Fishing reports
15898 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Yellowstone and Snake anglers watch for the fall turnover
Nights are dropping well below daytime highs across the Yellowstone and Snake (Tetons) drainages this week, a hallmark of the region's early-fall turnover. Terrestrial season is winding down while cooling water tends to spread feeding activity across more of the day, a pattern typical for the third week of September in this high-elevation country.
Uinta lakes and Green River waters shift into fall transition
Late September marks the turn into the fall transition across Utah's Green River and Uinta Lakes system, the stretch when summer holding patterns break down and fish begin shifting with cooling water and shortening days. The Uinta high-lake season is winding down as nights turn colder at elevation, while the Green River's tailwater stretches settle into their typical autumn rhythm. A First Quarter moon this week keeps solunar activity moderate, without the strong dawn and dusk pushes a full or new moon would bring.
Flaming Gorge tailwater eases into its early-fall rhythm
The Green River tailwater below Flaming Gorge Dam is settling into its early-fall pattern this week, as shorter days and cooling overnight air start to soften the summer pressure this stretch usually carries through August. Dam releases keep flows and water temperature far steadier here than on a freestone river, so the seasonal shift shows up gradually, in lighter daytime crowding and a longer comfortable fishing window, rather than as a sudden change in the water itself.
Kansas River Bass Ease Into Their Fall Pattern
The Kansas and Arkansas Rivers are entering the classic fall transition, and largemouth bass are the one species this week's intel actually speaks to. Tactical Bassin's latest fall coverage describes bass sliding out of summer cover to follow baitfish, working shallow early before shifting to open water as the sun climbs — a pattern typical of Midwest reservoir and river systems this time of year, and one worth testing on local stretches now that cooler mornings are setting in.
Western Basin walleye ease into the fall transition
Cooling nights this week mark the start of the seasonal shift on Lake Erie's Western Basin, the point in September when summer's scattered, open-water walleye schools typically begin regrouping around structure as baitfish start moving. There's no fresh instrument or on-the-water reporting in hand for this fishery today, so treat this as the seasonal backdrop rather than a bite report.
Fall Transition Bass Bite Building on TN & Cumberland Waters
Tennessee and Cumberland-system waters are moving into the early fall transition, the stretch when largemouth bass slide off summer offshore staging spots and start shadowing baitfish into creek arms and secondary points. Tactical Bassin's coverage of the fall shift this week points to bass keying on schooling forage as surface temperatures ease down from late-summer highs, a pattern that's showing up across many reservoir and river systems right now. The First Quarter moon keeps this week's better feeding windows tied to dawn and dusk light changes rather than a major overnight peak.
Puget Sound settles into fall pattern as tide swings wide
A NOAA CO-OPS reading at station 9443090 puts water temperature at 58.1°F this morning, a typical early-fall number for the Sound as surface water continues its seasonal cooldown. WDFW's fishing and stocking reports remain the go-to for current creel data on specific waters, and no saltwater species-specific bite reports came in from Puget Sound or the outer coast this cycle. Regionally, Western Outdoor News reported a strong fall ocean salmon opener out of San Francisco on September 1, with limits to near-limits for private and party boats after a three-year closure, a signal of the broader West Coast fall salmon push that Washington anglers watch for as fish stage toward Puget Sound rivers.
Bay tides push through a midday high as Bodega stays chilly
San Francisco Bay water registered 59.9°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS station 9418767, while the more exposed water off Bodega ran a cooler 53.8°F at station 9416841, roughly a 6-degree spread consistent with the upwelling pattern that typically holds the outer coast this time of year. Both stations show tide building toward a midday high before ebbing into early afternoon, a rhythm worth timing a trip around this week.
Snook feed up for the fall transition on the upper Texas coast
Water is still running summer-warm across the Galveston-Corpus corridor, with this morning's readings at 88.7°F, 86.9°F, and 87.6°F across our three monitored stations. Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are feeding up as days shorten and fish stage for the move toward winter holding water, with swimbaits like Z-Man's Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish. Texas Fish & Game Magazine notes upper-coast snook aren't confined to the Lower Laguna Madre, so anglers working structure north of the traditional range shouldn't rule out a hookup this month.
