Fishing reports
15787 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Louisiana Delta Gets a Boost as State Launches First Redfish Restocking
Water temperature is holding at 86.4°F this morning at both the Grand Isle (NOAA CO-OPS station 8761724) and Mississippi Delta (station 8760922) readings, still deep in late-summer range for the Gulf Coast & Delta. The bigger news this week comes from Louisiana Sportsman — Fishing: LDWF, CCA Louisiana and RFRI released more than 150,000 hatchery-raised redfish into Louisiana waters, the state's first redfish restocking effort. It's a stock-building move rather than a bite report, but it puts redfish squarely at the center of this fishery's outlook.
Shoreline stripers keep firing along the Santa Cruz coast
Water temperatures are running cool across our two NorCal tide stations, 55.2°F and 52.3°F, consistent with the seasonal upwelling pattern along this stretch of coast. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports shoreline striped bass action holding near Santa Cruz this week, with anglers working the surf behind moving bait schools and diving birds to connect with fish close to the beach. Allen Bushnell's report called nearshore fishing very good overall, with the striper bite standing out as the week's most notable Northern California coastal action.
Building tides sharpen timing windows on the Oregon Coast
NOAA's South Beach station puts the open Oregon Coast water at 56.7°F this morning, while the Astoria gauge near the Columbia River bar reads a warmer 62.1°F, where estuary flow mixes into the tide. That split is typical for this time of year, as the open coast cools ahead of the river-mouth water. Low tide at South Beach falls near 3:22 a.m. local, building through the morning to a high around 10:25 a.m.; at Astoria the low sits near 4:30 a.m. with the high following around 11:10 a.m.
Gulf snook and albies mark the fall turn in Mobile Bay
Gulf water held at 87.4°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8735180 and 8736897, still summer-warm as the third week of September wraps up. That reading sits against a real fall shift building along the coast: Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are starting to migrate toward their winter holding areas as the days shorten, with swimbaits like the Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish. The same outlet's fall migration piece flags false albacore beginning to show on the surface as the seasonal push gets underway, a pattern worth watching as it extends west along the Gulf. On the Pensacola Fishing Forum, one angler working the back side of Blacks Island reported heavy bait schools and credited a wetter August-into-September stretch with keeping red tide from taking hold, welcome water-quality news for the broader Gulf coast, though it comes from a single unconfirmed post rather than a shop or agency report.
Albies push through the Sound and Montauk as fall run builds
False albacore are showing up on both ends of the run this week: On The Water's Long Island report has them pushing west through Long Island Sound and filling in off Montauk as the fall migration gathers pace. Big fluke are moving too, working their way out of the South Shore inlets and out of Western Sound backwaters on the same tide cycle, an exit that has kept the bite lively even as numbers thin toward the season's close. Water is holding near 70°F off Montauk (NOAA station 8510560) and closer to 73°F in western Long Island Sound at Kings Point (station 8516945), still warm enough to keep both species active through the week. Striped bass are the outlier: Saltwater Edge's latest forecast, filed from Rhode Island, describes the striper bite as lackluster for most anglers right now, with improvement expected once chilly nights and a northerly wind set up, the same cooling pattern due to work its way down toward Long Island.
Fall Walleye and Lake Trout Bite Heats Up on NY's Great Lakes
Walleye and lake trout continue to deliver across New York's Great Lakes waters as the fall transition sets in. Brookdog Fishing Co., running out of Buffalo and Niagara, reports the walleye bite has stayed strong for five consecutive weeks and lake trout action out of Barcelona has been especially good, with deep-water jigging producing several client firsts this month. Smallmouth bass are also picking up as September wears on, per the same reports. Statewide, the NY DEC's September 18 Fishing Line issue flags the fall-run push into Lake Ontario tributaries and confirms a temporary closure on the Salmon River's Lower Fly Fishing Section, worth noting for anyone routing that direction. The same cooling-water cues moving Great Lakes gamefish onto structure and bait are on the same calendar for Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes waters this time of year.
Snook and Redfish Keep Sarasota Bay Bite Rolling as Fall Nears
Water temperatures are holding in the mid-to-upper 80s at both Tampa Bay-area tide stations this morning, 87.1°F and 85.8°F, and the inshore bite matches. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, reports an active bite in Sarasota Bay for snook, redfish, and spotted seatrout. Capt. Chuck Cress, also with CB's, put clients on several redfish and small snook this week working a rising tide with a popping cork and live shrimp. Snook is the headline species right now: Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast for CB's notes the fishing should stay good through the month, with fish still holding in the surf and around ICW docks and bridges close to passes as the heaviest summer heat eases. Separately, Florida Sea Grant flagged a rare detection of the alga Margalefidinium polykrikoides, a 'rust tide' species distinct from red tide, in Charlotte Harbor, worth watching if you're fishing that far south this week.
