New York fishing reports
627 reports for New York — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Hudson Valley Bass Hold Steady as Warm-Water Bite Rolls Into September
Flow on the Mohawk River is running near 767 cfs with water holding at 76°F this week (USGS gauge 01357500), while the Hudson gauge downstream at Waterford (01358000) shows a much heavier 4,140 cfs — enough to push feeding fish toward softer margins and eddies. Warm, stable water keeps Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes bass biting on classic late-summer patterns: per NY DEC's Fishing Line, black bass season activity has stayed strong as water temperatures climbed through summer, and panfish like bluegill and pumpkinseed remain easy targets in the shallows on hot afternoons. Elsewhere in New York, Brookdog Fishing Co.'s Lake Ontario-area reports describe walleye and smallmouth bass biting aggressively through late August, a signal that statewide warm-water species are still firing hard heading into September. Largemouth are starting to key on dock structure as noted by Tactical Bassin, an early tell of the fall transition to come.
Western NY Bass Hold Late-Summer Patterns as Flow Runs High
The USGS gauge on the Niagara River system (04231600) logged 72°F water and a strong 5,840 cfs flow as of Thursday night — readings that still feel like late summer rather than the cooling push anglers watch for heading into the fall transition. No Lake Erie or Niagara-specific reports came through our regional feeds this week, but the broader bass-fishing chatter is consistent: On The Water's fall-transition roundup and Tactical Bassin's September coverage both describe bass keying on baitfish schools as water starts to cool, while Fishing the Midwest notes that healthy green weed edges are still holding fish before the fall die-off scatters them. At 72°F, Western NY smallmouth and walleye are likely still working summer-pattern structure — deeper flats, current breaks, and remaining weed edges — rather than the shallow fall push. Muskie anglers should note September is traditionally a strong window regionally. Check current NY DEC regulations before targeting any species, especially ahead of fall closures.
Kings staging deep on Lake Ontario as tributary run nears
Lake Ontario's charter fleet is finding steady action heading into September, with Strike Zone Charters (Lake Ontario) reporting salmon fishing has been "very good" over the past week, browns and lake trout mixed in with the kings. Preferred depths are running 100-160 feet of water, with fish shifting daily as wind pushes the thermocline around — Mag Dipsey Divers are producing best when temperature sits deep, with green, white, and chartreuse spoons drawing strikes. On the tributary side, the USGS gauge on the Salmon River (04250750) is reading a modest 84.7 cfs, flow still low enough that most fish are staging out in the lake rather than pushing hard into the river system. Anglers focused on Salmon River and Oswego pools should expect a wait for meaningful rain to bump flow before the run stacks up in earnest. For now, the bite is a big-lake program.
Catskills trout turn technical as gauges split on flow
Flows across the two monitored Catskills gauges are diverging sharply this week: 198 cfs at USGS gauge 01413500 versus a lean 37.5 cfs downstream at USGS gauge 01415000, with no water-temperature readings available from either station as of Wednesday afternoon. A split like that usually means one stretch still has some push behind it while the other is running low, clear, and technical — worth scouting both before settling on a run. Early September sits squarely in peak terrestrial season for Northeastern trout water, and national fly coverage is leaning into it right now, including Hatch Magazine's ongoing terrestrial countdown and Caddis Fly (OR)'s recent hopper-pattern breakdown, both flagging late-summer heat as the window for grasshopper and ant imitations along grassy, undercut banks. With the last-quarter moon overhead, expect brown and brook trout to stay locked into dawn and dusk feeding windows rather than pushing hard through bright midday water.
Smallmouth push building as Finger Lakes ease into fall transition
The USGS gauge near Cayuga's inlet (04232050) logged 71°F on September 3, still warm enough for active bass but squarely in the seasonal shift multiple bass sources are flagging this week. Tactical Bassin's September breakdown describes fish moving off summer haunts toward open-water baitfish, favoring topwater, crankbaits, and reaction baits as they roam. Fishing the Midwest notes bass, pike, and walleye relating to remaining green, living weed growth as other cover dies back, and recommends forward-facing sonar for walleye in clear water. On The Water's fall-transition roundup backs the read: cooler water and baitfish migrations are starting to reshape where bass hold. New York smallmouth fishing has extra buzz too — Wired2Fish reported a record 109-pound smallmouth limit landed on the nearby St. Lawrence River at a recent Bassmaster event. Lake trout should stay deep until fall turnover — no direct reports this week, typical for early September.
NY bass and walleye action holds strong into the fall transition
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Hudson Valley or Finger Lakes this cycle, so today's picture leans on statewide angler intel. Out west on Lake Erie and Niagara water, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports walleyes and smallmouth bass "continuing to cooperate" through late August despite choppy weather and crowded launches, with limits coming easily on multiple days. That fishery strength showed up on a bigger stage too: at the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series finale on the St. Lawrence River, angler Evan Kung landed a record 109-pound, 9-ounce smallmouth bag, per Wired 2 Fish — a strong signal that New York smallmouth are running deep and healthy heading into September. The NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter has flagged summer panfish activity (bluegill, pumpkinseed, bullhead) statewide and noted black bass season building through the warm months. Expect largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, and panfish to stay the primary Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley targets as the fall transition sets in.
