Fishing reports
15709 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fluke bite holds at Georgia piers as fall transition builds
NOAA's Fort Pulaski station (8670870) read 80.6°F at the latest observation, still firmly summer-warm water for the Georgia Atlantic coast heading into this week's full moon. Coastal Angler Magazine logged an 18-inch fluke landed at SAB pier, a solid keeper for late September. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division's weekly fishing blog notes the state is turning toward fall, with staff now rotating region-by-region coverage as the season shifts. Offshore and along the broader Southeast coast, Sport Fishing Mag reports false albacore beginning to show as nearshore water eases toward the fall migration window.
North Shore Lake Trout Bite Cools as Fall Settles In
Lake trout fishing has turned tougher along Lake Superior's North Shore this week. The MN DNR's Lake Superior Summer Fishing report, covering stations from Duluth to Two Harbors, described fairly slow action on 18- to 29-inch lake trout at every sample point, with strong winds keeping pressure light across the board. That's a continuation of a trend the DNR's weekly reports have tracked since late August, when Duluth-area anglers were working a steady lake trout bite; each report since has logged progressively slower fishing as surface water has cooled. Anglers who did connect worked spoons, flasher flies, and stick baits high in the water column, trolling the same program that carried the fishery through the back half of summer.
Chesapeake mouth still summer-warm as fall run builds up north
Water at the Chesapeake mouth is still summer-warm this morning, reading 76.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8638610 and 75.7°F a few miles up the bay at station 8637689. That's well inside the range that keeps a fall push on hold. Up the coast, the transition hasn't fully arrived either: Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island called the striped bass bite "pretty lackluster for most" this week, while The Fisherman's New England forecast described the run as stagnant, with water temps barely dropping and little feeding urgency yet. False albacore ("albies") have taken over the RI oceanfront per Saltwater Edge, and The Fisherman's Long Island report has bluefish, weakfish and fluke keeping anglers busy through the fall shift, alongside a tautog bite Saltwater Edge says is picking up.
High Water Keeps Kentucky Lake's Fall Turnover On Hold
USGS gauge 03612600 on the Cumberland system logged 196,000 cfs and an 80°F reading at midday on September 24, a heavy flow for so late in September and enough to keep current moving hard through the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley system rather than settling into the calmer stable-pool pattern anglers usually see as summer turns to fall. Gauge 03611500 upstream was not reporting a reading at the time of this update. Water still sitting at 80°F is warm for the date, so the shift toward a true fall bite has not caught up with the calendar yet.
Wind River and North Platte flows ease into fall trout window
Water temperatures across the Wind River and North Platte drainages are settling into fall range this week. USGS gauge 06258000 reads 64°F on a light 26.7 cfs, gauge 06253000 sits at 62°F on 338 cfs, and the downstream gauge 06236100 runs warmest at 66°F on 542 cfs. That spread is a typical September signature: the smaller, low-volume stretch is running clear and cool, while the higher-flow water downstream still carries a touch more warmth. A fourth station, gauge 06259000, has no current reading.
Ohio drainages ease toward cooler fall flows
Water temperatures across the region's monitored drainages are sliding into the low-to-mid 60s heading toward the Ohio River system: USGS gauge 03274000 read 66°F with flow at 7,340 cfs this afternoon, gauge 03242350 held at 64°F, and gauge 03240000 came in cooler and lower at 62°F on just 148 cfs. Gauge 03271601 is not reporting. That spread points to a drainage still carrying elevated late-summer flow in its lower reaches while the smaller tributary feeding gauge 03240000 has already dropped toward a typical early-fall base stage.
Deschutes headwaters run cold as basin steelhead numbers hit historic lows
USGS gauge 14070621, near the Metolius headwaters, read 39°F this afternoon, with nearby gauge 14070624 at 40°F and gauge 14070900 farther downstream at 43°F. Flows stayed low across all three, from 6.1 to 18.6 cfs, consistent with the cold, spring-fed character of this stretch of the Deschutes system heading into fall. Hatch Magazine reports the Columbia and Snake River steelhead run is tracking as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish counted above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1, worth noting for anyone planning a fall steelhead push into Deschutes-basin water this year.