Snook Bite Heats Up as Season Reopens on Florida's Treasure Coast
Water temperatures are holding at 87°F at Lake Worth Pier (NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670), still solidly in summer range as Florida's Atlantic Coast eases into the fall transition. Snook season reopened September 1 per Snook Nook's seasonal calendar, and the Stuart shop reports the bite carried its late-summer momentum straight into the new season: anglers working live croakers and threadfins around the St. Lucie Inlet and the detached jetty have been finding steady numbers of Snook, including plenty in the 40-inch-plus range. Snook Nook's latest update also flags the early stages of the mullet run, with schools of larger mullet already showing up inshore and along the beaches ahead of the finger-mullet schools anglers wait on each fall. Offshore, CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing-permit pilot programs, adding uncertainty to red snapper season planning for anglers working further out.
Lake Michigan's Chicago Waters Ease Into Fall Transition
Lake Michigan's Chicago-area waters are sliding into the fall transition, the seasonal shift when cooling surface temperatures push baitfish and predators toward harbor structure and river mouths. Wisconsin DNR's Lake Michigan Fishing Report points to this lake's steelhead runs building through late September into October in recent seasons, tied to fish staging ahead of their upstream push. Largemouth bass holding in the calmer marina basins typically tighten up on remaining green weed edges as the water cools, a shift consistent with the broader late-September pattern across the Midwest.
Lake Michigan's Indiana shoreline enters the fall turnover
Along Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline, late September marks the start of the seasonal turnover window, when surface water begins its steady fall cooling and baitfish schools tighten up around structure and drop-offs. That shift typically pulls predator fish shallower and more active as the water column cools from the top down, a pattern that builds through early October on this stretch of shoreline.
New Mexico freshwater eases into its fall transition
New Mexico's Rio Grande and San Juan waters are moving into the fall transition, the seasonal stretch when cooling water reshuffles where freshwater fish hold and feed. National bass coverage from Tactical Bassin and Fishing the Midwest this week describes largemouth bass pulling off summer shallow cover and following baitfish into open water as temperatures ease — a pattern that typically shows up on New Mexico's warmwater reaches, including the lower Rio Grande and its reservoirs, around this point in September.
Fall transition takes hold on Kenai and interior Alaska rivers
Kenai and interior Alaska river systems are moving through their late-September handoff, with salmon runs tailing off and cooling water pushing fish behavior toward the pattern anglers watch for heading into freeze-up season. Trout and char tucked behind spawning salmon typically key on drifting eggs and flesh through this window, a shift from the salmon-dominated bite of mid-summer. Check state regulations before targeting resident fish, since many interior systems carry specific fall closures and gear restrictions this time of year.
Twin Cities bass dial into the fall transition
Minnesota's largemouth bass are on the move as the fall transition sets in. Fishing the Midwest reports that as weeds start dying back in North Woods and Twin Cities lakes, oxygen drops around the fading cover and baitfish shift toward the healthiest remaining green weed lines, pulling bass with them. Tactical Bassin's fall coverage describes the same pattern nationally: bass sliding off deep summer structure to group tighter around baitfish, rewarding anglers who work moving baits through the transition zones instead of camping on one spot.
Taneycomo anglers dial in around the afternoon generation ramp
Lilleys Landing's latest report from the lake describes a fairly consistent generation pattern through late summer: minimal flow in the mornings, then power generation ramping up into the afternoon and evening. The shop notes water conditions are typical for this point in the season, though dissolved oxygen levels have dropped enough that dam operators are now injecting liquid oxygen into the outflow to keep the tailwater healthy.
Wisconsin bass scene grabs headlines as fall transition builds
Wisconsin's bass tournament circuit made bigger news than any leaderboard this week: Wired 2 Fish and Outdoor Hub both report that five-time Angler of the Year Adam Eisele was disqualified from the WISCO BASS Crown Championship and banned from the circuit after officials found 14 live Largemouth Bass in his livewell the night before the season-ending event on the Minocqua Chain, with the Wisconsin DNR now running its own investigation. It's a reminder that the state's bass fishery is still holding tournament-caliber fish deep into September, even as the calendar turns toward fall.
