Fishing reports
15828 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Gulf snook feed up as Texas coast enters fall transition
Water on the upper and middle Texas coast is still running summer-warm. NOAA CO-OPS stations 8771450 and 8771341 both read 89.6°F this afternoon, with 8772471 close behind at 88°F. Per Sport Fishing Mag, that's the setup for the fall transition Gulf snook anglers wait for: as days shorten, snook begin feeding up before migrating toward winter holding water, and aggressive fish are eating swimbaits like a Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ. Texas Fish & Game Magazine adds that snook aren't confined to the Lower Laguna Madre stronghold, noting the species shows up well north along the upper coast too, putting Galveston-Corpus water in play.
Mississippi Sound holds summer warmth as snook push toward fall
Mississippi Sound is still holding onto summer heat heading into the third week of September, with NOAA CO-OPS readings of 88.3°F off Bay Waveland (station 8747437) and 86.7°F at Pascagoula Point (station 8741533) as of Sunday evening. The two-station spread of less than two degrees suggests warmth is fairly uniform across the Sound right now, not just isolated to one shoreline stretch. That warmth tracks with what Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition coverage describes for Gulf snook right now: as days shorten, snook push toward their winter holding areas, and the outlet points to swimbaits like the Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish during that shift. Anglers on the Pensacola Fishing Forum, just east along the coast, mention a redfish in a recent mixed catch, though that's a single, uncorroborated report rather than a confirmed pattern for the Sound.
Florida Keys hold a strong late-summer bite as fall approaches
Water in the Florida Keys is still running warm, with NOAA CO-OPS stations reading 87.4°F and 88.7°F as of this evening's check, squarely in the range anglers expect through late summer. Local operators say the action has matched the water: ALL IN Key West described a recent stretch of nonstop fishing as "as good as I've seen in my 16 years here in Key West," pointing to heavy feeding activity in big numbers on the reef and offshore. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada has flagged the run from June into early July as one of the most productive windows the fishery offers, with warm water, calm seas and abundant bait pulling fish from the shallow flats out to the edge of the Gulf Stream. Both operators point to the same pattern: plenty of bait, plenty of feeding fish, and conditions that reward anglers willing to work the full range from bridges to blue water.
Gulf snook feed up as summer holds through equinox approach
Gulf-side water temperatures are holding onto late-summer warmth, with NOAA CO-OPS readings this morning at 88°F and 86°F across our two Gulf Coast reference stations. That warmth matters for snook, whose seasonal shift is already underway: Sport Fishing Mag reports that as days shorten, snook are feeding up ahead of their move toward winter holding areas and turning aggressive on swimbaits like paddletail-style lures worked through the current lines that concentrate bait. The first quarter moon keeps tidal swings moderate rather than extreme this week, favoring a steady, grinding bite over a single hot window. We're watching this snook pattern build through the next several days as the fall transition takes hold across the Gulf Coast.
Gulf snook keep feeding as Louisiana's fall transition holds off
Gulf water off Louisiana is still running summer-warm: 86.2°F at Calcasieu Pass and 87.8°F at the Southwest Pass entrance to the Mississippi as of this morning, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8761724 and 8760922. That's several degrees above where the fall reset usually starts kicking in across the Delta. Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition report has Gulf snook feeding aggressively as they stage toward winter holding water, with swimbaits like Z-Man's Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ drawing strikes from aggressive fish. Water this warm keeps that bite window open a little longer than a textbook late-September pattern would suggest.
Early fall chill settles into SF Bay and Bodega waters
Water temperatures across the two regional NOAA tide stations read 55.2°F and 52.5°F as of late morning, a gap consistent with the upwelling pattern that typically keeps the outer coast a few degrees cooler than sheltered bay water this time of year. Both stations show the next low tide landing early afternoon, 1:12 to 1:43 PM local, with the First Quarter moon keeping the swing moderate rather than a big spring-tide push.
