New York fishing reports
577 reports for New York — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Western NY tunes up for the fall turn on Erie and its tributaries
Late September marks the seasonal hinge for Western New York's Lake Erie and Niagara-area waters, the stretch when cooling surface water starts pushing baitfish and gamefish out of summer patterns. No direct buoy or gauge readings are available for this update, and this week's angler intel didn't carry region-specific reports for Lake Erie or the Niagara corridor, so this report leans on the seasonal pattern rather than a fresh bite report.
Browns Dialing In Deep as Fall Bite Builds on Lake Ontario
Strike Zone Charters reports brown trout fishing has been very good this past week on Lake Ontario, with fish holding in the 100 to 160 foot range. Preferred depths have been shifting day to day as wind pushes surface temperature around, and the charter notes Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when fish sit deep, with green, white, and chartreuse e-chip spoons getting bit.
False Albacore Push Fills In Around Long Island and Montauk
False albacore have arrived in force. On The Water's Long Island and NYC report notes the run filling in off Montauk by mid-September and, as of last week, pushing west into Long Island Sound. Saltwater Edge, watching the same fall push up the coast in Rhode Island, reports false albacore have taken over the oceanfront there too. Big fluke are still producing locally, with On The Water noting fish pushing out of the South Shore inlets and out of the Western Sound backwaters as the season turns. Local NOAA tide stations are reading between 70°F and 73°F this week, warm enough to keep both species working inshore. Striped bass remain the quiet piece: Saltwater Edge calls the bass bite lackluster for most anglers so far, though the annual "bass rafts" are just beginning to show, and the shop expects things to pick up with chillier nights and northerly winds forecast this week — a shift that should reach Long Island Sound as well.
Walleye and lake trout keep firing as New York eases into fall
Walleye remain the story across New York's freshwater and Great Lakes fisheries heading into the back half of September. Per Brookdog Fishing Co. (Buffalo/Niagara/Lake Ontario), the walleye bite has stayed strong enough this week that jigging has graduated from experiment to a regular part of the program. Lake trout action was especially good, with anglers logging first-time deep-water jigging trips that produced consistent fish. Smallmouth bass have also picked up as summer eases into fall, cooperating more readily than in recent weeks per the same reports. For Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes anglers, the read is straightforward: walleye and smallmouth are staying active later into the season, and lake trout are rewarding anglers willing to work deeper water with a more deliberate jigging presentation.
Quiet fall flows settle over Finger Lakes tributaries
USGS gauge 04232050, which feeds into the Finger Lakes watershed, logged flow at just 8.06 cfs this morning with water sitting at 61°F. That is thin, low-water conditions on the tributary side of the system, typical of the pre-turnover stretch before bigger rain events start pushing water into the lakes. With inflow running this modest, current-influenced water near creek mouths and drop-offs is the more active water type right now, while the open lake basins stay mostly wind-driven this week.
Albies Flood Long Island Sound as Fall Run Ramps Up
False albacore have arrived in force off Long Island. On The Water's September 17 Long Island and NYC report has albies pushing west through Long Island Sound, with big fluke exiting South Shore inlets as they head out of the back bays for the season. That builds on the September 10 report, which already had albies filling in off Montauk. Farther up the coast, Saltwater Edge (RI) describes the broader fall run as having "kicked off in a big way," with albies taking over the oceanfront, the same push now reaching our waters. Water readings across our three NY tide stations this morning ranged from 71.1°F to 73.8°F, still warm enough to keep the albie bite firing. Striped bass are the quieter story for now: Saltwater Edge calls the regional bass bite "lackluster" heading into this week, and NY DEC's latest newsletter leans on a striped-bass conservation reminder rather than a bite report. Fluke remain productive as they funnel out of the bays, per On The Water's coverage from both September 10 and 17.
False albacore push into Long Island Sound as fall run builds
Water temps across the three NY CO-OPS stations we track are sitting in the low-to-mid 70s (73 to 74.8 degrees) as the fall run takes hold on Long Island. On The Water's September 17 Long Island and NYC report has false albacore pushing west into Long Island Sound, with big fluke on their way out of the South Shore inlets as they finish their seasonal exit, building on their September 10 report, which already had albies filling in off Montauk and fluke chewing from the Western Sound to the South Shore. Further up the coast, Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island says the fall run has "kicked off in a big way" over the past couple weeks, with albies and bonito taking over the oceanfront, an early read on the same push now reaching Long Island waters. NY DEC's Saltwater Fishing and Boating newsletter has also been running its striped bass-focused "Fish Smart" guidance as the state leans into conservation messaging heading into the fall migration.
