New York Fishing Reports

USGS gauge 01415000 recorded 66.9 cfs on the Catskills trout corridor as of May 16 — a wade-friendly level arriving exactly as Sulphur and caddis emergences typically begin building. The second gauge (01413500) reads 290 cfs on a heavier main-stem corridor, still productive in softer seams and pocket water behind structure. Water temperatures weren't captured at either station, making a stream thermometer an essential kit item this weekend. MidCurrent's Tying Tuesday this week featured a full water-column toolkit explicitly timed for 'hatches beginning to fire' — attractor dries, CDC emergers, and subsurface wet flies — which mirrors the multi-hatch complexity Catskills mid-May demands. Hatch Magazine's recent coverage on caddis emergence timing adds further signal that afternoon and evening caddis activity should be building across the region. Tonight's New Moon reduces overhead light during the evening rise, historically a favorable condition for surface-feeding brown trout.

May 17

Strike Zone Charters reports salmon fishing has been 'very good' on Lake Ontario this past week, with brown trout and lake trout rounding out the catch in 100–160 feet of water. Targeting depth is the daily variable — wind shifts the temperature layer, and captains are adjusting setups accordingly; Mag Dipsey Divers running green, white, and chartreuse e-chips are the producing rig when temperatures push deeper. On the tributary side, the USGS gauge on the Oswego system reads 270 cfs — moderate, wadeable conditions for mid-May. The spring steelhead push has largely wrapped up, positioning this week as a transitional window: the open-water trolling bite is the headline action, while tributary anglers can prospect for resident brown trout and smallmouth bass beginning to stage for their pre-spawn. The new moon on May 17 favors low-light feeding activity on both the lake and the rivers.

May 17

Water temps of 53°F at NOAA buoy 44025 and 51°F at buoy 44065 frame a week in which Long Island's spring striper run has hit peak intensity. With the new moon arriving today, the timing aligns precisely with what OTW Saltwater flagged mid-week: 50-pound-class fish from the Chesapeake were already staged off Long Island ahead of the lunar turn. On The Water's May 14 report confirmed very big bass on the South Shore surf and the Western Sound, while The Fisherman's Long Island North Shore correspondents at Duffy's Bait and Tackle and Hi-Hook note fish to 45 inches on trolled mojos and umbrella rigs inside Huntington Bay. Fluke season has just opened, with Super Hawk in Pt. Lookout landing quality flatties to 8.5 pounds on light tackle, and the first bluefish are trickling into Shinnecock Inlet per White Water Outfitters. Porgy action is building in the Peconic, with some anglers limiting out per The Fisherman's East End reports.

May 17

Water temperatures hit 60°F on the Hudson River as of May 16 (USGS gauge 01357500), setting the table for one of the region's most productive multi-species windows of the year. On The Water's striper migration map — updated May 15 — confirms the spring striped bass push has extended fully through the Northeast, placing fish well within Hudson Valley reach. NY DEC's Fishing Line reports the statewide coolwater sportfish season opened May 1, putting walleye, northern pike, and other hard-fighting species back in play across Finger Lakes waters. DEC hatchery crews were actively stocking brook, brown, and rainbow trout through late April. Wired 2 Fish reports a landmark shift: New York State health officials have cleared some Lower Hudson River fish for limited consumption for the first time in roughly 50 years, lifting a PCB-era advisory that long kept catch-and-release as the default on the main stem. Expect stained water on open Hudson stretches with flows elevated at 14,800 cfs (USGS gauge 01358000).

May 17

Water temperatures are running 52–53°F offshore (NOAA buoys 44025 and 44065), and the spring striper run is delivering. Per OTW Saltwater's May 12 migration report, Chesapeake-run 50-pounders are already stationed off New Jersey and Long Island ahead of the approaching new moon. On The Water — New York / Long Island's May 7 report confirmed a wave of big bass hitting the South Shore surf, with fish to 25-plus pounds chasing bunker east along the North Shore. The Fisherman's Long Island North Shore correspondents are reporting excellent action to 45 inches on umbrella rigs and parachutes in Huntington Bay and Cold Spring Harbor, while surfcasters east of Shinnecock Inlet are finding fish on swimming plugs after dark, per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf. The 2026 fluke season has officially opened — rough weather slowed opening day per The Fisherman (Northeast), but keepers are building with each passing day. Bluefish are beginning to show at Shinnecock Inlet, another sign the migration is firing on multiple fronts.

May 13

At 58°F on the upper Hudson River (USGS gauge 01357500), water temperatures have settled into prime late-spring freshwater territory across the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes. NY DEC The Fishing Line confirms that hatchery crews have been actively transporting and stocking brook, brown, and rainbow trout through late April — putting fresh fish in tributary streams regionwide. The DEC's April 24 issue also flags that the statewide coolwater sportfish season opened May 1, unlocking walleye, northern pike, and tiger muskellunge on Finger Lakes waters for the first time this year. On The Water's striper migration map from May 8 reports post-spawn bass flooding out of the Chesapeake and spreading across the Northeast "delivering big fish and fast action" — a push that historically reaches the tidal Hudson by mid-May. The upper gauge is running a moderate 3,680 cfs, while the lower Hudson gauge (USGS 01358000) reads an elevated 14,100 cfs, reflecting spring snowmelt still moving through the watershed. The waning crescent moon favors low-light dawn and dusk feeding windows.

