Fishing reports
15709 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall snook push builds in South Padre's Lower Laguna Madre
Water in the Lower Laguna Madre remains warm heading into late September, reading 87.8°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 and 90.5°F at station 8779770. Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition report notes Gulf snook beginning to feed up as they stage toward winter holding areas, with aggressive fish taking swimbaits like Z-Man's Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ, and Texas Fish & Game Magazine confirms the Lower Laguna Madre remains the recognized center of Texas snook fishing. Together the two point to a building fall pattern rather than a peak one just yet.
Cooling Nights Set Up the Fall Bite on Santee and Lake Murray
Santee and Lake Murray are moving into the fall transition that reshapes South Carolina freshwater fishing through October. Nights are cooling faster than daytime highs this week, which starts mixing surface layers and pushes baitfish out of the shallow, sun-warmed pockets that held them through summer. That shift typically pulls more consistent gamefish movement toward the low-light hours around sunrise and sunset, and it tends to build through the back half of September as the pattern takes hold across the Midlands reservoir system.
Lake Superior lake trout bite cools into late September
Lake Trout action on Lake Superior's North Shore has cooled through September, according to the MN DNR Lake Superior Summer Fishing report. The Sep 17 update, covering the lower shore from Duluth to Two Harbors, describes slow fishing for Lake Trout in the 18 to 29 inch range from every sample station, a step down from the steady bite anglers found in late August. That earlier report had Lake Trout coming fairly readily on trolled spoons, flasher flies, and stick baits fished shallow near Duluth, with good numbers close to the harbor. By the Sep 10 report the bite was already described as fairly slow, and it stayed that way into mid-September. Construction continues on Highway 61 at the McQuade intersection and on Lighthouse Point Road in Two Harbors per the same DNR updates, worth knowing if you're driving the shore road to reach access points.
Fall Transition Takes Hold Across Wisconsin Waters This Week
Wisconsin River and Lake Superior fisheries are shifting into the fall transition that typically defines late September in the region, per Wired 2 Fish's seasonal notes: dying weed growth pushes baitfish into tighter schools, and predators respond by feeding harder as the water cools. On the regulatory side, the WI DNR's limited fall harvest season on qualifying waters — open since Sept. 5 — closes Sept. 30, so anglers holding the required tag have about a week left in that window.
Lake Michigan's fall turnover begins near the Grand River mouth
Grand River mouth anglers are sliding into late-September's fall transition on Lake Michigan, as cooling surface water begins breaking down the summer thermocline and pushing baitfish and the predators tracking them toward river mouths and nearshore structure. The waxing gibbous moon this week favors low-light bites around dawn and dusk, and shortening days are nudging the whole system toward the pattern shift anglers wait for all summer.
Fall transition puts Lake Michigan browns and steelhead within reach
Door County and Sheboygan are settling into the fall transition, the stretch of the season when cooling nearshore water pulls baitfish and the brown trout and steelhead that follow them tight to harbors, piers, and river mouths. This is typically the best structural setup of the year for shore and pier anglers working these stretches of Lake Michigan, as fish stage ahead of the fall spawning runs.
Walleye, Lake Trout Keep Producing as NY's Fall Run Begins
New York's fall transition is underway, and the strongest signal this week comes from Brookdog Fishing Co., fishing out of Buffalo, Niagara, and Lake Ontario, who reports the walleye bite has stayed strong for weeks running, with lake trout action described as "especially good" on deep-water jigging trips out of Barcelona and a smallmouth bass bite that continues to pick up as waters cool. The captain has also been folding more jigging into the walleye and laker program after early success with it. Statewide, the NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter is shifting its focus to the fall run, previewing what anglers should expect as salmon and trout move into Lake Ontario tributaries, and flagging a temporary closure on the Salmon River's lower fly-fishing section that anglers heading that direction should plan around.
Snook bite builds as mullet run stacks up on Florida's Treasure Coast
Atlantic-side water is running warm for late September: NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 reads 85.8°F and station 8720218 reads 83.3°F, both consistent with the extended late-summer warmth holding along Florida's east coast. Snook Nook in Stuart reports the mullet run is building, with schools of larger mullet showing inshore and along the beaches, though the shop notes the migration is running later than usual after a cooler winter. The snook bite itself has stayed strong on live croakers and threadfins fished around the St. Lucie Inlet and jetty structure, per Snook Nook's recent reports.
