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Butt Valley Reservoir is a reservoir in California. It covers roughly 1,600 surface acres (about 3 square miles). Fish documented in the area include Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sacramento Pikeminnow, and Brown Trout. Nearby alternatives include Lake Almanor, Bucks Lake, and Antelope Lake. Below you will find an hourly and 7-day forecast, wind and gust outlook, fishing conditions, and activity scores for boating, paddling, and swimming. Check the hourly forecast and activity outlook below before heading out to Butt Valley Reservoir.
Updated
Latest source update is older than expected. Use caution and check the official source.
The last automated check (Oct 11, 5:12 PM PDT) found no active alerts for this lake, but that check is older than LakeRadar's alert freshness window, so the current alert status could not be confirmed.
Confirm before heading out: official alerts for this area or weather.gov/alerts. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
Overall Excellent (92/100) across 4 activities. Best right now: Fishing (95/100).
How the score is calculated →Best excellent fishing window, averaging 90/100 across these hours. Wind 5 mph from the north. Dawn hours (06:00 local). Derived from the hourly forecast; official alerts are not forecast and are checked separately.
| Metric | 1a | 2a | 3a | 4a | 5a | 6a | 7a | 8a | 9a | 10a | 11a | 12p | 1p | 2p | 3p | 4p | 5p | 6p | 7p | 8p | 9p | 10p | 11p | 12a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 53° | 52° | 49° | 48° | 47° | 46° | 45° | 43° | 42° | 41° | 40° | 39° | 39° | 38° | 38° | 38° | 38° | 40° | 44° | 48° | 49° | 50° | 51° | 49° |
| Wind (kts) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Direction | SW | S | NE | N | N | NE | N | N | NE | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | NW |
| Gusts (kts) | 12 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Precip % | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 7% | 11% | 9% | 11% | 8% | 5% | 2% |
| Time | Temp | Wind | Gusts | Precip | Cloud | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, 6 PM PDT | 53°F | 7 mph SSW (203°) | 14 mph | 5% | 49% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 7 PM PDT | 52°F | 7 mph S (180°) | 13 mph | 3% | 32% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 8 PM PDT | 49°F | 9 mph NNE (23°) | 16 mph | 2% | 39% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 9 PM PDT | 48°F | 14 mph N (0°) | 22 mph | 2% | 37% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 10 PM PDT | 47°F | 16 mph N (0°) | 25 mph | 1% | 26% | Partly Cloudy |
| Sun, 11 PM PDT | 46°F | 16 mph NNE (23°) | 25 mph | 2% | 13% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 12 AM PDT | 45°F | 14 mph N (0°) | 21 mph | 1% | 14% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 1 AM PDT | 43°F | 12 mph N (0°) | 16 mph | 1% | 17% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 2 AM PDT | 42°F | 9 mph NNE (23°) | 12 mph | 2% | 24% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 3 AM PDT | 41°F | 8 mph N (0°) | 10 mph | 2% | 21% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 4 AM PDT | 40°F | 6 mph N (0°) | 8 mph | 5% | 25% | Mostly Clear |
| Mon, 5 AM PDT | 39°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 7 mph | 6% | 29% | Partly Cloudy |
| Mon, 6 AM PDT | 39°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 7 mph | 5% | 36% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 7 AM PDT | 38°F | 5 mph NNW (338°) | 7 mph | 3% | 43% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 8 AM PDT | 38°F | 5 mph N (0°) | 7 mph | 3% | 38% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 9 AM PDT | 38°F | 3 mph N (0°) | 6 mph | 3% | 31% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 10 AM PDT | 38°F | 2 mph W (270°) | 5 mph | 4% | 15% | Sunny |
| Mon, 11 AM PDT | 40°F | 2 mph WSW (248°) | 5 mph | 7% | 7% | Sunny |
| Mon, 12 PM PDT | 44°F | 3 mph W (270°) | 6 mph | 11% | 14% | Sunny |
| Mon, 1 PM PDT | 48°F | 3 mph WSW (248°) | 8 mph | 9% | 57% | Partly Sunny |
| Mon, 2 PM PDT | 49°F | 5 mph WSW (248°) | 10 mph | 11% | 44% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 3 PM PDT | 50°F | 5 mph WSW (248°) | 12 mph | 8% | 38% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 4 PM PDT | 51°F | 5 mph WSW (248°) | 13 mph | 5% | 44% | Mostly Sunny |
| Mon, 5 PM PDT | 49°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 13 mph | 2% | 21% | Sunny |
| Mon, 6 PM PDT | 49°F | 5 mph WNW (293°) | 13 mph | 1% | 21% | Mostly Clear |
Official National Weather Service hourly forecast. Showing 10 of 25 hours. Wind arrows point the way the wind is blowing; the compass point and degrees show where it comes from.
