Fishing reports
14764 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall bass bite builds at Lake of the Ozarks as Osage flow runs high
USGS gauge 06935550 logged 122,000 cfs with water at 69°F early Thursday morning, and gauge 06934500 showed 119,000 cfs at 68°F overnight on the Osage River system, both readings running well above a typical fall base flow while holding onto summer-range warmth. Field & Stream's fall bass tactics piece notes that as summer heat fades and nights cool, shad and other baitfish push into the shallows, setting up increased smallmouth activity. Tactical Bassin's October bass coverage backs the same shift, pointing anglers toward jigs and bladed swim jigs worked tight to structure as the pattern develops.
Merrimack smallmouths holding on topwater as fall cooling sets in
NH's monitored freshwater gauges are running cool and low this week, water temperatures between 51°F and 54°F and flows from 4.7 to 16.8 cfs across the Merrimack watershed stations, typical fall baseflow with no meaningful rain pushing them up. On the Merrimack River itself, The Fisherman — New England Freshwater reports smallmouth bass still active on spinnerbaits and topwater lures cast from shore through the Concord stretch, a bite holding steady even as nights cool toward the 30s.
Clear-running tributaries meet a swollen mainstem as fall sets in
Oregon's Columbia and Rogue freshwater gauges show a clear split this week. The two tributary stations are running low and cool at 13.1 cfs and 58°F (USGS gauge 14211542) and 14.8 cfs and 56°F (USGS gauge 14211550), while the monitored mainstem reach is carrying far more water at a warmer 64°F on 25,600 cfs (USGS gauge 14211720). That contrast, thin, cold feeder water running into a big, warmer mainstem, is the defining condition on the system right now and is worth planning a trip around rather than fish reports alone.
Cooling Northwoods lakes trigger fall walleye and pike bite
Water temperatures across north-central Wisconsin lake country have slipped to 50°F on one regional gauge this week, exactly the cool-down Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop has been tracking out of Oneida and Vilas Counties as the fall transition takes hold. Fishing the Midwest points to this stretch as prime time for walleye, recommending a bottom-bouncer rig with a plain snell and nightcrawler as lakes slide through the 50s. The same source notes pike and other predators are following baitfish into whatever green, oxygenated weed growth is left as surrounding vegetation dies back, with a bladed swim jig working those shrinking flats.
Big Hole River reopens as rain lifts Montana flows
Rain over the weekend eased river levels enough for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to lift the angling closure on Section 5 of the Big Hole River, from the Tony Schoonen access site down to the Beaverhead confluence, per MT FWP Fishing News. Section 1 stays closed. Regional USGS gauges show water temperatures spanning 45°F to 58°F and flows between 224 and 1160 cfs this morning, a wide spread that reflects the mix of smaller feeder streams and larger stems typical of the Yellowstone and Missouri headwaters country this time of year. MT FWP also flagged that spawning closures on some rivers begin October 1, so anglers should confirm water-specific rules before fishing moving water this week. Separately, Outdoor Hub reports Montana is considering removing daily limits on northern pike, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass at Flathead Lake under the proposed 2027-2028 regulations, not yet in effect.
North Shore Lake Trout Bite Steadies as Metro Streams Run Low
The MN DNR's Lake Superior Summer Fishing report for October 1 points to a real turn on the North Shore: anglers logged a steady bite for 18 to 29 inch Lake Trout from every sample station, a clear improvement after weeks of fairly slow trout fishing through September. The same report notes good numbers of 15 to 19 inch Walleye near Duluth, with trollers working spoons, flasher flies, and stick baits for the trout. Inland, our Twin Cities stream gauges show water running clear and cold, 57 to 59°F on the smaller tributaries, with discharge sitting in typical low fall range on those streams while the Mississippi and Crow River corridors carry noticeably more volume. Fishing the Midwest's standing fall advice still applies here: as remaining weed growth thins, baitfish and the gamefish chasing them concentrate on whatever green cover is left.
Delaware Bay stripers feeding hard as fall transition kicks in
Delaware Bay's water held at 66°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, a reading that sits right in the band that typically kicks the fall striper push into gear. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports that anglers working the bay this week, per Big Dave's Tackle, mixed stripers in with tautog, with green crabs and sand fleas producing tog off the Cape May jetties; the open bay away from structure stayed quieter, with only scattered weakfish reports. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf carries word from Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May that striped bass "really got on a good feed" along the back-bay sod banks once the weekend nor'easter cleared out, with quality weakfish also hitting in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails and even bloodworms. Small bluefish in the 1- to 3-pound class are mixed into that bite, and the tautog chew remains active around the jetties, though keeper-size fish take some sorting.
