New York fishing reports
629 reports for New York — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Late-summer smallmouth bite holds as Finger Lakes flows run lean
USGS gauge 04232050 logged a water temperature of 64°F this morning with flow sitting at a lean 5.77 cfs, the low, warm late-August signature that pushes bass toward structure and shade once the sun gets high. Field & Stream's late-summer smallmouth rules this week emphasize working deeper, cooler pockets and letting presentations sink further as surface water warms — guidance that lines up with current conditions on Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles. Tactical Bassin's late-summer coverage points anglers toward topwater and finesse jigs in the early and late light windows, with the bite typically sliding off through midday heat. Walleye anglers should lean on electronics rather than assuming classic bottom structure; Fishing the Midwest notes forward-facing sonar has changed where anglers find suspended fish. We're seeing a textbook late-summer pattern setting up: tight dawn/dusk windows, slower midday stretches, and fish starting to relate to the healthiest remaining weed edges as the season turns toward fall.
Low, clear flows put Catskills trout on a finicky late-summer bite
USGS gauge 01415000 on the Beaverkill is reading a scant 7.36 cfs this week, while the East Branch Delaware gauge (01413500) sits much higher at 112 cfs — a split that sums up late-August Catskills freestone water: the small tributaries are thin, clear, and technical, while the bigger stems still carry enough push to fish through midday. Neither gauge returned a water-temperature reading, so check a stream thermometer yourself before committing a trout to a long fight in skinny water. Trout Unlimited's ongoing beaver-dam-analog restoration work across headwater streams is a good reminder that low-water stretches like this are exactly when those rebuilt side channels and cold-water refuges earn their keep. Brown and brook trout remain the region's bread-and-butter this time of year, holding tight to shade, seams, and spring-fed pockets rather than open runs. Early mornings and dusk are the play as afternoon water warms toward the uncomfortable range for trout.
Late-summer smallmouth window holds on Erie tributaries
The Cattaraugus Creek gauge (USGS 04231600) logged 72°F water and a steady 92.5 cfs flow late Wednesday night, conditions that sit squarely in the comfortable range for smallmouth bass and walleye activity typical of the Lake Erie and Niagara corridor in late August. No captain, shop, or state-agency reports specific to Western NY came through this cycle, so we're leaning on seasonal norms rather than confirmed bite reports for the species calls below — treat status as a baseline read, not a fresh on-the-water account. Stable, moderate flow out of Cattaraugus Creek generally means clearer water pushing into Erie's nearshore structure, which favors smallmouth working rock and gravel transitions and walleye staging on drop-offs as light fades. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger low-light and overnight feeding activity than midday. Anglers fishing tributary mouths or nearshore Erie structure this week should find conditions workable, with the usual late-summer pattern of shallower dawn/dusk activity sliding deeper as the sun climbs.
King salmon stage on Lake Ontario ahead of the Salmon River run
Salmon fishing has been very good over the past week on Lake Ontario, with browns and lake trout mixed in alongside kings, per Strike Zone Charters (Lake Ontario). Boats are working the 100- to 160-foot range, with preferred depths shifting day to day as wind pushes the thermocline around; Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when fish hold deep, and green, white, and chartreuse e-chip spoons paired with Atomic-style attractors are getting bit. On the river side, On The Water's recent feature on the Salmon River's king run is a reminder that late-summer Chinooks are already staging in the system ahead of their upstream push toward Altmar and Pulaski. We're reading the Salmon River near Pineville at roughly 98 cfs on the USGS gauge, a modest, stable late-summer flow that tends to hold fish in deeper pools and staging areas until a rain bump moves them. The full moon overhead may add a little extra low-light activity at dawn and dusk.
Fluke and porgy hold strong as bluefin bite shifts offshore
Fluke fishing remains the story on Long Island this week, with Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor calling the bite 'cannot be any better' and Super Hawk out of Pt. Lookout landing a notable 13-pound, 7-ounce keeper (The Fisherman — Long Island West End). The nearshore bluefin jig bite has cooled slightly per On The Water's August 27 Long Island and NYC report, though Double D Charters out of Montauk says it's still running strong offshore, and Babylon Fishing Station logged a 57-inch bluefin by the Towers. Porgy fishing is excellent from North Sea to Cedar Beach, with jumbo porgies stacking up on jigs around Montauk per Double D Charters. Striped bass are showing at night on eels and topwater in the surf and back bays, and shops from Shinnecock to the North Fork are noting rumors of false albacore and a growing Spanish mackerel push as the fall transition nears.
King salmon begin staging as NY's summer bass bite holds strong
On The Water's rundown of New York's King Salmon Run flags the Salmon River's fall Chinook push as the marquee event on the state's freshwater calendar right now, with early fish already staging as nights start to cool heading into September. Closer to home, largemouth bass remain catchable using On The Water's late-summer playbook — working dense shoreline cover with frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits during low-light hours, a pattern that should translate well to Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes bays and weed edges. Farther west on Lake Erie and the Niagara corridor, Brookdog Fishing Co. continues reporting a strong walleye bite with limits coming easily despite crowded launches, plus cooperative smallmouth bass — a useful directional signal for NY's inland waters even though it sits outside our immediate region. No buoy or gauge readings came back for Hudson Valley/Finger Lakes this cycle, so treat water temps as seasonal-typical for late August until fresher data lands.
