Fishing reports
15732 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Ohio and Cumberland Rivers ease into the fall transition
Late September puts Kentucky's Ohio and Cumberland River systems at the front edge of the fall transition, when steadily cooling water starts breaking up summer baitfish schools and concentrating feeding activity into tighter windows. The Waxing Gibbous moon extends low-light activity around dawn and dusk over the next several nights, typically the most productive stretch of the day as surface conditions cool.
Ozark Fall Transition Arrives at Bull Shoals and Norfork Tailwaters
Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes are heading into the Ozark fall transition this week, with MLF News previewing the Bull Shoals Super Tournament (Oct. 3-4) as "prime time for the famed Ozark fall bite" as the Arkie Division wraps its season there. Downstream at Norfork, B.A.S.S. News reported practice water running dry and gin-clear ahead of this week's Bassmaster Elite Qualifier, a clarity read worth noting for anglers planning a White River tailwater trip below either dam.
Chesapeake mouth stays warm as the fall run builds up north
Water at the Chesapeake mouth read 78.4°F this afternoon at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8638610 and 8637689, sitting right at low tide with the next high due around 7:40-7:49 PM local. That's still summer-warm for late September, a different picture than what's developing to our north. Saltwater Edge Blog in Rhode Island reports the fall run already underway there, with false albacore working the oceanfront and tautog picking up, while striped bass have stayed lackluster and are only expected to turn once colder nights arrive. Locally, water hasn't cooled enough yet to trigger that same shift.
Fall push builds south of NH, stripers wait on cooler nights
Southern New England's fall run is underway: Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports false albacore and bonito thick on the oceanfront and a tautog bite building, while striped bass action has stayed lackluster and is expected to turn on once the chilly nights and northerly winds forecast this week move through. For the NH Gulf of Maine coast, that cooling trend is the leading indicator to watch. Baitfish pushed out of estuaries by dropping water temperatures typically pull migrating stripers and albies north along the coast in the weeks that follow, and this week's shift looks like the first real sign of it.
Fall shift brings albies and tautog signals into Buzzards Bay waters
Water in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound held at 67.8°F this afternoon at both NOAA CO-OPS stations (8447930, 8447386), still solidly in range for the fall bite to build. High tide lands close to 6:40 PM tonight at both stations, setting up an evening window right around sunset. To the south in Rhode Island, Saltwater Edge Blog reports the fall run has "kicked off in a big way," with albies and bonito working the oceanfront and the tautog bite building, though striped bass have stayed lackluster and are expected to sharpen up once the season's first chilly nights and northerly winds arrive. Massachusetts anglers already have a marker of how strong this albie run is: OTW Saltwater reports a 19.9-pound false albacore just broke a 36-year-old state record.
Hill Country lakes hold strong levels heading into fall transition
Texas's Highland Lakes region is sliding into its fall transition as surface waters begin cooling from summer highs, a shift that typically pulls baitfish shallower and puts gamefish back on the move around creek channels and points. Regional water levels are trending favorably too: My Canyon Lake Fishing reports the Hill Country's Canyon Lake running well above where it sat a year ago, with the Water Oriented Recreation District of Comal County calling conditions ideal for boating, fishing, and lakeside recreation, and public ramps open for access. That's a stronger starting point heading into the cooler months than the drought-strained years anglers on these reservoirs are used to.
Fluke closes out as bluefish and albies push into the Jersey surf
Our reading has the water at 72.7°F this morning, still warm for late September, with low tide falling near 2:19 PM local. Fluke remain the headline along the Jersey coast, though the season is closing: OTW Northern New Jersey reports the reef bite still decent with only a week left, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has worked through slow drifts to quality fish, with the bite consistently turning on at the change of tide. Bluefish are pushing into the surf now too, per OTW Northern New Jersey, and Fishermans HQ LBI has been finding false albacore mixed with bonito on live peanut bunker fished off the beach.
Fall run builds in Narragansett Bay as albies, tautog turn on
NOAA CO-OPS readings show Narragansett Bay water in the mid-to-upper 60s this afternoon — 67.5°F at station 8452944 and 66.2°F at station 8452660. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), the fall run has "kicked off in a big way" over the past couple of weeks: false albacore have taken over the oceanfront and the tautog bite is picking up, while striped bass have stayed comparatively lackluster for most anglers so far.