| Period | This Afternoon October 11, 2026 | This Afternoon October 11, 2026 | Tonight October 11, 2026 | Columbus Day October 12, 2026 | Monday Night October 12, 2026 | Tuesday October 13, 2026 | Tuesday Night October 13, 2026 | Wednesday October 14, 2026 | Wednesday Night October 14, 2026 | Thursday October 15, 2026 | Thursday Night October 15, 2026 | Friday October 16, 2026 | Friday Night October 16, 2026 | Saturday October 17, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°F) | 58° | 58° | 38° | 51° | 35° | 60° | 38° | 66° | 44° | 69° | 44° | 72° | 47° | 71° |
| Wind | ENE 7 mph | SE 6 mph | N 5 to 16 mph | WNW 5 mph | NNW 5 to 13 mph | NE 2 to 8 mph | NNE 2 to 13 mph | NE 3 to 8 mph | NNE 3 to 15 mph | NE 7 to 10 mph | NNE 7 to 17 mph | NNE 1 to 10 mph | NNE 1 to 12 mph | N 5 mph |
| Gusts | 14 mph | 14 mph | 25 mph | 13 mph | 21 mph | 10 mph | 21 mph | 10 mph | 30 mph | 18 mph | 30 mph | 14 mph | 17 mph | 12 mph |
| Precip % | 5% | 5% | 6% | 11% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Forecast |
No active USGS or USACE telemetry gauge is currently mapped to Butt Valley Reservoir. Not available from a verified source for this lake.
Excellent for fishing (95/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 7 mph from the south-southwest. Dusk hours (18:00 local). Not available from a verified source for this lake: pressure trend, water temperature. Confidence is moderate (74%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Excellent for boating (91/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 7 mph from the south-southwest. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility and conditions, verified water access. Confidence is moderate (84%) because some inputs are unavailable or older than ideal.
Good for sailing (87/100), from 4 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 7 mph from the SSW is workable but not ideal. No active official alerts for this lake. Not available from a verified source for this lake: visibility. Confidence is high (88%).
Excellent for kayaking (90/100), from 5 available inputs. Supporting this: Wind 7 mph from the south-southwest. No active official alerts for this lake. Confidence is high (90%).
Water temperature is not available from a verified source for this lake. No swimming score is shown without it.
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Individual boat ramp GPS coordinates are maintained under the jurisdiction of CA Parks & Wildlife Authority. Public boaters should verify seasonal launch water levels, gate hours, and daily vehicle/vessel fees before traveling.
Providing dependable water recreation for CA residents and travelers, Butt Valley Reservoir accommodates fishing boats, runabouts, and non-motorized craft. The waterbody plays an essential role in local watershed conservation and outdoor leisure. Responsible boating and clean-drain-dry practices keep the waters pristine for all.
Valid freshwater sport fishing license issued by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is required for anglers age 16+. Digital license on mobile is accepted.
Mandatory Clean, Drain & Dry inspection. Out-of-area craft require on-site Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS Quagga/Zebra) inspection or decontamination before launch. USCG life jackets required for all.
Public shoreline and boating access managed by State & Local Authorities. Verify seasonal gate hours, launch fees, and parking rules before travel.
High-speed motorboating, pontoon cruising, wakeboarding, and water skiing across main channels. Target gamefish include Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Brown Trout. Morning hours typically provide optimal glassy conditions for kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) touring.
Warm water temperatures, peak swimming, active watersports, and open full-service campgrounds. Highest weekly attendance; plan early arrivals on summer weekends.
Spring pre-spawn and fall feeding transitions create prime trophy angling conditions. Cooler air, lower boat traffic, and vibrant seasonal shoreline foliage.
Mild year-round outdoor climate. Uncrowded waters, active winter bass and crappie fishing, and open year-round boat launch access.
No external source rows are cited by the data currently shown on this page.
Updated
Scores are heuristics, not safety guarantees. LakeRadar scores summarize available conditions and are not a substitute for official warnings, local rules, or on-water judgment.
All telemetry for Butt Valley Reservoir is synchronized directly from authorized federal and state monitoring networks (USGS, NWS, NOAA, and state environmental authorities). Observations are strictly instrumented readings — unmonitored sensors are transparently disclosed rather than synthetic estimates.
Last source audit: Oct 11, 6:02 PM PDT