May 13

Water logged at 56°F by USGS gauge 04232050 puts the Finger Lakes right in the post-spawn transition window for bass — and Tactical Bassin notes this is one of the most predictable stretches of the season, with fish schooling up and multiple patterns running simultaneously. Smallmouth and largemouth bass are shifting off their beds, some pushing into shallow cover while others begin drifting toward open-water structure. Topwater, swimbaits, and finesse presentations all have a place right now, with Tactical Bassin's Tim recently dialing in a Karashi bite before following it with a topwater pattern and swimbait work in the same session. On The Water's recent feature on Onondaga Lake — a Central New York bass fishery just north of the Finger Lakes corridor — underscores the region's broader spring bass momentum. Lake trout and landlocked salmon occupy deeper, cooler columns and remain accessible through mid-column jigging. The waning crescent moon favors low-light feeding windows, so dawn and dusk outings hold the edge this week. Confirm current regulations before harvesting.

May 12

USGS gauge 04232050 is reading 51°F on tributary inflows this morning — just below the bass spawn threshold and squarely in the feeding zone for both trout and transitioning bass. Per Wired 2 Fish, warming spring temperatures are pushing largemouth and smallmouth toward shallow structure, creating what the outlet describes as some of the best fishing of the year. Tactical Bassin confirms that early May marks one of the most predictable stretches of the season, with bass schooling up as they move through pre-spawn staging — and when you locate them, it can be fish after fish for hours. On The Water's recent profile of Onondaga Lake's trophy bass recovery highlights how Central New York fisheries are producing quality fish this spring, a trend consistent with what Finger Lakes anglers typically see across Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles. Tributary flow is a modest 24.4 cfs — low and clear — which typically rewards finesse presentations over power fishing. Trout remain in their optimal temperature band before summer stratification pushes them deeper. Tonight's waning crescent moon may tighten the best bite toward first light.

May 12

Water temperatures holding at 52°F across the region (per NOAA buoys 44025 and 44065), and that's been enough to ignite one of Long Island's most active spring striper runs in years. On The Water's May 7 report confirms a wave of big bass hitting the South Shore surf, while fish to 25 pounds-plus are chasing bunker east along the North Shore. The Fisherman — Long Island North Shore logs bass to 45 inches out of Glenwood Landing on trolled umbrella rigs, and Capt. Paul Nilsson of Just One Bite Charters tallied 7–11 fish per morning tide earlier in the week on the South Shore. Jamaica Bay remains red hot for schoolies per The Fisherman — Long Island West End, with Clousers and sand-eel patterns on moving water at dawn. Fluke season opened this week with early keepers arriving — one 8-pound doormat was landed in Great South Bay per The Fisherman — Long Island South Shore. The first bluefish are trickling into Shinnecock Inlet and Breezy Point per The Fisherman — Long Island Surf, signaling more action ahead.

May 12

Water temps on Catskill Creek are holding at 57°F as of early May 12 (USGS gauge 01357500), a reading that puts the Hudson Valley squarely in prime spring territory. On The Water's May 8 striper migration map confirms the 2026 run is hitting full speed, with post-spawn fish spreading out of the Chesapeake and across the Northeast — the Hudson River corridor is directly in that push. Meanwhile, NY DEC The Fishing Line (April 24 issue) reports that hatchery crews have been actively stocking brook, brown, and rainbow trout across New York, making Hudson Valley tributaries well worth a visit right now. The coolwater sportfish season — walleye, northern pike, and muskellunge — opened statewide May 1 per DEC, giving Finger Lakes anglers fresh access to those fisheries. The Hudson mainstem near Green Island is running high at 12,500 cfs (USGS gauge 01358000), concentrating bait along current seams and pushing stripers into predictable staging areas.

May 12

USGS gauge 04232050 logged 55°F at the Finger Lakes outlet on May 11 — a textbook mid-spring reading that places smallmouth bass in prime pre-spawn staging and keeps lake trout and landlocked salmon feeding before surface temps climb further. Flow is running at a modest 27 cfs, indicating stable lake levels and clear-water conditions typical of this time of year. Tactical Bassin's early-May coverage notes that bass across the region are currently split between pre-spawn staging and active topwater windows, with swimbaits, soft plastics near structure, and dawn poppers all producing simultaneously. On The Water's recent look at Central New York's bass fisheries underscores the region is entering one of the spring season's most reliable stretches. None of this week's intel feeds included direct Finger Lakes reports, so conditions claims here are grounded in seasonal temperature patterns and regional blog coverage. With a waning crescent moon, low-light windows at dawn and dusk remain the sharpest feeding periods across the board.

May 11

USGS gauge 04231600 logged 56°F and 7,580 cfs on May 11 — water temperatures that historically mark peak post-spawn feeding for walleye on Lake Erie's eastern basin and put Niagara River smallmouth right at spawn's edge. No Western NY charter or tackle-shop reports landed in this cycle's feeds, so we're working from regional signal. Forum chatter on Michigan Sportsman Forum from a May 11 Great Lakes outing pointed to walleye biting aggressively before 10 a.m. despite 2–3-foot north-northeast chop — take that as optimistic regional context, not confirmed local testimony. Tactical Bassin notes that mid-May is when post-spawn bass transitions fire up, with topwater, swimbait, and frog patterns all in play as bluegill begin to spawn in the shallows. Per Wired 2 Fish, barometric pressure and water temperature are the dominant variables setting feeding windows this time of year — at 56°F, morning sessions should consistently outperform midday outings across all Erie and Niagara targets.

May 11