Fluke season closes as false albacore and blues keep surf busy
NOAA's Atlantic City tide station (8534720) reads 65.3F this afternoon and the Cape May station (8536110) is running warmer at 69.4F, and Fishermans HQ LBI clocked the Ship Bottom surf at 75F Tuesday morning, confirming the Jersey Shore is holding onto summer warmth deep into September. That's kept the fluke bite alive in its closing days: OTW Northern New Jersey has fluke fishing decent on the reefs with only a week left in the season, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reported a strong Friday session in deeper water after the shallows played out. Bluefish continue running the beaches per OTW Northern New Jersey, and false albacore have moved onto the reefs alongside them, with Fishermans HQ LBI working albies on live bait out of Long Beach Island and Grumpys Tackle confirming the same mix locally.
Maine's fall cooldown accelerates as afternoon tides turn early
Water temperatures along the Maine coast span a wide range this week, from 59.7°F down to 54.3°F across three NOAA CO-OPS stations running the length of the Gulf of Maine — a clear read on the fall cooldown taking hold from south to north. Low tide lands in a tight afternoon window today, between 3:09 and 3:28 PM local at all three stations, giving anglers a synchronized outgoing-tide window to plan around up and down the coast.
Fluke's final week meets a bluefish push at Sandy Hook
NOAA's Sandy Hook station (8531680) read 68.7°F this afternoon, with the next high tide due at 6:19 PM local, still warm enough to keep the late-season fluke bite alive. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands worked a mixed week: a tough drift on Wednesday, a picky Thursday, then a strong Friday session in deeper water with keepers mixed through the fleet, all before Saturday's forecast turns. Bluefish have pushed in as well: Grumpys Tackle reports blues showing up in numbers, and OTW's Northern New Jersey report has bluefish and false albacore running the beaches, with fluke still decent on the reefs there too.
Fall transition settles into the Delaware River and Pine Barrens
Late September marks the start of the fall transition across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens, as cooling nights begin breaking up the summer pattern that has held through August. Flows in Pine Barrens cedar streams typically firm up and clear this time of year, and baitfish start schooling ahead of the seasonal cool-down region-wide.
Snook Bite Heats Up Sarasota Bay as Fall Season Opens
Water temperatures are holding at 87°F in Tampa Bay per NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520, still summer-warm for late September. Snook fishing is the story this week: Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, and mangrove snapper, and Capt. Brandon Naeve notes the fall snook season on the Gulf Coast opened September 1, calling this stretch of coast some of the best snook water in the world. Redfish are showing alongside snook on the same Sarasota Bay flats, per Kurtz's report. Tarpon are in transition: Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast has adult migratory tarpon thinning out in the coastal Gulf as fish move to inside waters to rest and feed, staging around bridges or over deep grass flats before continuing their fall migration.
Puget Sound anglers eye a midday tide push as fall cooldown holds steady
NOAA's CO-OPS station 9443090 logged 57.6°F this morning in Puget Sound, with the next high tide due around midday local time. Water sits in the upper 50s, typical for late September, and a waxing gibbous moon is building toward more pronounced tidal swings this week. Washington Sea Grant is marking the 20th anniversary of its SoundToxins program, the early-warning system for harmful algae blooms, a good reminder for anglers pairing a fishing trip with shellfish harvest this time of year.
Snook feed up as Gulf Coast fall transition begins
Gulf water is still running warm this week, with our two Gulf Coast tide stations reading 83.7°F and 86.2°F this morning, typical late-September numbers before the real fall cooldown sets in. Sport Fishing Mag's fall coverage lines up with what we're seeing on the calendar: as summer's heat starts to break, Gulf snook feed up ahead of their push toward winter holding water, and aggressive fish are answering fast-moving swimbaits like the Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ. Tides are swinging through a solid range today, a sign current is still moving well enough to concentrate bait along the usual fall travel lanes.
Albie Fever Grips Long Island Sound as Fall Run Kicks In
Long Island Sound is running warm for late September, with readings at Bridgeport, New Haven and New London holding between 68 and 69°F. That warmth is keeping the fall run humming: per AW Marina in Connecticut, "it's been all about albies" as customers work through epoxy jigs and tins, and J&B Tackle reports false albacore "everywhere from Black Point to Fishers Island," with prime action around Avery Point, Sarah's Ledge, Ocean Beach, Harkness, Seaside and Niantic Bay. Striped bass are feeding heavily on staged bait but, per J&B Tackle, haven't started blitzing yet. Bluefish are active across the size range, snappers to gators, and Tartan II reports strong bottom fishing for black sea bass alongside a stray albie or two.
