Bitespan

Fishing report

C J Strike Reservoir Smallmouth Bass Fishing Report

Bruneau, ID

Overall rating

Smallmouth Bass at C J Strike Reservoir — 2026-11-13

Good · 62/100

Best window: 5 PM (Good · 73/100)

Season
Fall
Moon
15% illuminated, waxingWaxing Crescent
Est. surface temp
59.6°F
Pressure
29.76 inHgFalling

Est. water temp

59.6°F

v1 estimate from air temperature — not a sensor reading

Below Smallmouth Bass's 70-80°F range

Sun & moon

Sunrise
7:33 AM
Sunset
5:21 PM
Moonrise
11:52 AM
Moonset
8:31 PM
Sky, wind & pressureat best window · 5 PM
Cloud cover
88%
Precip chance
30%
Wind
14 mph SE
Pressure
29.76 inHg Falling

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Modeled from live National Weather Service data as of Nov 13, 2026 at 1:10 AM MST, plus solunar and sun/moon times computed in-house. This is a computed report, not an eyewitness catch report.

A state fisheries survey records Smallmouth Bass in C J Strike Reservoir.

Species context

Why this score

Good (62/100) for Smallmouth Bass: water is estimated at 59.6°F, below Smallmouth Bass's 70-80°F optimal range. Best window: Dusk — boosts feeding activity by about 30%, one of their peak feeding windows. That hour also overlaps a major solunar period. 29.76 inHg and falling pressure modeled about 5% above this fish's baseline. Moderate (10-20 mph) wind modeled about 10% above this fish's baseline.

What's driving the 5 PM score

Light window (dusk) is doing the most for this score. The score gives up the most on water temperature — 59.6°F estimated, about 31.2 points below its best. The whole day is then scaled to 108% for pre-frontal warm sector.

  • Water temperature · hurting
  • Light window · helping
  • Solunar period · helping
  • Barometric pressure · helping
  • Wind · helping
Show the numbers behind this

  1. Water temperature: 59.6°F estimated

    13.8 of 45 pts

    Optimal range 70-80°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.

  2. Light window: Dusk

    30 of 30 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.

  3. Solunar period: Major period

    5 of 5 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. We reviewed this evidence and cut its weight accordingly.

  4. Barometric pressure: Stable (held neutral by the front)

    9.5 of 10 pts

    Modeled flat — no change from 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.

  5. Wind: Moderate (10-20 mph)

    9.6 of 10 pts

    Modeled about 10% above 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: Fall — ×1.00 (100% of the ungated score)

How catchable Smallmouth 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: Pre-frontal warm sector — ×1.08 (108% of the ungated score)

A multi-hour frontal pattern read from the day's forecast trajectory. Because a front IS a barometric event, it replaces the single-reading pressure factor above, which is held neutral — the barometer is never counted twice.

Those 5 factors add up to 67.9 of 100 points, and the two multipliers above take that to 73. The weights are tuning constants — solunar's was cut after peer-reviewed testing found no predictive effect, and the others are adjusted as we validate them — 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 Nov 13, 2026 at 1:10 AM MST. Solunar periods and sun/moon times are computed, not fetched.

When best caught

It's currently fall. Smallmouth Bass typically hold 20-40 ft deep this time of year — at an estimated 59.6°F, this looks like a workable time of year to target them: water temp is outside their optimal range, but other conditions are lifting the score.

Current depth

20-40 ft

This is the seasonal depth band from the species model, based on this species' typical behavior, not this lake's actual structure.

Today's solunar periods

  • Major: 2:44 AM–4:44 AM
  • Minor: 11:22 AM–12:22 PM
  • Major: 3:09 PM–5:09 PM
  • Minor: 8:01 PM–9:01 PM

Best times

When do smallmouth bass feed during the day?

Smallmouth Bass feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 21% above the daily average across all four light windows.

  • Dawn1.30x

    Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.

  • Daytime0.70x

    Suppresses feeding activity by about 30%.

  • Dusk1.30x

    Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.

  • Night1.00x

    Has no measurable effect on feeding activity.

Hour by hour

Hourly bite forecast

HourBite scoreRatingLightWind
12 AM
61
GoodNight20 mph E
1 AM
62
GoodNight18 mph E
2 AM
66
GoodNight18 mph ESE
3 AM
64
GoodNight20 mph ESE
4 AM
64
GoodNight20 mph E
5 AM
62
GoodNight18 mph E
6 AM
61
GoodNight20 mph E
7 AM
68
GoodDawn20 mph E
8 AM
68
GoodDawn21 mph E
9 AM
53
FairDay23 mph E
10 AM
53
FairDay23 mph E
11 AM
55
FairDay22 mph ESE
12 PM
55
FairDay21 mph ESE
1 PM
70
GoodDusk18 mph ESE
2 PM
55
FairDay14 mph S
3 PM
58
FairDay12 mph SSE
4 PM
58
FairDay10 mph SE
5 PM
73
GoodDusk14 mph SE
6 PM
70
GoodDusk16 mph SE
7 PM
63
GoodNight8 mph SE
8 PM
64
GoodNight7 mph SE
9 PM
62
GoodNight2 mph S
10 PM
62
GoodNight15 mph WSW
11 PM
63
GoodNight5 mph SW

Where to find Smallmouth Bass right now

Typical Fall depth: 20-40 ft

Smallmouth Bass feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 21% above the daily average across all four light windows.

No depth survey or measurement is on record for C J Strike Reservoir, so these bands are the species' published seasonal ranges rather than a reading of this water.

Best depth zones for Smallmouth Bass today

We have no surveyed depth contours for C J Strike Reservoir, so we are not ranking depth zones rather than guessing.

Plan a Smallmouth Bass trip to C J Strike Reservoir

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Other species on record at C J Strike Reservoir

FAQ

Common questions

Are there Smallmouth Bass in C J Strike Reservoir?

A state fisheries survey records Smallmouth Bass in C J Strike Reservoir.

When do Smallmouth Bass bite at C J Strike Reservoir?

Smallmouth Bass feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 21% above the daily average across all four light windows. Today's report above scores every hour of the local day against live weather for C J Strike Reservoir, and shows what each input contributed alongside how well the evidence supports it.

How deep should you fish for Smallmouth Bass at C J Strike Reservoir?

Typical Smallmouth Bass depth by season: Pre-Spawn 15-25 ft, Spawn 2-5 ft, Post-Spawn 8-20 ft, Summer 20-40 ft, Fall 20-40 ft, Winter 25-45 ft. These bands come from published fisheries data for the species, not from a survey of C J Strike Reservoir itself.