Fall transition puts Hill Country bass on the move
Texas' Highland Lakes chain (Travis, LBJ and Buchanan) is entering the fall bass transition that shapes fishing here through the next two months. Tactical Bassin's current fall coverage describes largemouth schooling tight to baitfish and sliding onto grass flats and secondary points as surface temperatures ease, and Fishing the Midwest's fall-pattern report frames the same shift: dying weed growth pushes baitfish, and the bass that follow them, toward the healthiest remaining green cover. Expect fish to keep moving from summer depth toward shallower staging water through the week.
Western NY tunes up for the fall turn on Erie and its tributaries
Late September marks the seasonal hinge for Western New York's Lake Erie and Niagara-area waters, the stretch when cooling surface water starts pushing baitfish and gamefish out of summer patterns. No direct buoy or gauge readings are available for this update, and this week's angler intel didn't carry region-specific reports for Lake Erie or the Niagara corridor, so this report leans on the seasonal pattern rather than a fresh bite report.
Browns Dialing In Deep as Fall Bite Builds on Lake Ontario
Strike Zone Charters reports brown trout fishing has been very good this past week on Lake Ontario, with fish holding in the 100 to 160 foot range. Preferred depths have been shifting day to day as wind pushes surface temperature around, and the charter notes Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when fish sit deep, with green, white, and chartreuse e-chip spoons getting bit.
Fall transition sets up Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron
Michigan's Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron waters are moving into the fall transition window, the seasonal shift that typically reorganizes baitfish and gamefish alike as surface temperatures start sliding down. This is the stretch of the calendar anglers on this water plan around every year, well ahead of the harder cold that follows in October.
Snook activity builds in Lower Laguna Madre as fall shift begins
NOAA CO-OPS readings near Port Isabel and Port Mansfield show water still holding at 87.4°F and 88.5°F, solidly summer-warm for the Lower Laguna Madre and South Padre corridor. Texas Fish & Game Magazine calls this stretch of coast "unquestionably the center of Texas snook fishing," and Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are starting to feel the shorter days and begin moving toward their winter holding areas as fall approaches, a transition worth watching closely over the next few weeks.
Warm Gulf water holds through equinox week in Mississippi Sound
Mississippi Sound is still running deep summer heat heading into the equinox. NOAA's Bay Waveland station (8747437) logged 86.9°F overnight, and the Pascagoula-area station (8741533) read a nearly identical 86.4°F, so the water column hasn't started its fall cool-down yet. Over on the Florida Panhandle side of the Sound system, anglers posting to the Pensacola Fishing Forum reported a mixed catch that included redfish this week, working nearshore rubble and bridge pilings, though a single forum post is thin evidence and shouldn't be read as a Sound-wide pattern yet. The bigger story locally is regulatory, not biological: the Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources met this week in D'Iberville, and MS DMR has an active oyster spat-on-cultch bid and a coastal-development review open, both routine late-summer business for the agency rather than signals about the bite.
Oregon Coast anglers work early tides as fall transition holds
Water along the Oregon Coast is settling into the high 50s, with NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 reading 58.6°F and station 9439040 reading 59.2°F early this morning, barely half a degree apart across the stretch of coastline between them. Both stations are tracking the same tide rhythm today: a predawn low just after 2 AM building into a mid-morning high near 9:30 to 10:15 AM. On IFish.net's Oregon board, anglers describe steady boat traffic and active trolling near the Buoy 10 zone this week, plus trips launching out of Garibaldi into calm ocean conditions.
Gulf snook push toward winter grounds as Alabama waters stay warm
Water is still summer-warm across coastal Alabama, with NOAA CO-OPS gauges reading 86.7°F at Dauphin Island and 87.8°F at the Mobile State Docks early this morning, barely a degree apart between the bay and the nearshore Gulf. That lingering heat is keeping the fall shift on the late side, but Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook anglers are already stepping into one of the best windows of the year as fish begin moving toward winter holding areas, with swimbaits like the Z-Man Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ drawing strikes from aggressive fish. Just east of the state line, one Pensacola Fishing Forum post described a mixed catch that included redfish while working bridge rubble and nearshore structure, a single report rather than a confirmed trend, but consistent with fish still holding tight to structure in typical late-summer fashion.