Fall transition takes hold on the Catawba and Roanoke
Late September marks the turn toward fall on the Catawba and Roanoke systems, as shortening days and cooler nights begin working surface water down toward its autumn drop. This is the seasonal setup anglers watch for across NC's Piedmont and foothills reservoirs and rivers: baitfish start schooling tighter as the water cools, and feeding windows shift toward the low-light hours of morning and evening.
Stripers keep working the surf as NorCal shifts toward fall
NOAA CO-OPS station 9418767 logged water temperatures at 57.7°F this morning, while station 9416841 tracked cooler at 53.8°F, a split that lines up with the differences between bay-influenced and open-coast exposure this time of year. To the south at Santa Cruz, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports shoreline stripers still showing well, with anglers working the surf behind moving birds and bait.
Oregon Coast dials in around a strengthening morning flood
Oregon Coast water temperatures read cool and split narrowly this morning: NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 logged 60.3°F near dead low, while station 9439040 to the north held at 63°F. Both stations show tide bottoming out before dawn and building toward a late-morning high, a rhythm worth planning a session around this week as the water continues its seasonal cool-down through the equinox.
Charleston Harbor holds late-summer warmth as fall tides build
Charleston Harbor's water sat at 83.8°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530, still firmly in late-summer range with a waxing gibbous moon working the coast this week. Low tide falls near 11:59 a.m. local, with the next high pushing through around 6:29 p.m., setting up a clean afternoon-into-evening incoming window. Down the coast at Springmaid Pier, station 8661070 read a comparable 82.4°F, so the warmth isn't isolated to the harbor.
Santa Cruz stripers keep working the surf as bait pushes in
Monterey and Port San Luis tide stations are reading 61.5°F and 62.4°F this morning, keeping the Central Coast in its typical early-fall nearshore window. Off Santa Cruz, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports shoreline anglers working striped bass along the beaches this week, with one local angler finding fish by tracking diving birds and bait pushed tight to shore. Nearshore fishing has reportedly been good this week per that report, with anglers willing to follow the bait rewarded quickly.
Peanut bunker push pulls stripers tight to Cape Cod Bay beaches
NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130 read 62.4°F this morning, still warm enough to keep bait pushed into the shallows. Goose Hummock Shop, working the bay side, reports the area loaded with pogies and plenty of stripers, with an incoming northeast storm expected to push those fish in tight to the beach. Just down the shoreline, The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME notes peanut bunker showing up inshore and a fresh run of around-slot stripers moving into Plymouth Harbor, Pegotty Bay, and Shore Acres, per Belsan's Bait and Tackle and Dave Anderson. Falmouth Bait and Tackle adds decent bluefish along that shore, and Goose Hummock together with Black Rose Fishing Charters both have false albacore still showing on the Cape's south side.
Eastern Shore Watches the Fall Push Build Up the Coast
Water off Virginia's Eastern Shore held at 70.7°F this morning, per NOAA CO-OPS station 8631044, with the tide easing toward a midday low near 12:29 p.m. and building to a high around 7:00 p.m. local time. That's still warm water for late September, sitting right at the point where the Mid-Atlantic's fall transition typically kicks in. Farther up the coast, Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island reports the tautog bite picking up and albies holding over the oceanfront, while The Fisherman's New England forecast has striped bass waking back up as bait floods the beaches, both early markers of the seasonal shift now working its way toward Virginia.
Fall run builds north as Chesapeake mouth stays warm
Water at the Chesapeake mouth is holding at 79°F this morning at NOAA's Sewells Point gauge, with low tide near 1:26 PM and the next high around 7:40 PM. That's still summer-range water for late September, and the timing tracks the same fall push driving action to the north. Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island reports the fall run kicking off in a big way this week, with striper bass rafts beginning to show and the tautog bite picking up, while The Fisherman's New England forecast places the false albacore push from central Rhode Island through central Connecticut, with the bite also taking hold in Nantucket Sound and the striper bite sneaking back to life behind it.