Fluke stays hot on Long Island as bluefin push close to shore
Fluke are stealing the show across Long Island heading into September. Tight Lines Tackle in Southampton reported very good fluke fishing along the south side of Montauk over the weekend, with limits and fish to 8 pounds, while Bob's Bait and Tackle called the South Shore bay bite "rock solid" with keepers coming off the Fire Island Reef. Porgy fishing is standout on the North Shore too — Rip Tide III out of City Island logged doubleheaders and limits on worms and clams. Tuna remain a bright spot out east: White Water Outfitters says bluefin are being found as close as 2 to 3 miles outside Shinnecock Inlet, and Double D Charters in Montauk expects that bite to hold into September. After dark, striped bass are working live eels and plugs from Huntington to Smithtown, per Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle, with early bonito and Spanish mackerel starting to show along ocean beaches.
Erie smallmouth shift gears as summer turns to fall
Gauge readings show 72°F water and a steady 517 cfs flow as of the morning of September 2 — warm enough that Lake Erie and Niagara-area smallmouth are still holding a late-summer pattern, with the fall transition close but not yet triggered. Elsewhere in New York's smallmouth world, Wired 2 Fish reported the biggest all-smallmouth bag in Bassmaster history came off the St. Lawrence River this week (109 lbs, 9 oz) — a sign the state's smallmouth fisheries are peaking right now, even though that catch came from a different system than Erie. On The Water's fall-transition playbook flags moving baitfish and cooling water as the trigger anglers should watch for on smallmouth and walleye alike, while Fishing the Midwest notes more anglers leaning on forward-facing sonar to locate suspended baitfish for walleye. No direct on-the-water reports from Erie or the Niagara River came through this cycle, so treat species status below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed bite.
Kings Stack Up in Deep Water as Lake Ontario Salmon Run Builds
Salmon fishing has been very good over the past week, per Strike Zone Charters (Lake Ontario), with browns and lake trout mixed in alongside Chinook holding in 100 to 160 feet of water. Preferred depths have been shifting day to day as wind moves the thermocline, and the charter reports Mag Dipsey Divers working best when fish sit deep, with green, white, and chartreuse e-chip spoons paired with Atomic attractant drawing strikes. On the tributary side, USGS gauge 04250750 is reading a steady, low 174 cfs, a typical early-September stage before fall rains push flow up and pull staging salmon into the rivers. With the moon in its Last Quarter phase, low-light bites should stay productive around dawn and dusk. Lake trout and browns are riding along with the salmon push rather than driving it on their own this week.
Catskills trout streams thin out as late-summer flows drop
One Catskills-region streamflow gauge (USGS 01415000) is reading a lean 10.4 cfs this morning — a stark late-summer number that points to skinny, clear water and midday thermal stress for wild trout. That tracks with Trout Unlimited's recent account of drought-stressed rivers forcing voluntary closures elsewhere in the Northeast this summer. A second gauge (USGS 01413500) is holding steadier at 95.7 cfs, offering more workable wading depth and cover. Neither station reported a water-temperature reading, so treat any thermal call as provisional rather than measured. Direct Catskills/Adirondacks bite reports were thin in this week's intel sweep, so we're leaning on the classic low-water September pattern: browns and rainbows pushed into deeper pools and undercut banks, brookies holding better in spring-fed headwaters, and the productive window shrinking toward first and last light. Wade carefully on the low stretch, keep any releases quick, and check current flow before committing to a specific run.
Warm-water summer pattern holds across Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes
USGS gauge 01357500 logged 74°F water and 1,730 cfs flow this morning, while the larger gauge downstream at 01358000 is running high at 8,850 cfs. Warm, stable flows keep the region in a late-summer holding pattern. The NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter has spent August pointing anglers toward panfish and bass in warmer water, with tips on beating summer heat for trout and salmon fisheries statewide. Statewide bass action remains a bright spot per DEC's coverage of the black bass season ramp-up. Elsewhere in NY, Brookdog Fishing Co. out of the Buffalo/Niagara/Lake Ontario corridor continues reporting a strong walleye bite mixed with smallmouth bass through late August, though that's western NY rather than the Hudson Valley or Finger Lakes proper. Expect Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley waters to be following a similar seasonal script — warm-water species active, coldwater fisheries needing early/late timing.
Finger Lakes bass turn on as fall feeding shift begins
USGS gauge 04232050 read 66°F and just 17.8 cfs at 5:30 a.m. this morning — a classic late-summer low-water signature for the tributaries feeding Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles. That warm, sluggish flow lines up with what national coverage is flagging for early September: Tactical Bassin's latest on-the-water video notes bass transitioning from summer to fall patterns and keying on baitfish schools, favoring topwater, crankbaits, and swimbaits that cover water quickly. Wired2Fish's September lure roundup points to the same trigger — water temps starting to ease and baitfish beginning to migrate, which typically kicks off a broader feeding shift across species. No Finger Lakes-specific shop or charter reports came through this cycle, so lake trout, walleye, and landlocked salmon notes below lean on typical seasonal behavior rather than fresh eyewitness accounts. Smallmouth bass looks like the most reliable target right now; check with a local shop before committing to a spot for the deeper-holding species.