August 28, 2026 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
Back at it after a wonderful break for some family time! Lots has changed with the river since my last report, but one thing has stayed the same....the fishing is still pretty dang good out there. Read on below for some updates and to see what's working for me.
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Fishing Report - Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
No shocker here, but its been HOT and DRY....but not sure what else we should expect for late August. Beaver Lake is well below power pool, and is on a slow and steady drop. Beaver is currently around 1116.6 msl, which is right around 3 feet lower than my last report. The steady generation pattern of 3-4 hours worth of 7300-ish cfs in the late afternoon or early evening has held for a while now. It's been great to have some regular flows every day to keep the temps downriver from warming too much.
The tailwater level has really been dropping and there is much more exposed gravel than earlier this summer. Navigation has been starting to get a little sporty as well. The upper end of the river - between the dam and Spider Creek is overall too skinny to navigate, even with a jet. If you were to launch at Bertrand, you can run up just to the first bend, but anything beyond that is out unless you are in a kayak/canoe. Even below Spider Creek, you need to really start paying attention and know the channel and where to zig and where to zag.
Skinny water at Beaver Tailwater Beaver Tailwater Brown Trout Beaver Tailwater Rainbow Trout Beaver Tailwater Rainbow Trout Skinny water at Beaver Tailwater
What's Working
Right now we are on a low water pattern and I'm essentially treating things as two different rivers and I'll break them down below that way.
In the upper river the water is getting really shallow. Skinny water and bright skies generally equates to spooky fish. But have no fear - spooky does not mean they aren't eating. This is one of my favorite games to play in fishing - sight fishing. The best arrow to have in your quiver up here is patience. You should be spending just as much time looking into the water and for fish as you are casting, if not more. The fish aren't being over picky about what they eat, it's about how you feed it to them. The biggest mistake I see anglers making out there is walking up to the river and beginning to cast immediately. I get it - you drove there, got rigged up and are ready to FISH, not stand and observe. What I would say is that if you spent just 5 mins looking and walking slowly trying to find a fish you want to target, your success rate will go up greatly. In this skinny water, you'll often only get one, maybe two, casts over a particular fish - and your first cast at it is your best chance. So slow down and make that first cast count. Light rods that land delicately are a big help right now. You'll often find a 3 weight in my hands in this type of scenario.
Flies that are working are quite varied - but think generally small. I haven't found any fish that were overly selective out there, so don't get hung up on fly choice. Pretty much anything in the 16,18,20 range will get the job done. No tungsten beads needed right now, back to unweighted patterns or the traditional (and lighter) brass or glass beads. I'm catching fish on all sorts of midges like the WD-40, Black Beauty, Rootbeer and Ruby. The biggest key is presenting it gently. I'm back to the good old pinch on Palsa indicators, or hanging my midge under a small dry like a Parachute Adams.
One other quick tip - don't get yourself hung up on tippet size. Many people immediately think they need to go to 6x or even 7x in these situations. Fake news. I'm fishing 5x fluorocarbon and having no issues. Dropping down to a size 20 fly might dictate moving to 6x only because 5x won't fit through the eye of the hook.
The lower end of the river has been fishing great for me as well. The fish are much less skittish than in the skinny water upriver, and our standard leech and bugger patterns are working great. The trout bite seems to be tapering off around the Houseman access or just a little bit above, as the water warms up. But I had a ball catching a mixed bag of trout in the morning, and then dropping down and catching some bass and bluegill below the ramp in the afternoon. If you want to target trout specifically, a size 12 or 14 Beaver Blowtorch with a Rootbeer or Ruby midge below it is hard to beat. If you are game for that mixed bag, swap those out to a bugger or leech and have yourself a ball!
P.S. - If you're the kind of person who can't have a ball catching bluegill on a light rod - we can't be friends.
Check out the store portion of our website for flies, and if you need something you don't see there...don't hesitate to reach out! I can make it happen.
Jig Bugger Rainbow Trout Jig Bugger Spotted Bass Jig Bugger Bluegill
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