Fishing reports
16066 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall Salmon Push Signals Shift Ahead for the Delta
The clearest signal this week comes from the ocean, not the river: Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports the San Francisco Management Zone's fall ocean salmon season opened September 1 to "limits to near-limits" of big, hard-fighting kings for private and party boats — the first uncapped fall opener in three years after wild-caught salmon returned to the menu. That's the leading edge of the run that eventually stages through the Sacramento-San Joaquin system. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for the Delta this cycle, and no shop, charter, or agency report specific to Delta stripers, bass, or sturgeon landed in today's feeds. Absent that direct intel, treat the bite outlook below as typical mid-September Delta behavior — stripers and largemouth easing toward fall feeding patterns as water cools, sturgeon and catfish holding steady — rather than a confirmed report. Check current CDEC flow stages before launching.</summary-style lede here
Fall Chinook Season Builds on the Columbia and Rogue
A forum report from near the mouth of the Columbia this week described 'HOT chinook action trolling solo' in the Buoy 10 area — an unconfirmed single account from IFish.net Fishing Reports, but it lines up with the calendar: early-to-mid September is peak timing for the fall Chinook run pushing into the Columbia and up into the Rogue's lower reaches. No buoy or gauge readings came through in today's pull, so treat flow and temperature as unknowns until you check current data before launching. Typical for this stretch of the season, fall Chinook should be the headline species on both rivers, with early steelhead starting to mix in behind them. Smallmouth bass action on the Columbia's slower pools tends to hold steady into early fall as water cools gradually. We're seeing the classic September pattern shape up — strongest bite windows should cluster around low-light hours as fish stage and move on the tide push near the river mouth.
Snook and Reds Keep Sarasota Bay's Inshore Bite Rolling
Snook fishing should be good during September as fish hold in the ICW around docks and bridges close to passes, according to Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters. Capt. Kelly Kurtz's latest weekly report from the same Siesta Key shop confirms an active inshore bite for snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, and mangrove snapper across Sarasota Bay this week. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress connected with several reds on a popping cork tipped with live shrimp during a rising morning tide. Trout are producing as well: Capt. Brandon Naeve's clients landed a 27-inch spotted seatrout, with the shop noting summer trout bite best around sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Adult migratory tarpon are thinning out in the coastal Gulf per Grassett, sliding into bridges and deep grass flats to rest before pushing out of the area. With heat still elevated, morning and evening windows are producing the most consistent action on live bait and soft plastics.
Fall Weed Bite Heats Up Inland as North Shore Lake Trout Cool
Surface temps near Duluth eased into the mid-60s this week, per the MN DNR's September 10 Lake Superior report, and anglers from all stations described fairly slow going for 18-to-33-inch lake trout — a step down from the steady bite logged there in late August. Inland, the story reads differently. Fishing the Midwest is pointing central Minnesota anglers toward dying weed edges as the fall trigger, noting that as shallow weeds lose oxygen, baitfish and the predators chasing them push toward the last green growth still holding on typical area lakes — a bladed swim jig worked along those transition edges is drawing bass, northern pike, and walleye in the same retrieve, per the same source. With Lake Superior cooling week over week and the waxing crescent moon offering modest overnight light, North Woods trollers are working deeper structure for trout while Twin Cities-area anglers shift shallow, chasing green weeds before the window narrows toward ice-up season.
Fall transition arrives for Finger Lakes bass and walleye
NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter (Aug 14 issue) rolled out a new statewide "Tackle Box" tool for locating quality bass and walleye water, part of its continued push on inland fisheries heading into fall. Out west on Lake Erie, Brookdog Fishing Co. reported a walleye bite that "remains strong" through Sept 13, with lake trout jigging producing consistent fish out of Barcelona — a reminder that New York's open-water action is still rolling even as the calendar turns toward autumn. For Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes anglers, that same seasonal shift typically means smallmouth bass grouping tighter to baitfish and structure, and walleye sliding shallower during low-light windows — patterns Tactical Bassin and Fishing the Midwest have both been covering this week for bass and multi-species trolling. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this region today, so treat water temps as seasonal-normal for mid-September until confirmed on the water.
