New York fishing reports
623 reports for New York — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Finger Lakes anglers get a cool, steady early-fall setup
Water conditions lead this week. The one nearby USGS gauge (04232050) reads 58°F with flow around 4.3 cfs, a cool and low-volume picture typical of mid-October. That temperature sits in a comfortable range for trout and for smallmouth that have started shifting toward fall haunts. Intel specific to the Finger Lakes is thin, so we're leaning on seasonal timing and the broader technique chatter. Wired 2 Fish this week ran a buyer's guide on proven trout lures, noting that a short list of confidence baits does most of the work across stocked ponds, wild streams and Great Lakes tributaries. Tactical Bassin's fall pieces point to shallow structure like docks, laydowns and rocks, with jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater all in play for bass.
Catskill trout settle into fall low-water patterns
Low, clear water defines the Catskill streams this week. USGS gauge 01434025 reads 5.23 cfs with water at 49°F, and gauge 01415000 shows just 9.29 cfs, while the larger gauge 01413500 runs 74.8 cfs. Gauge 01414750 reports 56°F. That spread of temperatures is comfortable for Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout, which feed steadily in the 50s. Per Reno Fly Shop (NV), fall conditions have trout focused on small bugs such as Blue Winged Olives and midges. That is a western report, but the same seasonal logic applies here.
Rochester-area creeks hold cool, fishable water for fall trout
Three USGS gauges around the Rochester area give a clear read on the water this week. Gauge 04218700 shows 61°F at 56.5 cfs, gauge 04232050 shows 57°F at 11.6 cfs, and gauge 04231600 is the big one at 786 cfs and 59°F. That is a spread of temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s, which keeps trout comfortable and smallmouth bass still willing to feed. The smaller, cooler flows are the places to start if you are chasing Brown Trout or Rainbow Trout. For tactics, Wired 2 Fish's trout lure guide stresses relying on proven confidence baits and mentions working Great Lakes tributaries for brown trout, a fair match for this time of year. Tactical Bassin's fall pieces point to shallow jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater for bass, and finesse presentations on tougher days.
Salmon push builds on Lake Ontario as browns and lakers mix in
Strike Zone Charters reports salmon fishing has been very good this past week on Lake Ontario, with brown trout and lake trout mixed in. Fish are holding in 100 to 160 feet of water, and the productive depth has shifted day to day as wind moves the temperature. Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when the temperature sits deep, with green, white and chartreuse e-chips noted as working colors. Buoy 45142 shows surface water at 63°F with waves under a foot and a light 4 m/s wind. The Oswego-area gauge 04250750 reads 47.9 cfs.
Catskill trout settle into low, clear fall water
Catskill streams are running low and cool this morning. USGS gauge 01434025 reads 49°F with just 4.29 cfs, and gauge 01414750 shows 51°F. Gauge 01413500 is at 70.9 cfs, gauge 0136219503 at 33.6 cfs and gauge 01415000 at 7.65 cfs. Those are thin flows for mid-October, so expect clear water and wary fish. Cool temperatures keep Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout comfortable and feeding through the day. Per Caddis Fly (OR), small ant patterns are still worth carrying, and Perdigon-style nymphs are a hot fly this fall. Trout Unlimited's TROUT Tip stresses that nymph rig weight matters, which is useful advice for the few deeper runs holding fish in low water.
Cooling tributaries set up the fall trout and smallmouth window
Three USGS gauges in the Western NY region show water between 57°F and 61°F this morning, with the warmest reading at gauge 04218700 (61°F, 64.1 cfs). The coolest is gauge 04232050 (57°F), though that one is only moving 4.34 cfs. The larger gauge, 04231600, reads 59°F at 474 cfs. That spread tells the story: bigger moving water is holding a steady fall temperature, while the small feeder is thin. Per Wired 2 Fish this week, working a Great Lakes tributary for brown trout is one of the classic ways to approach this season, and a mid-50s to low-60s temperature range fits that kind of water. Tactical Bassin is pushing shallow-water fall bass tactics this month, with jigs, soft jerkbaits and topwater around hard structure like docks, laydowns and rocks.