Snook Feed Up Ahead of Fall Migration in the Lower Laguna Madre
Water temperatures are holding near 88°F at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8775237 and 8779770 this afternoon, still squarely in late-summer range for the Lower Laguna Madre and South Padre. Per Sport Fishing Mag, Gulf snook are starting to feed up as the days shorten and fish begin staging toward their winter holding water, with swimbaits like the Z-Man Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ drawing strikes from aggressive fish. Texas Fish & Game Magazine notes the Lower Laguna Madre remains the center of Texas snook fishing, though the species ranges farther up the coast than many anglers realize.
Oregon Coast Tides Shift as the Fall Transition Takes Hold
Water temperatures diverge sharply along the Oregon Coast this week. NOAA's Garibaldi station (9435380) reads 56.1°F while the Astoria station (9439040) near the Columbia River mouth sits at 64.4°F, a gap that reflects the estuary holding onto summer warmth longer than the open coast. Both stations show their next low tide arriving mid-afternoon: 2:10 p.m. PDT at Garibaldi, 3:16 p.m. PDT at Astoria, setting up a workable outgoing-tide window for boats working that stretch. Forum chatter on IFish.net Fishing Reports points to brisk activity near the mouth of the Columbia this week, though it remains unconfirmed by any shop, charter, or agency source.
Fall snook push takes shape along Alabama's Gulf coast
Water at the Mobile Bay tide stations is holding near 88°F this week, keeping the coast in a late-summer pattern even as the calendar turns toward fall. Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition report notes Gulf snook are starting to feel the shorter days and move toward their winter holding areas, with swimbaits like the Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ drawing strikes from aggressive fish. On the Pensacola Fishing Forum, one nearshore angler logged a catch that included redfish this week, a single report rather than a broader trend, but a sign that fish are holding around structure close to shore. That lines up with Sport Fishing Mag's broader point that outgoing water concentrates feeding activity around structure, which fits a redfish drawn out on the falling tide.
Albies Push Into Long Island Sound As Fall Run Builds
Water temperatures across the region are holding in the low-to-mid 70s this week, with Montauk's NOAA CO-OPS station reading 70°F, Kings Point at 72°F, and The Battery at 73°F. Per On The Water's September 17 Long Island and NYC report, false albacore are pushing west through Long Island Sound while big fluke continue working out of the South Shore inlets on their way toward open water. That builds on the September 10 report, which had albies just beginning to fill in off Montauk. Saltwater Edge Blog, tracking the broader fall run to our east, notes albies have taken over the oceanfront there and the tautog bite is picking up as water cools. Striped bass, by contrast, remain lackluster for most anglers per that same report, though the shop expects the bite to turn with cooler nights ahead.
Bluefish and albie blitzes light up the surf at Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook's CO-OPS buoy read 72.1°F this afternoon, still summer-warm water that's keeping bait pinned tight to the beach and the fall transition on a slow simmer. OTW Northern New Jersey's Sept. 17 report has bluefish and albies running the beaches, with fluke holding decent on the reefs and only a week left in the season. Fishermans HQ LBI, working the surf south of the Hook, is finding the same pattern: live peanut bunker turning on albies, with bluefish blitzes cutting through the bait pushes. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's reports fluke fishing turning on hard on short runs into deeper water, filling out counts of shorts and keepers through the week.
Record Albie Signals a Fall Run With Real Punch
NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130 logged a water temperature of 68.5°F in Cape Cod Bay this afternoon, still firmly in late-summer range as the region eases toward its fall transition. On The Water reports a 19.9-pound false albacore broke a 36-year-old Massachusetts record this month, confirming albies are moving through regional waters in real numbers. To the south in Rhode Island, Saltwater Edge Blog describes the fall run as having "kicked off in a big way," with the tautog bite picking up while striped bass have stayed lackluster for most anglers, a pattern the shop expects to shift once nights turn colder and northerly winds set in.