Rising Pearl River flow sets the pace for MS anglers this week
The USGS gauge on the Pearl River (07289000) is reading flow well above typical late-September levels, a sign that recent rain has pushed the system higher than the seasonal norm. With a full moon overhead and the river running high, this is a week defined by moving water rather than a settled pattern. Expect fish pushed off typical holding water and into eddies, backwaters, and current breaks along the margins where the flow relents.
Fall transition takes hold on the Platte and Missouri
USGS gauges across the Platte and Missouri systems put water in the mid-60s this week. Site 06796500 read 65°F on flow near 2,080 cfs, site 06800500 came in at 66°F on a lighter 778 cfs, and site 06796550 matched that 65°F mark, though its flow sensor is not currently reporting. A fourth site, 06796000, logged flow near 2,490 cfs with no temperature data available. The spread between the heavier mainstem flows and the calmer 778-cfs reading gives anglers a clear choice this week: work the higher, more turbid water with bulkier presentations, or fish the clearer, gentler stretch where sight-fishing conditions hold up better.
Warm river flow keeps late-summer patterns lingering on the Mississippi
The Mississippi River gauge serving the Atchafalaya corridor logged 220,000 cubic feet per second of flow and an 86°F water column this afternoon (5:15 p.m. local, September 24). That combination keeps the river running in deep-summer character even as the calendar turns toward fall, warm and moving at a steady clip rather than cooling down.
Salt River chain eases into fall cool-down near Roosevelt
The Salt River drainage feeding Roosevelt Lake is sliding into its fall cooling trend. Upstream, USGS gauge 09497830 reads 62°F, while downstream gauge 09510000 shows 66°F on a steady 135 cfs, and gauge 09498500 is running 250 cfs. That spread, cooler and slower up top, warmer and moving more downstream, is the typical shape of this system as summer heat backs off the reservoir chain ahead of the real fall turnover.
Finger Lakes water cools as fall transition sets in
USGS gauge 04232050, in the Finger Lakes region, logged water at 59°F on a flow of just 5.77 cfs as of Thursday afternoon. That's a solid drop from summer highs and puts the system squarely in the seasonal cooling window anglers watch for as Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles head into their fall turnover. Flow is running low and stable, typical baseflow for late September with no recent rain pulse showing in the record. Tonight's full moon adds extra nighttime feeding pressure worth planning a trip around.
High water dominates the story on Missouri's Ozark rivers
Both Ozark river gauges are running well above quiet-water levels this week: USGS gauge 06935550 logged 63,000 cfs at 75°F and gauge 06934500 read 62,900 cfs at 73°F, both as of Wednesday afternoon. That's a lot of water moving through the system, a sign recent runoff is still working downstream, and it's the dominant factor for anyone planning a trip right now — banks and normal wading water are likely submerged or pushing hard current.
Columbia steelhead run tracks toward record lows this fall
Columbia River flow held near 75,700 cfs and 67°F at USGS gauge 14105700 this week, with tributary gauge 14113000 running cooler at 54°F and 631 cfs and gauge 14103000 at 61°F and 4,590 cfs. Steelhead numbers remain the story: per Hatch Magazine, this year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is tracking as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish counted above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1.
Rainy River holds steady as fall cool-down sets in
The Rainy River is holding at 4,490 cfs with water temperature at 60°F as of Wednesday afternoon, per USGS gauge 05133500. That reading sits squarely in the fall transition window: cool enough to start nudging baitfish and gamefish toward staging areas ahead of the deeper cold-water push, while flow itself stays stable rather than spiking or dropping. With this week's full moon, expect stronger low-light feeding windows on Lake of the Woods and the river as dawn and dusk periods do more of the work than midday hours.
South Platte tailwaters steady as fall brown trout push builds
Flows on the South Platte gauge feeding this stretch are running low and holding steady, matching the dry pattern tailwater guides have managed across Colorado's tailwaters all season. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing has been steering clients toward tailwaters specifically because they hold cooler water longer than freestone rivers in a drought year, and both Pat Dorsey and Cutthroat Anglers have set the same working rule this season: back off once water temperatures climb into stressful territory to protect fish. Tonight's full moon puts low-light dawn and dusk windows ahead of the heat of the day at a premium.