Chicago's Lake Michigan eases into the fall transition
Chicago's stretch of Lake Michigan is easing into the fall transition, the seasonal shift anglers wait for as cooling water pushes baitfish tight to structure and draws predator fish in behind them. Wisconsin DNR's Lake Michigan Fishing Report notes 2024 delivered strong steelhead numbers alongside a broader harvest rebound tied to healthier alewife survival, a sign the fishery is entering this fall in good shape.
Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline turns toward fall patterns
Late September marks the seasonal turn along Lake Michigan's Indiana shoreline, as shortening days and cooling nearshore water begin pushing baitfish and predators toward structure, drop-offs, and river-mouth areas. This is the window in the calendar year when the lake's fishery typically starts to reposition after a long summer spent offshore in deeper, cooler water. Anglers working the Indiana shore this week can expect that shift to build gradually over the coming days rather than arrive all at once.
Steady Taneycomo flows keep trout biting into fall
Lake Taneycomo's trout fishing remains solid into late September. Lilleys Landing reports fairly consistent generation through August, with a minimum-flow window each morning that steps up into heavier afternoon releases. That rhythm has kept trout active, and water temperatures have climbed to levels typical for this point in the season. Dissolved oxygen has dropped enough that dam operators are supplementing the outflow with liquid oxygen, a routine late-summer adjustment on this tailwater. Earlier in the season the bite turned notably aggressive, with Lilleys Landing's guides doing well on a Provo rig in the afternoons and anglers finding success with a simple bottom-weighted drift and a dropshot loop, fishing it from the bank and boat alike.
Fall transition settles over Moosehead Lake country
Late September has the Moosehead Lake and upper Penobscot corridor sliding into the fall transition anglers wait all year for. Wired 2 Fish's rundown on autumn fishing this week lays out what's happening across northern freshwater systems right now: weeds dying back, baitfish schooling tight, and cold-water gamefish starting to feed harder as surface temperatures slide toward the winter side of the calendar. That shift is the story for this stretch of Maine water this week.
Early fall transition takes hold on Texas reservoirs
North Texas Catfish Guide, running trips on Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, describes the past few weeks as a classic late-summer grind: hot water, little wind, heavy boat traffic, and a stubborn 'ghost bite' that has anglers learning to read tiny taps before the hookset. The same report notes the first signs of fall finally showing up on the lake. Further east, a B.A.S.S. News column from a guide working Sam Rayburn Reservoir echoes the pattern — September still runs hot in East Texas, but the writer flags October through December as the stretch when the biggest fish of the year come out, a window guides there plan around every season.
Fall Transition Settles Over Kennebec and Penobscot Waters
Late September marks the start of the fall transition across Maine's freshwater systems, as cooling water pushes baitfish into tighter schools and predator activity builds through the warmer parts of the afternoon. The Kennebec and Penobscot watersheds are entering that shift now, with this week's waxing gibbous moon favoring stronger low-light bites around dawn, dusk, and overnight hours as it builds toward the full moon.
Fall transition settles over the Susquehanna and Allegheny
Late September marks the start of the fall transition across Pennsylvania's freshwater systems, with the Susquehanna and Allegheny watersheds shifting out of summer holding patterns into cooling water that typically sharpens feeding windows through the day. Baitfish begin schooling tighter as weeds start to thin, concentrating gamefish activity around structure and current breaks. A waxing gibbous moon this week extends useful low-light activity into the evening, making dawn and dusk outings the better bet as the transition deepens.
Olympic Peninsula rivers turn toward the fall push
Late September marks the seasonal turn for Olympic Peninsula river systems, as summer's low, stable flows begin shifting into the cooler, more turbulent conditions that typically arrive with fall. WDFW's fishing and stocking reports remain the go-to source for Peninsula-specific creel checks as the transition unfolds. Statewide, Hatch Magazine reported this month that the Columbia and Snake system's steelhead run is tracking as the smallest ever recorded through Bonneville Dam counts, a notable signal for anglers watching fall steelhead prospects across Washington, even though the Peninsula's independent river systems aren't part of that count.
Eastern WA anglers eye fall transition as Columbia steelhead run lags
The biggest story for Washington steelhead anglers this week isn't a local bite report, it's the run itself. Hatch Magazine reports the Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish tallied above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. For Eastern Washington anglers who depend on that system feeding into tributary waters, it's the single data point worth planning a season around. Statewide, WDFW's creel and stocking program remains the backbone of local intel as the fall transition gets underway.