False Albacore Surge Signals Fall Run's Arrival in Southern New England
Water temps sit at 69.6°F and 70.7°F at the region's two NOAA CO-OPS stations, still warm enough to hold summer patterns but tipping toward the fall transition. False albacore have "taken over the oceanfront," per Saltwater Edge Blog, and that push showed up in the record books: On The Water reports a 19.9-pound false albacore broke a 36-year-old Massachusetts record this month. Tautog are also stirring, with Saltwater Edge noting the bite "picking up" as water cools. Striped bass, by contrast, have been lackluster for most anglers through late summer.
Walleye and lake trout keep firing on NY's big lakes into fall
Brookdog Fishing Co., running charters out of Buffalo, Niagara and Lake Ontario, called the week of September 14-20 excellent for walleye and lake trout, with smallmouth bass mixed in on top. The captain's deep-water jigging program out of Barcelona has been the standout, producing consistent lake trout along with walleye on the same trips. That builds directly on the prior week's report (September 7-13), which described the walleye bite as strong and noted a first-time deep-water jigging success on lake trout out of that same Barcelona program, with fish holding consistently once located. Smallmouth action has been building in parallel, described as picking up over the past two weeks as the lake cools into its fall pattern. Earlier in the month wind and Lake Erie chop dictated more of the program than the fish did, but the last two weekly reports show conditions settling into a reliable deep-structure bite for walleye and lake trout alongside an improving smallmouth window.
Snook and redfish bite holds strong in Sarasota Bay
Water temperatures are still riding summer highs across Tampa Bay and Sarasota, reading 87.6°F at St. Petersburg and 85.6°F at Clearwater Beach per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726520 and 8726724. Snook are the story of the week. Capt. Rick Grassett of CB's Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota reports snook fishing has been good through September, with fish still holding in the surf along the coastal Gulf and staging around docks and bridges in the ICW close to passes. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of CB's on Siesta Key, is finding an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook, redfish, and spotted seatrout. Capt. Chuck Cress put that redfish bite on display this week too, hooking into several reds immediately on a rising morning tide using a popping cork with live shrimp, and releasing a few small snook on the same rig.
Snook Bite Builds With Fall Mullet Run on Florida's Treasure Coast
Snook are locking into their fall pattern along Florida's Atlantic coast, with Snook Nook in Stuart reporting excellent fishing over the past several weeks, including plenty of quality fish in the 40-inch class around the St. Lucie Inlet. Live croakers and threadfins fished along the beach and around the inlet have produced the most consistent bites; when action slows, a dead threadfin worked on bottom will draw strikes too, though expect some bycatch. Water remains warm for late September: NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 logged 87.8°F this afternoon, with station 8720218 reading 84.6°F to the north. Sport Fishing Mag notes snook are beginning their seasonal push toward winter holding areas as days shorten, with swimbaits such as Z-Man's Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish. Snook Nook also flags this year's mullet run building later than usual, with the first schools of larger mullet showing inshore and along the beaches ahead of the smaller finger mullet expected in the coming weeks.
Albies Push Into Watch Hill as CT River Stripers Hold
Long Island Sound water temperatures are holding in the upper 60s to low 70s this week, with NOAA CO-OPS readings of 69.6°F off New London, 71.6°F off New Haven and 72.3°F off Bridgeport — still warm enough to keep the fall run building rather than shutting it down. The Fisherman — Connecticut reports the first push of false albacore has hit Seaside and Bartlett's Reef via J&B Tackle, with fish expected to hold through the next four weeks across Avery Point, Sarah's Ledge, Ocean Beach, Harkness, Niantic Bay and Black Point. Striped bass are cooperating too: AW Marina says customers working the river mouths with bait are having some of their best local bass fishing in years, and Fort Trumbull Pier weighed a 47-pound striper alongside a 26.5-inch fluke this week. Bottom fishing for black sea bass and scup, per Black Hawk and Tartan II, is steady with a few blues mixed in on the rails.