Striped bass blowing up in Narragansett Bay breachways as tautog bite builds
Water holds at 62.8°F at both the Newport-area CO-OPS stations (8452660, 8452944) as of midday, a normal reading for early October ahead of the real fall cool-down. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports striped bass fishing "blowing up" around the islands, with fish feeding tight to structure on bait, and says the tautog bite is chewing and getting better by the week. The Fisherman — Rhode Island's shop network backs that up: Snug Harbor Marina and Quonnie Bait and Tackle both have stripers producing well along the south county beaches and breachways, while Frances Fleet and Booked Off Charters report fuller black sea bass keeper counts since the recent nor'easter pushed the smaller fish out. False albacore are a mixed bag this week — Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says the albies have moved off for now, while Snug Harbor Marina is still marking some around the windmills south of Block Island.
Redfish Working Keys Flats as Fall Tide Rhythm Settles In
Water temperatures across the Florida Keys remain firmly in the mid-to-upper 80s this week, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580 reading 86.2°F and station 8723970 at 86.9°F as of this morning. Those numbers are still full summer-pattern for the flats and reef, and they're keeping the inshore bite tuned up heading into October. Salt Strong's latest inshore report notes that elevated water levels across the Southeast are pushing fish like redfish off their usual spots and into flooded shorelines, grass, and creek mouths, giving them far more real estate to work and making them tougher to pin down on a given tide. On the charter side, ALL IN Key West says the summer heat is finally starting to break, a shift that typically signals the start of the fall transition anglers wait on in the Keys.
Yellowtail Bite Holds for the SoCal Fleet Out of Point Loma
San Diego's NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 reads 77.5°F this morning, while the La Jolla gauge at station 9410230 sits noticeably cooler at 70.7°F, a reminder that water temperature in the Bight can swing several degrees over a short stretch of coastline. The clearest signal from the fleet this week comes from Western Outdoor News — Saltwater: the half-day boat Daily Double, running out of Point Loma Sportfishing, rewarded its crew with a trip built around yellowtail after "crushing the yellowtail" on a recent run. That matches the yellowtail activity anglers have leaned on through the Bight this fall, and with warm water still holding at the southern station, there's little reason to expect that bite to shut off in the next few days.
Tautog and sea bass fire up as Jersey Shore digs out from the nor'easter
Water temps are steady at 64°F at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8534720 (Sandy Hook) and 8536110 (Cape May), and the Jersey Shore bite has sorted itself back out since last week's nor'easter pushed through. Tautog is the standout right now. Surf City Bait and Tackle and Jingles Bait and Tackle both report solid tautog out of Barnegat Light on green crab, per The Fisherman — Central NJ, while tog to 3 pounds are coming off the Barney Inlet rockpiles on sand fleas, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, and One Stop Bait and Tackle has blackfish keepers to 4 pounds off the Atlantic City jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Black sea bass is just as consistent. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ called the bite "very good all day" with keepers for everyone aboard, and the Mary M IV put together a 20-fish haul over the weekend, per The Fisherman — Central NJ. Striped bass are spread through the back bays and surf. Pier 47 Marina has fish feeding most nights on spook lures and soft plastics, One Stop Bait and Tackle is seeing stripers to 33 inches at night on plastics near Atlantic City, and Fin-Atics is finding schoolies to 22 inches on soft plastic jerk baits around the bridges, all per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Bluefish are mixed into the surf too, with Fin-Atics in Ocean City finding a wave of 2- to 3-pound blues hitting metals at Corson's Inlet, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf. Fluke are still coming over the rail: Capt Ron's charter boated several up to 4 pounds Saturday, and Blue Chip Sportfishing is putting anglers on fluke on half- and full-day trips. Down in Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports quality weakfish in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails, and bloodworms, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf.
