structure, but both the size and the direction of the effect depend on the species and the water, so it carries a modest weight.
Then the whole score is scaled
Season: Summer — ×1.00 (100% of the ungated score)
How catchable Rock Bass are at this point in the year. This scales the whole score rather than competing with the factors above — a fish that is dormant this time of year cannot score well no matter how good the hour looks.
Weather front: No clear front — ×1.00 (100% of the ungated score)
A multi-hour frontal pattern read from the day's forecast trajectory. No front is classified today, so this changes nothing and the single-reading pressure factor above does its normal job.
Those five factors add up to 89.1 of 100 points, and the two multipliers above take that to 89. The weights are v1 tuning constants under owner review — they are shown here rather than hidden so you can weigh them against your own judgement.
What this score does not know
- Water clarity. We have no source for it and do not estimate it.
- Measured water temperature. The figure in the breakdown is a model over forecast air temperature, not a reading from a buoy or a probe.
- Baitfish and forage activity.
- How much fishing pressure this water has had.
- Where the fish actually are. Depth bands are the species' published seasonal ranges, not an observation of this lake.
- What anyone actually caught. No catch reports feed this score.
Conditions read from the National Weather Service as of Sep 4, 2026 at 9:01 PM CDT. Solunar periods and sun/moon times are computed, not fetched.
When best caught
It's currently summer. Rock Bass typically hold 5-15 ft deep this time of year — at an estimated 82.2°F, this looks like a strong time of year to target them.
Current depth
5-15 ft
This is the seasonal depth band from the species model — relative to this species' typical behavior, not this lake's actual structure. True depth relative to this lake's bottom contours needs lake bathymetry (tracked in issue #175).
Today's solunar periods
- Major: 5:54 AM–7:54 AM
- Minor: 2:42 PM–3:42 PM
- Major: 6:25 PM–8:25 PM
- Minor: 11:07 PM–12:07 AM
Best times
When do rock bass feed during the day?
Rock Bass feed most actively at Dusk, when activity runs about 22% above the daily average across all four light windows.
- Dawn1.30x
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.
- Daytime0.60x
Suppresses feeding activity by about 40%.
- Dusk1.40x
Boosts feeding activity by about 40%.
- Night1.30x
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.
Hour by hour
Hourly bite forecast
| Hour | Bite score | Rating | Light | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 PM | 85 | Excellent | Night | 0 mph |
| 10 PM | 85 | Excellent | Night | 0 mph |
| 11 PM | 89 | Excellent | Night | 0 mph |
Where to find Rock Bass right now
Typical Summer depth: 5-15 ft
Rock Bass feed most actively at Dusk, when activity runs about 22% above the daily average across all four light windows.
No depth survey or measurement is on record for 7.98 Reservoir, so these bands are the species' published seasonal ranges rather than a reading of this water.
Plan a Rock Bass trip to 7.98 Reservoir
Change the date, compare species, or check the week ahead in the live tool.
Other species on record at 7.98 Reservoir
FAQ
Common questions
Are there Rock Bass in 7.98 Reservoir?
7.98 Reservoir has no state survey naming Rock Bass. Its presence is an estimate inferred from 8 confirmed lakes within 40 miles — not a record of a catch.
When do Rock Bass bite at 7.98 Reservoir?
Rock Bass feed most actively at Dusk, when activity runs about 22% above the daily average across all four light windows. Today's report above scores every hour of the local day against live weather for 7.98 Reservoir, and shows what each input contributed alongside how well the evidence supports it.
How deep should you fish for Rock Bass at 7.98 Reservoir?
Typical Rock Bass depth by season: Pre-Spawn 2-5 ft, Spawn 1-4 ft, Post-Spawn 3-8 ft, Summer 5-15 ft, Fall 5-15 ft, Winter 8-20 ft. These bands come from published fisheries data for the species, not from a survey of 7.98 Reservoir itself.