Finger Lakes Settle Into Late-Summer Deep Bite Under Full Moon
No buoy or gauge readings came in for Cayuga, Seneca, or Skaneateles this cycle, and no charter or shop report specifically covered the Finger Lakes this week, so this update leans on typical late-August patterns for the region. Lake trout are usually holding deep near the thermocline by late summer, with smallmouth bass and walleye pushing onto rock piles and deeper structure as surface temps stay warm. Walleye anglers around the region are increasingly leaning on forward-facing sonar to find fish away from traditional bottom structure, a shift Fishing the Midwest has been tracking as the technology reshapes classic walleye location theory. Elsewhere in New York, On The Water notes the Salmon River's king run is heating up on Lake Ontario tributaries — a different fishery from the Finger Lakes proper, but a sign the fall transition is underway statewide. This week's full moon should sharpen overnight and low-light feeding windows on the lakes' deeper basins.
Lake Erie deep-water bite stays strong as summer winds down
A guided trip this week landed a quality fish in 38 feet of water over what guide Joe Fonzi called 'really productive bottom' on Lake Erie, according to Wired 2 Fish's feature arguing the lake may be the best multi-species fishery in North America — angler Kazutomo Nakamura worked that deep structure alongside Fonzi to find the bite. We don't have fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings for the Western NY stretch this cycle, so treat water temperature and flow as unconfirmed until you check a local source before launching. Late August on Lake Erie typically has smallmouth bass holding tight to deep rock and gravel, walleye still working summer structure, and yellow perch schooling over open bottom; steelhead activity usually stays slow until fall tributary runs get closer. This week's Full Moon is worth factoring into low-light feeding windows. No other regional sources filed Western NY-specific reports this cycle.
Kings and Browns Stack Up Off Lake Ontario as Fall Run Builds
Salmon fishing has been very good this past week on Lake Ontario, with browns and lake trout mixed in alongside kings, according to Strike Zone Charters (Lake Ontario). The charter reports fish holding in 100 to 160 feet of water, though preferred depth has shifted day to day as wind pushes the thermocline around. Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when fish sit deep, with green, white, and chartreuse E-Chip flies paired with Atomic-style attractors getting bit. For anglers working the Salmon River and Oswego corridor, this is the leading edge of the classic late-August staging pattern, as mature kings and browns hold off the river mouths before pushing upstream. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat river flow and lake temperature as unconfirmed until you check current conditions before launching.
Bluefish blitzes ignite off Montauk as bluefin jigging stays hot
Captain Dan aboard Montauk's Double D Charters reports savage light-tackle bluefish blitzes have become the norm this week, with jumbo porgies and strong offshore bluefin mixed in. On The Water's August 20 Long Island and NYC report calls the bluefin jig bite red-hot, with fluke fishing excellent off the South Shore and weakfish, bluefish, and porgy keeping east-end inshore anglers busy. Bergen Bay Docks notes bluefin still working the Linda and Coimbra wrecks off Fire Island Inlet, while Babylon Fishing Station logged a 57-inch bluefin by the Towers. Tight Lines Tackle is hearing early rumors of false albacore around Shinnecock as the fall transition nears, with porgy also improving at North Sea. On The Water also flagged two tiger sharks landed on back-to-back nights, a reminder of the variety moving through under this full moon.
Catskills and Adirondack trout hold to dawn and dusk windows
No fresh buoy or gauge readings are available this week for Adirondack and Catskill trout water, so today's outlook leans on late-August fundamentals rather than a specific on-the-water report. With a Full Moon overhead and the calendar deep into summer, freestone streams across the region are typically running low and warm by midday, which pushes trout into shaded runs and riffles early and late in the day. Elsewhere in trout country, Hatch Magazine's terrestrial countdown flags exactly this seasonal window — hoppers, ants, and beetles becoming a primary food source as aquatic hatches thin out — a pattern that applies just as well to Catskill freestoners and Adirondack brook-trout water. Anglers working these systems should expect the same late-summer discipline: fish first and last light, carry a thermometer, and give fish a break once water climbs into the stress zone regardless of the exact reading on any given stream.
Late-summer bass and walleye patterns hold across Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley waters
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Hudson Valley/Finger Lakes corridor this cycle, so this report leans on regional angler intel and typical late-August patterns. The clearest signal in NY water right now comes from Brookdog Fishing Co., running out of Buffalo/Niagara on Lake Ontario, where the walleye bite has stayed "ridiculous" through mid-August with limits coming easily despite crowded launches and dead-calm conditions — a pattern that tends to track with Finger Lakes walleye behavior this time of year as fish hold on deeper structure. For largemouth around Hudson Valley lakes and reservoirs, On The Water's late-summer guidance points anglers toward dense shoreline cover during low-light hours, working frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger low-light feeding windows at dawn, dusk, and overnight. Smallmouth and lake trout should stay active on deeper structure as surface temps hold near seasonal highs; check local forecasts before heading out since no direct weather data was available.