Nanticoke crappie turn on as DE flows settle low and steady
USGS gauge 01483155 reads 3.29 cfs and 61°F, while gauge 01491000 reads 19.5 cfs and 64°F — both low, stable base flows typical of late September across Delaware's freshwater systems. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports the bite has "really started shifting into fall mode," especially crappie, with anglers stringing nice-size fish on the Nanticoke River on twisters fished under floats.
South Fork brown trout begin fall staging as flows ease
Water in the South Fork corridor is running elevated for late September, per the USGS gauge tracking this stretch of the Snake River system, with autumn's cooling trend just beginning to take hold. Hatch Magazine's coverage this month put a number on what's happening system-wide: the 2026 Snake and Columbia steelhead run, counted at Bonneville Dam since July 1, is tracking as the smallest on record — a signal worth keeping in mind for anyone fishing anadromous water downstream, even if resident trout in the upper drainage aren't directly affected.
Warm-water pattern holds on Lake Eufaula and Red River tributaries
USGS gauge 07198000 on the Canadian River arm feeding Lake Eufaula is running 3,750 cfs at 75°F, a healthy push of moving water into the lake. Contrast that with two Red River-area stations nearly shut down — gauge 07335700 reads 82°F with zero measurable flow, and gauge 07247500 is down to 4.11 cfs. That's a meaningful split for late September: one system still turning over, the other locked into late-summer stagnation.
Fall transition takes hold across the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Water in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is holding in the high 60s, with USGS gauges in the western Delta reading 69°F while a station further upstream reports 66°F on a flow of 15,600 cfs. A gauge closer to the confluence logged a sharp reversal, roughly -70,700 cfs, marking a strong flood tide pushing back through this freshwater tidal reach. That kind of swing is typical of the Delta's tidally driven hydrology, where current direction flips with the tide even well inland.
Historic low steelhead run tests Columbia anglers this fall
USGS gauges across the watershed show a split picture this week: gauge 14211542 is running clear and cool at 12.6 cfs and 57°F, gauge 14211550 sits at 17 cfs and 56°F, while gauge 14211720 is running much higher at 11,100 cfs and 64°F. That warmer, higher-volume flow matters against the backdrop Hatch Magazine reported this week — the Columbia and Snake steelhead run is shaping up to be the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish counted above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. For anglers working steelhead water this fall, that's the number to plan around.
Fall migration builds up the coast as Eastern Shore waters begin to split
Water temperatures across Virginia's Eastern Shore split more than six degrees this morning: one NOAA CO-OPS station reads 67.1°F, a second reads 73.4°F, a gap wide enough to matter as fish decide where to stage heading into fall. High tide lands close to 7:15 AM with the low following near 1:20 to 1:40 PM, giving anglers a workable early tide ahead of an afternoon slack. Farther up the coast, Anglers Journal and The Fisherman (Northeast) both describe striped bass and false albacore activity building through New England and the mid-Atlantic this week, cooling water pushing bait, and the predators trailing it, south along the coast.
Fall transition takes hold on New Mexico's trout water
Northern New Mexico's trout fisheries are moving into their fall pattern this week, with the Rio Grande and San Juan trading summer's warm-water stress for the cooler, steadier conditions that typically carry into October. Shorter days and a waxing gibbous moon are shifting feeding activity toward the dawn and dusk windows as fish respond to lower light rather than peak afternoon heat.
False albacore blitz Buzzards Bay as striper run builds
Water held at 67.3°F this morning at both regional CO-OPS tide stations, still comfortable for the fall run crowding into the area. False albacore are the story right now: Falmouth Bait & Tackle has albies running in the 10-pound class alongside bonito, and Black Rose Fishing Charters is finding them between Yarmouth and Hyannis. Sports Port reports surfcasters connecting with striped bass over 30 inches along the sound shore from Falmouth to Hyannis, while Falmouth Bait & Tackle notes stripers working the harbors and rivers. Goose Hummock Shop adds solid bluefish on the sound side and pogies pushing into the Cape Cod Bay beaches.