Fall striper push reaches Sandy Hook as sea bass bite stays steady
Water at Sandy Hook is sitting at 62.2°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, right in the window that's finally waking up the fall run. The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports bass moving in and out of the inlet with the tide at Fisherman's Den, with live eels doing the damage on jetty fish and surfcasters picking up mixed-size bass on eels and plugs. Bluefishing turned on too — the Golden Eagle found slammers once they located them, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. On the bottom, Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands is running steady sea bass trips with everyone going home with dinner, and has shifted to a 7 AM–2:30 PM sailing time, open boat with no reservations needed. Blue Chip Sportfishing lists fluke and sea bass both producing on half- and full-day trips. Tautog are chewing too, with green crabs doing the trick at Fisherman's Den.
Delaware smallmouth and Mullica stripers both holding steady
Local USGS gauges are reading 56°F to 63°F this week with flows holding low and stable, 13.6 to 40.5 cfs, classic early-October base flow with no recent rain bump. On the Delaware River, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown reports continued good smallmouth bass fishing from Lambertville north. Down in the Pine Barrens drainage, Allen's Dock reports striped bass still being caught above the tide line in the Mullica River, with water levels settling after flooding from last week's nor'easter.
Sarasota snook settle into docks and bridges as fall shift begins
Water temps are holding in the low 80s across the bay this week, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8726724 at Clearwater Beach reading 81.9°F and station 8726520 at St. Petersburg at 81.7°F. Capt. Rick Grassett of CB's Saltwater Outfitters in Sarasota reports snook pulling off the beaches and passes and settling into the Intracoastal Waterway, staging around docks, bridges and shallow grass flats as they begin their move toward wintering areas. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, also fishing out of CB's on Siesta Key, says the inshore bite in Sarasota Bay has stayed active for snook and redfish, with one recent angler landing a redfish before release.
Lake Hartwell holds a shallow bite as Savannah chain eases toward fall
Water on the Lake Hartwell and Russell stretch of the Savannah chain is still holding summer-leaning numbers heading into the second week of October. USGS gauge 02193900 read 76°F and gauge 02188100 came in at 75°F this morning, with gauge 02195520 slightly cooler at 73°F — the chain hasn't broken into true fall temperatures yet. Flow below the system stayed steady at 186 cfs on gauge 02192000, a stable, unremarkable stage for this time of year. On the water, MLF News reports Dawsonville's Reed Rooke closed out the Phoenix Bass Fishing League's Savannah River Division season with a two-day, 34-pound tournament total right on Lake Hartwell, working shallow early before adjusting as the morning bite slowed — evidence fish are still catchable shallow despite the warmer-than-typical water. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's early-October report also flags the first real cool mornings settling into the state, a signal change is close.
Fall pattern takes hold on Georgia's Chattahoochee and Savannah waters
Water conditions across the Chattahoochee and Savannah drainages are splitting into two stories this week. Two upper-basin gauges (USGS gauge 021963601 and USGS gauge 02195520) are holding steady in the low-to-mid 70s, at 74°F and 73°F respectively, typical for this stretch of the calendar. A smaller Savannah-basin tributary (USGS gauge 02172300) is running noticeably cooler at 64°F on a trickle of just 3.73 cfs, while the region's larger mainstem gauge (USGS gauge 02197000) is carrying a healthy 3,880 cfs. Georgia Wildlife Blog — Fishing's recent weekly dispatches have been leaning into the turn of the season, pointing to cooler mornings and changing leaves as the cue to get back out after the summer heat. With the moon in a waning crescent phase heading toward new, low-light conditions should favor early and late outings over the next several days.
Fall striper push rolls toward the Chesapeake mouth
Water at the Chesapeake Bay mouth is holding near 70°F this week, with both NOAA CO-OPS stations (8638610 and 8637689) reading nearly identical temperatures and low tide landing around 2:20 PM today. That's squarely in the window stripers tolerate well as they stage for the fall run. Farther up the coast, The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the season's first 50-inch-plus striped bass showing in the NJ/DE Bay region behind last week's nor'easter, with anglers there also turning back to black sea bass as that bite firms up. Anglers Journal frames this stretch of fall as the Northeast fishery's seasonal high point, when striper migrations push south along the coast.
Fall walleye-pike bite builds as Lake Superior quota talks near
Hook-and-line sturgeon season on Wisconsin waters closed out September 30, per the WI DNR Wisconsin Fishing News, shifting attention back to the river's fall walleye and pike bite. On the upper Wisconsin River, flows are holding at a typical early-October level for this stretch near its headwaters. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch notes that as weed beds begin to die off this time of year, baitfish and the gamefish that follow them pull off the thinning cover and relocate to whatever green, living weeds remain — a pattern worth tracking on Wisconsin River backwaters right now. Frisch also points to the bladed swim jig and the 'plain rig' bottom-bouncer-and-snell combo as go-to fall producers for walleye and pike.