Catskills trout streams split warm and cool heading into fall
Five USGS gauges across the Catskills and southern Adirondacks corridor show a real split this week. Gauge 01414750 is running 71°F with no flow reported, while three gauges to the north and west sit in classic trout range: 0136219503 at 58°F on 35.5 cfs, and 01434025 at 55°F on a thin 5.57 cfs. Two more stations, 01413500 and 01415000, are carrying heavier flow at 80.8 and 23.8 cfs without a temperature reading attached. That much spread between gauges this close together points to real differences in shade, elevation, and spring influence rather than one blanket condition across the region.
Red and Missouri Rivers hold steady as early fall sets in
USGS gauge 05054000, upstream on the system, logged 335 cfs and 65°F this morning. Two gauges downstream, 05059300 and 05051522, read 167 cfs and 357 cfs respectively, both at 63°F. That spread is normal for interconnected river reaches this time of year, and none of the three readings suggest flood stage or a drought-low crawl. Water in the low-to-mid 60s puts Red and Missouri River fish in a comfortable early-fall zone, still active but no longer pushed by summer heat.
Sacramento-Delta bass shift gears as fall cooling begins
USGS gauge 11446980 and 11446700 both read 65°F on the Delta this morning, while gauge 11447650 downstream logged 67°F with flow holding steady at 19,300 cfs. Those readings put the water squarely in the mid-60s range that marks the seasonal turn from summer into fall across the Sacramento-Delta system. Cooling water typically nudges largemouth bass off deep summer haunts and into more active feeding windows along shoreline structure and weed edges, a pattern anglers in Delta sloughs watch closely this time of year. With the moon in its first quarter, low overnight light should keep feeding activity concentrated around dawn and dusk.
Low Water Keeps Colorado Anglers Watching Closures and Clocks
Regional USGS gauges show a wide spread this week: 1.83 cfs and 60°F on the smallest monitored reach, up to 1,610 cfs and 63°F on the larger stem, with a mid-size gauge running 698 cfs at 65°F. That spread tracks with what Colorado shops are reporting on the ground. Crystal Fly Shop notes the Roaring Fork's closure has been lifted as the river runs low, clear and cool, while a voluntary closure remains in effect on the lower Crystal River and on the Colorado River between Glenwood Springs and Rifle, where recent rain has dropped temperatures but left the water muddy. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing and Colorado Trout Hunters both continue to frame 2026 as one of the driest years on record for the state's rivers.
Toledo Bend and Sabine anglers eye the fall bass transition
Flow on the Sabine watershed is running low and steady, typical for a mid-September dry spell along the LA/TX border. No fresh on-the-water reports have come in from Toledo Bend or Sabine-area shops this week, but regional bass content is turning squarely toward the fall pattern that applies here too: as surface temperatures ease off summer highs, largemouth bass start relating to baitfish schools and staging on the edges of structure rather than sitting deep.
Driftless streams carry extra push into late-September shift
USGS gauge 05407000 shows solid current moving through WI's Driftless Area as the region heads into the back half of September. Flow and clarity are this week's real story rather than a hot-bite report — conditions are shifting into an early-fall rhythm, and MidCurrent's Tying Tuesday feature highlights a pattern built for exactly this kind of water: Root River Rod Co's pine-squirrel jig streamer, designed to bounce a rocky bottom without hanging up in tight, technical spring-creek water. That profile suits water carrying more push than a typical low, clear late-September flow.
Cooling water signals fall bass transition at Mosquito, Pymatuning
Gauges feeding the Mosquito and Pymatuning watershed show a real spread this week: 73°F at the southernmost monitoring point, cooling to 65-66°F upstream, while tributary flow near Youngstown holds steady at 95.7 cfs. That gradient is the fall transition at work — shallow, wind-exposed water is still holding late-summer warmth while shaded, spring-fed stretches are already tracking toward the mid-60s. First Quarter moon keeps solunar swings modest this week, so the temperature split is the bigger driver on the water right now.