Grand River run building as Lake Michigan anglers await fall shift
Anglers on the Michigan Sportsman Forum report the Grand River starting to stir this week, with rapids filling and fish beginning to move upstream, though most agree cooler water is still needed before the run turns on in full. Around the Lake Michigan mouth, boaters comparing the Grand Haven and Muskegon channels are asking about wind and wave differences between the two approaches as they plan small-boat trips into early fall. The MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report continues to track conditions across the Lake Michigan basin and Grand River watershed, and the overall picture this week reads as transitional rather than settled.
Moosehead system enters early fall transition window
Moosehead Lake and the upper Penobscot are turning the corner into early fall, with the equinox landing this week and daylight now roughly even with darkness. That shift cools surface water steadily day over day, and it's the single biggest driver of behavior on this system right now: baitfish schools tighten up and drop toward deeper structure, and resident gamefish key on that movement rather than the wide-ranging summer feeding pattern. Anglers working points, drop-offs, and the mouths of feeder streams typically see the first payoff of that transition before the broader lake catches up.
First fall signs reach Eagle Mountain Lake as bass shift with the season
North Texas Catfish Guide, working 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 relearning how to read the softest of taps before setting the hook. The guide also reports sorting through a lot of small fish to find better keepers. That grind is starting to break, with the same report noting the first signs of fall settling in. Separately, Tactical Bassin's fall coverage has Largemouth Bass shifting with the season, moving up to chase baitfish around cover and in open water as the transition takes hold — a pattern that tracks with what North Texas Catfish Guide is seeing on the ground in North Texas. Together the reports point to the same story: summer's grip is loosening across Texas lakes and rivers this week.
Kennebec and Penobscot ease into fall bass and trout patterns
Late September marks the seasonal pivot for Maine's Kennebec and Penobscot watersheds, as shortening days and cooling surface water begin pushing largemouth bass and brown trout out of their tight summer holding patterns. This waxing gibbous moon phase typically extends low-light feeding activity, giving dawn and dusk sessions on these river systems an added edge through the week.
Smokies trout streams ease into the early-fall shift
Western North Carolina's Smokies trout streams are entering the early-fall transition, the point in the season anglers count on each year: cooler overnight temperatures start pulling stream conditions down from late-summer highs, easing fish out of the deepest, shaded holding water and back into feeding lies through the cooler morning and evening hours.
Fall transition pushes Susquehanna and Allegheny bass toward baitfish
Cooling water across the Susquehanna and Allegheny systems is pushing the fall transition into gear this week, the seasonal window when largemouth bass shift off summer structure and start keying on baitfish schools moving into skinnier water. With the waxing gibbous moon building toward full over the next several nights, low-light windows around dawn and dusk should sharpen as the best bite opportunities.
Northwoods Musky Shift Into Fall Mode as Water Cools
Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop (WI) reports the Northwoods around Oneida and Vilas Counties are sliding out of the sticky, high-70s/low-80s stretch that defined early September, with overnight lows now dipping into the 60s and daytime highs easing into the mid-70s. That cooldown is the trigger anglers wait for: the shop's late-September playbook describes recreational boat traffic thinning out and a growing topwater window opening as musky key on baitfish pushed out of dying weed growth. A companion report from the same shop frames September as a month-long baitfish-movement puzzle, with water starting the month in the upper 60s to low 70s and falling steadily through the 60s as the season progresses. Muskellunge activity is trending up as a result, with the shop noting boats swapping summer patterns for a mix of topwater and the deep edges, drop-offs, and rocky points that typically define the true fall shift. We're calling musky Active heading into the last full week of September, with the bite building rather than peaked.
Fall Chill Settles Over Yellowstone and Missouri Waters
Montana's Yellowstone and Missouri River systems are moving into their fall transition this week, with shortening days and cooling nights pushing baitfish and gamefish alike out of summer holding patterns. No fresh buoy or gauge data came back for this region in today's pull, and no shop or charter filed a bite report specific to these waters, so this update leans on the seasonal shift itself rather than a snapshot reading.
Historic-low steelhead run clouds early Peninsula outlook
This year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is on pace to be the smallest ever recorded, per Hatch Magazine, with returns tallied at Bonneville Dam running well behind any prior season since counting began. That regional signal sets the tone heading into fall for Washington's steelhead-bearing rivers, including the Olympic Peninsula systems anglers are starting to watch as summer patterns give way to autumn flows.