Fall trout season opens up as cooler water settles in
Water in the upper Hudson corridor has cooled into the low 60s, with USGS gauge 01359139 reading 61°F and gauges 01354230 and 01357500 both at 60°F. That is comfortable territory for trout, and NY DEC's Fishing Line for October 9th is already pointing anglers toward fall fishing and a reminder about trout season regulations beginning October 16. Wired 2 Fish this week ran a trout lure guide covering small-stream brook trout, Great Lakes tributary browns and stocked rainbows, a useful primer for the coming weeks. Farther west, Brookdog Fishing Co. reported that Lake Erie's temperature drop changed patterns last week, with solid smallmouth bass sessions on both the Lower and Upper Niagara. Those smallmouth reports are the clearest recent on-water testimony in the intel.
Catskills trout streams run clear and cold as fall base flow sets in
USGS gauges across the Catskills and southern Adirondacks show water temperatures in the upper 40s this week: 47°F at gauge 01414750 and 48°F at gauge 01434025. Flow is low and stable across the network, from 4.59 cfs at 01434025 and 7.96 cfs at 01415000 up to 36.7 cfs at gauge 0136219503 and 74.8 cfs at 01413500. That combination points to settled fall base flow, not a post-storm bump. Trout Unlimited's current nymph-rig tip is well timed for water this low and clear, where getting weight right to hold the seam matters more than it does at higher flow.
Western NY tributaries ease into a fall walleye window
Three USGS gauges across the Lake Erie and Niagara tributary network show the classic early-October split: gauge 04218700 is running a healthy 110 cfs at 61°F, gauge 04231600 is up to 618 cfs at 60°F, and the smallest tracked creek, gauge 04232050, has dropped to a trickle at 5.27 cfs and 57°F. That's steady, fishable water on the bigger systems with the small tributary thinning out, arriving under tonight's new moon. Fishing the Midwest points to this stretch of fall as prime time for its "plain rig," a bottom-bouncer and nightcrawler presentation the publication leans on once water cools in spring and fall, a good starting template for walleye right now.
Cooling flows set up fall feeding shift on the Finger Lakes
A watershed gauge feeding the Finger Lakes basin (USGS 04232050) logged water at 57°F with flow down to just 5.27 cfs late Thursday night, a classic low-and-cooling fall signature for Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles. As Fishing the Midwest notes for this stretch of the calendar, cooling water pushes baitfish and gamefish out of dying summer weed growth and into whatever live, green vegetation remains, which tends to concentrate activity into tighter bands than the spread-out summer bite. With a new moon overhead this week, the low-light windows at dawn and dusk are the sharper bet for shallow presentations.
Water holds steady off Long Island as fall run approaches Montauk
Water temperatures across Long Island Sound and the Harbor approaches held in the mid-60s Friday evening, with NOAA CO-OPS stations 8510560, 8516945, and 8518750 reading 64.9°F, 64.9°F, and 65.5°F respectively as of 7:24 PM. The readings follow a weekend nor'easter that NY DEC's Saltwater Fishing and Boating advisory flagged for boaters still out before winterizing, and conditions appear to be settling back to typical early-October norms for the region.
Walleye and Lake Trout Bite Hold Strong as NY Waters Begin Fall Cool-Down
NY DEC's October 9th Fishing Line flags the season's turn: boat launch docks come out statewide on October 16, and trout season regulations are shifting into their fall framework. Out west on Lake Erie and the Niagara River, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports the walleye bite has stayed strong for weeks running, with especially good lake trout action on deep-water jigging out of Barcelona, and smallmouth bass sessions picking up as the big lake's temperature drops. That cooling trend is the same signal Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley anglers watch for walleye and lake trout to push toward structure and settle into more predictable depths.