Fall run heats up on Long Island as albies and bluefish flood the inlets
False albacore and bonito have taken over Long Island's inlets this week, with White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reporting green bonito and albies mixing with Spanish mackerel and bluefish around Shinnecock, action that's held up regardless of tide thanks to heavy bait. Bluefish are the standout everywhere — Captain Dave III in Sheepshead Bay called the bluefishing "amazing," with full boat limits of 3-to-5-pounders, and the Fishfinder II crew says it's the best afternoon bluefish action in years. Striped bass are building too: Tight Lines Tackle on the South Fork reports Montauk's town beaches producing stripers from sunset into dark on tins and bucktails. Fluke remains a mixed bag — solid at Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor, softer at Fishfinder II and Laura Lee Fleet. Offshore, Tyalure Professional Tackle in Rye notes strong bluefin and yellowfin as close as five miles off Shinnecock and Montauk. Porgies and sea bass continue as reliable bottom options across every region.
Walleye still cooperating as NY eases into the fall transition
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes corridor this cycle, so today's picture leans on angler reports from across New York's freshwater fishery. Out west on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports the walleye bite "remains strong" heading into mid-September, with captains leaning more on jigging as fish settle onto deeper structure — a pattern that typically shows up on Finger Lakes walleye water as temperatures ease behind it. The NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter flagged a new "Tackle Box" tool this month for locating quality bass and walleye water statewide, a useful add for Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley trips alike. Smallmouth are trending the same direction in the same reports. With cooler nights arriving, expect lake trout and stream trout to perk up as the thermal stress DEC called out earlier this summer finally lets go.
Low, clear Catskills flows set up a classic fall trout window
Catskills gauge data show two monitored trout streams running lean for mid-September — 78.7 cfs and 19.2 cfs — the kind of low, clear late-summer stage that typically defines this stretch of the season before fall rains arrive. Neither station reported a water temperature reading today, so anglers should judge water conditions on-site before committing to a run. Direct "what's biting" intel out of the Adirondacks and Catskills is thin this week; the clearest regional signal comes from Trout Unlimited, which is mapping brook trout habitat across New York to prioritize future stream-connectivity work, and separately had a restoration crew on the Saranac River's North Branch in the Adirondacks repairing an eroded bank. Neither is a bite report, but both point to sustained attention on the region's native trout fisheries. With flows running this low, expect typically cautious, easily-spooked fish — long leaders, careful wading, and dawn/dusk windows are the standard low-water playbook for browns, rainbows, and brookies right now.
Walleye bite holds strong as fall bass pattern builds across NY
Water held steady at 71°F this morning at one of our monitored gauges (01357500), while a second site (01358000) is running a swollen 6,470 cfs with no temperature reading available — a sign recent rain pushed extra water through that watershed, so expect off-color, faster current there. Statewide, NY DEC's Fishing Line has been tracking ongoing walleye research on Irondequoit Bay and Sodus Bay near the Finger Lakes corridor, and out west on Lake Erie/Ontario, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports the walleye bite has stayed strong for weeks with smallmouth bass now picking up as well — a pattern that typically works its way east into Finger Lakes water as temperatures ease. DEC also flagged trout and salmon fighting summer heat stress earlier this season; with water still sitting near 71°F, cooler mornings should start waking trout back up. Largemouth bass are entering their typical fall transition, pushing shallower to chase baitfish.
Erie smallmouth stage up as the fall transition builds
Lake Erie held at 72°F this morning per NOAA buoy 45132, with a calm 1-foot chop and a light 4 m/s breeze — comfortable conditions for smallmouth bass still working summer structure before the fall push really sets in. Regional multi-species intel from Tactical Bassin (blog) describes bass sliding off shallow cover and grouping around open-water baitfish as the fall transition advances, a pattern that lines up well with what Erie smallmouth typically do this time of year. Fishing the Midwest notes walleye anglers blending traditional presentations — jigging and pulling live-bait rigs — with forward-facing sonar as clearer late-summer water scatters fish deeper, which is useful context for Erie's open-water walleye game right now. Yellow perch should stay a dependable option as water cools toward classic fall schooling behavior. We're also watching for the Niagara River steelhead run to start building over the next several weeks as temperatures keep sliding.