Albies, bluefish keep NJ beaches busy as fluke season closes
Water at the Ship John Shoal station (NOAA CO-OPS 8537121) read 76.8°F early this morning, still holding summer warmth for Delaware Bay in late September. Along the broader Jersey Shore, false albacore are pushing through: Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) reports albies and bonito hitting live peanut bunker on light spinning gear, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) and OTW Northern New Jersey both note albies mixed in with bluefish blitzing the beaches. Fluke are still producing on the reefs per OTW Northern New Jersey, though the season is winding down, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ has logged a mix of tough and productive drifts this week.
False Albacore Push Fills In Around Long Island and Montauk
False albacore have arrived in force. On The Water's Long Island and NYC report notes the run filling in off Montauk by mid-September and, as of last week, pushing west into Long Island Sound. Saltwater Edge, watching the same fall push up the coast in Rhode Island, reports false albacore have taken over the oceanfront there too. Big fluke are still producing locally, with On The Water noting fish pushing out of the South Shore inlets and out of the Western Sound backwaters as the season turns. Local NOAA tide stations are reading between 70°F and 73°F this week, warm enough to keep both species working inshore. Striped bass remain the quiet piece: Saltwater Edge calls the bass bite lackluster for most anglers so far, though the annual "bass rafts" are just beginning to show, and the shop expects things to pick up with chillier nights and northerly winds forecast this week — a shift that should reach Long Island Sound as well.
Fluke and albies keep the summer bite alive at Sandy Hook
Water temperatures at Sandy Hook are holding at 72.9°F (NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680), running warm for late September and keeping summer species active into the stretch run. Fluke are still producing: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands worked the bay this week for a mix of shorts and keepers, calling the action strong with only days left before the season closes. Bluefish are in too, per Grumpys Tackle in NJ, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report has bluefish and false albacore running the beaches while fluke stays decent out on the reefs.
Fluke season winds down as bluefish and albies patrol the surf
Water held summer-warm off the Jersey Shore overnight, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reading 73°F and station 8536110 at 75.6°F. Fluke are finishing the season on a high note: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ logged a season-best Friday after a short run to deeper water, with John Froelic topping the boat at eight fish, though the midweek bite was tougher against wind and tide. OTW Northern New Jersey reports only a week left in the fluke season on the reefs. Bluefish have arrived per Grumpys Tackle (NJ), and false albacore are working the beaches on live peanut bunker and jigs, per Fishermans HQ LBI and OTW Northern New Jersey.
Fall Turnover Approaches on the Delaware River and Pine Barrens
The autumnal equinox lands this week across the Delaware River corridor and Pine Barrens, and freshwater systems are moving into their seasonal cool-down. Overnight temperatures are dropping faster than daytime highs, a pattern that steadily lowers surface water temperature through late September and typically re-triggers more aggressive feeding in warmwater species as they put on weight ahead of winter. Flows in the Pine Barrens' cedar streams and the upper Delaware tend to stabilize this time of year after the late-summer draw-down, favoring steadier wading and drift conditions than August offered.
Fall Run Signals Building as Record Albie Hits Massachusetts
Cape Cod Bay water temperatures are holding in the mid-to-upper 60s this morning, with NOAA buoy 44013 reading 65°F and buoy 44020 at 70°F, comfortably in range for the fall push to build. That shift is already visible: On The Water reported a 19.9-pound false albacore broke a 36-year-old Massachusetts record this month, a sign the run is filling in along the coast. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says albies have taken over the oceanfront to the south along with a tautog bite that's picking up, while striped bass have stayed lackluster for most anglers, a pattern the shop expects to flip once colder nights and northerly winds arrive this week.
Tautog bite builds as albies push toward Buzzards Bay
Water temps sit in the upper-60s to low-70s across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound this morning, with NOAA buoy 44085 reading 67°F and CO-OPS stations at Woods Hole and Fall River holding at 70.3°F and 71.1°F. Southern New England's fall run is underway: Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports albies and bonito have taken over the oceanfront to our south, with the tautog bite picking up as water cools, while striped bass have stayed lackluster through the warm stretch. On The Water confirmed the shift is real, noting a 19.9-pound false albacore recently broke a 36-year-old Massachusetts state record.