Chesapeake mouth waits on summer warmth as fall run builds up north
Water at the Chesapeake mouth is still running warm, 78°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS station 8638610, holding onto late-summer conditions even as the calendar tips toward fall. Up the coast, the seasonal shift is already underway: Saltwater Edge Blog reports the fall run has "kicked off in a big way" in Rhode Island, with albies and bonito working the oceanfront, and The Fisherman (Northeast) describes false albacore blitzes concentrated from central Rhode Island through central Connecticut, with the striper bite "sneaking back to life" as summer shark activity fades.
Striped Bass Still Holding Strong Along the NH Coast
Striped bass are holding along the New Hampshire and Maine coastline while surf anglers to the south make the drive up to find them, according to The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, which described local hardcores driving north because fish here seem in no hurry to continue their seasonal push south. That gives NH surf and inshore water a stronger claim on this fall's migration than it's had in recent weeks, right as the wider Northeast fishery shifts into its most active stretch of the year.
Albie action builds off Falmouth as fall bite kicks in
Water temperatures across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound are holding at 67 to 68°F this week, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8447930 and 8447386, still warm enough to keep bait pinned tight to shore. Falmouth Bait and Tackle, reporting to The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands, has decent bluefish working the Falmouth shore alongside false albacore in the 10-pound class, striped bass holding in the harbors and rivers, and schoolies pushing small bait around the Elizabeth Islands. Sports Port, also reporting to The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands, notes false albacore working the sound shore from Falmouth toward Hyannis and Chatham. Nothing here qualifies as a blitz yet, but the pieces — bait, blues, and albies converging on the same stretch of shoreline — are in place.
Travis, LBJ and Buchanan ease into the fall transition
Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan are sliding into the early fall transition this week, the seasonal shift that pulls baitfish out of the skinny water and repositions gamefish along creek channels, bluff ends, and main-lake points. Cooling surface temperatures across Texas Hill Country reservoirs are the trigger for the pattern anglers wait all year for, and it typically plays out over several weeks rather than overnight.
Tautog push builds in Delaware Bay as tide windows set up
NOAA's Delaware Bay station (8537121) read 72.7°F overnight, still summer-warm water holding into late September. Per Higbee's Bait and Tackle, the bay is giving up a mixed bag of spot, croakers, kingfish, blues and weakfish for anglers drifting smaller baits, while boats anchored on structure are finding tautog moving in heavy and eating sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers, with fish to 4 pounds reported. Big Dave's Tackle describes the same pattern from the other side of the bay: plenty of croakers, spot and kingfish from beach and channel, plus a weakfish bite building on soft plastics fished near the lighthouses.
Striped bass push back to life as Narragansett Bay's fall run ramps up
Bay water temps held at 66.4°F and 66.9°F at the two Narragansett Bay CO-OPS stations overnight, still mild enough to keep the fall transition moving without shutting anything down. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, anglers working the islands and the Narragansett shoreline are finding good false albacore action, and striped bass fishing is picking back up after a slower stretch. The same report has fluke numbers thinning at Snug Harbor Marina, though a 12.2-pound flattie still crossed the scale over the weekend, while Frances Fleet is still limiting out on full-day fluke trips with black sea bass mixed in.
Jersey Shore Fluke Finale Meets Rising Tautog and Albie Bite
Both NOAA CO-OPS tide stations covering the Jersey Shore, 8534720 and 8536110, are reading 66.9°F this morning, warm enough to keep a wide mix of species working the surf and back bays. Fluke fishing is closing out with authority: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands called Friday's trip "game on right from the start to finish" on a short run to deeper water, and the Central NJ fishing report from The Fisherman has Miss Barnegat Light wrapping its fluke season, calling September one of the best stretches of the year, ahead of the statewide close on September 25 (check current regulations before harvesting). Bluefish have picked up too: that same Central NJ report notes Surf City Bait and Tackle's customers connecting on metal lures, "a sure sign the fall bite is heating up," while The Fisherman's NJ/DE Surf report has Riptide Bait and Tackle seeing tailor-to-chopper blues chewing mullet and bunker chunks in the surf. Tautog are waking up on the jetties and reef sites: The Fisherman's Southern NJ report has Higbee's Bait and Tackle finding tog invading the Delaware Bay side on sand fleas and green crabs, and the NJ/DE Surf report has blackfish feeding heavily on crab baits at One Stop Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City. False Albacore are running strong to the north, with The Fisherman's Northern NJ report on Golden Eagle Fishing and the OTW Northern New Jersey report both describing a strong albie blitz working the beaches and reefs.