Texas river systems ease toward the fall turnover window
USGS gauge 08211200 is reading 174 cfs with water at 82°F, and the downstream gauge (0821150305) shows 83°F, both still on the warm side for early October. North Texas Catfish Guide, reporting out of Eagle Mountain Lake, described the recent stretch as a late-summer grind: hot, calm water and a finicky, barely-there bite that forced anglers to tighten up their hookset timing, while also flagging the first early signs of a fall shift starting to show.
Susquehanna tributaries ease into prime fall feeding window
USGS gauge 01540500 on the West Branch Susquehanna is running an elevated 3,370 cfs at 62°F this morning, while the tributary stations at 01549700 and 01573208 sit calm at 166 cfs and 217 cfs with water in the mid-50s. That split, a still-swollen stem river against two settled tributaries, is the defining read on conditions across the Susquehanna and Allegheny drainages this week. Water in the mid-to-upper 50s on the smaller creeks puts fish solidly into the early-fall cooling pattern, with the warmer main-stem reading showing the bigger river hasn't fully caught up yet.
St. Johns River fishing shifts into early fall rhythm
St. Johns River gauges are running warm and steady this week. USGS gauge 02232400 logged 81°F water with flow at 2,330 cfs this morning, while a second station nearby (02232000) measured 2,270 cfs just before. That's a stable, late-summer-style flow holding into October, with no sharp rise or drop between the two readings. The waning crescent moon is thinning toward new moon, which typically means a lighter tidal and lunar pull on feeding windows over the next several days. Freshwater conditions across the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns corridor remain firmly in warm-water territory for early October.
Grand River region bass, pike, and walleye turn on for the fall bite
Water temperatures across Michigan's Great Lakes and Grand River waters are sitting right in the fall transition zone this week: gauge 04118564 read 60°F and gauge 04108660 read 61°F, while gauge 04108862 came in cooler at 57°F. That range is exactly where regional fall patterns typically kick in, and local reports back it up. A shore angler on the Michigan Sportsman Forum landed a 24-inch walleye on a blue ice worm jig in stained water this week, a presentation that lines up with Fishing the Midwest's seasonal advice to work a bottom-bouncer "plain rig" for walleye as water cools. Tactical Bassin's October coverage says largemouth and smallmouth bass are chasing baitfish hard on crankbaits, swimbaits, and topwater despite the drop in temperature, and Fishing the Midwest notes a bladed swim jig worked over shoreline flats and dying weed edges is pulling bass, northern pike, and walleye together this time of year. Michigan DNR published its latest weekly fishing report October 7, covering Great Lakes and lower-peninsula conditions.
Schoolie stripers and late albies share the bite near Falmouth
Water temperatures at the Woods Hole and Fall River CO-OPS stations are holding in the low 60s (63.1°F and 63.3°F) as the fall run settles into its seasonal rhythm around Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Per Falmouth Bait and Tackle, schoolie stripers are working the Falmouth shoreline with a few slot bass taking topwater and metals around Nobska, while bluefish are mixing in from Hyannis to the Woods Hole entrance. At Black Rose Fishing Charters out of Bass River, Capt. Rich Antonio reports a mixed bag of tautog and striped bass, with occasional pods of bluefish and false albacore mixed in. Goose Hummock Shop finally connected with albies on the last two days of the week, with some fish running into the mid-teens.
TPWD Eyes Redfish Tag Changes as Fall Bait Run Hits South Padre
Water temperatures are holding near 83.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 off South Padre, with the morning low around 8:36 a.m. CDT building toward a high near 1:58 p.m. — a similar rhythm at the Port Mansfield station (8779770), where water sits at 82.4°F and the tide bottoms out near 8:52 a.m. ahead of a 2:38 p.m. high. Texas Fish & Game Magazine reports TPWD has proposed fishing rule changes touching redfish tags and flounder, with the annual November flounder closure staying in place. Saltwater Sportsman notes the fall mullet run is pushing bait through Gulf estuaries from September into November, the kind of baitfish migration that typically pulls predators tight to passes and drains as it builds.