Fall salmon push nears as Chicago-area anglers await the turn
Lake Michigan's Chicago-area fishery enters the September transition with limited hard data on our end today — no NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for this stretch. The backdrop is strong, though: the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report highlighted 2024 as a standout year, with anglers landing a record 210,000-plus coho salmon and more than 160,000 Chinook salmon, the most since 2012, crediting healthy alewife survival for stocked-fish numbers. Mid-September typically marks the start of the fall push toward river mouths and nearshore structure as surface water cools, a pattern Chicago-area boats lean on every year. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's basin-wide State of Lake Michigan meeting later this fall is another sign the whole system stays under active watch. Without fresh buoy data or a current shop/charter report for this stretch, treat today's picture as seasonal-typical rather than a confirmed hot bite — check a live temp reading before planning your trip.
Fall King Salmon Run Building Off Door County, Sheboygan
Chinook salmon are starting their annual fall push toward harbor mouths and river channels along the Door County and Sheboygan stretch of Lake Michigan, a run that follows a standout 2024 season the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report says produced over 160,000 Chinook landed — the best harvest since 2012 — plus a record 210,000-plus coho salmon. No buoy or gauge readings came back for this stretch today, so we're leaning on seasonal pattern rather than a fresh temp reading; check a local shop's current numbers before you launch. Smallmouth bass, a Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan fixture the DNR has been holding public meetings on for future management, should still be feeding as the lake cools toward fall. Whitefish stay a quieter background target while the DNR gathers input on proposed 2026 harvest limits for the species. Verify current Wisconsin regs before keeping salmon, trout, or whitefish this week.
Fall king run builds at the Grand River mouth
No live buoy or gauge readings came through for the Lake Michigan/Grand River mouth stretch this cycle, so today's read leans on seasonal pattern rather than a fresh temp or flow number. Mid-September is peak window for the fall Chinook and coho push into West Michigan tributaries, with Grand River mouth anglers typically working plugs and spoons near the pierheads and up into the river channel as fish stage ahead of the spawning run. On the Wisconsin side of the lake, the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report has flagged recent seasons as strong ones for the salmon fishery overall, with near-record Chinook and a record coho harvest logged lake-wide. This week's feeds didn't surface a West Michigan shop or charter report speaking directly to Grand River conditions, so treat species status below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed bite. Check the MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report before heading out for the latest river-mouth specifics.
Cooling water lifts hoot-owl limits across Montana's trout rivers
Montana FWP lifted hoot-owl fishing restrictions on the Smith and Sun Rivers effective Aug. 29, and this week extended relief to streams across western and southwest Montana — including the upper Clark Fork, lower Bitterroot, and Silver Bow Creek — as water temperatures dropped below the thresholds that trigger afternoon closures, per MT FWP Fishing News. That's the clearest signal we have right now that thermal stress on trout is easing heading into mid-September. Southwest Montana anglers should stay aware of ongoing low-flow concerns on the Beaverhead River, where Flylords Mag reports a lawsuit filed against FWP by conservation groups over instream flow management — worth checking current flow advisories before a Beaverhead trip. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Yellowstone/Missouri corridor today, so treat water temps and flows as unconfirmed until you check a current report or gauge yourself before heading out.
Michigan's Fall Bite Builds as Salmon Push Rivers, Walleye Hold Strong
Walleye remain the season's headline story in Michigan waters — the MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report noted in its August 19 edition that walleye has become the most-harvested species in Michigan's Great Lakes waters this season, a trend the DNR expects to hold as fish move toward staging areas heading into fall. Michigan's tributaries are also entering the typical window for the fall king salmon run into Great Lakes rivers, though we don't have a shop or charter report confirming this week's numbers, so treat timing as general seasonal knowledge rather than a live bite report. Smallmouth bass are shifting with the fall transition too — a seasonal pattern noted broadly by Tactical Bassin and Fishing the Midwest, with fish following baitfish into shallower structure and around docks as water cools. No fresh buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this cycle, so confirm flow and temp locally before heading out.
Fall salmon push builds along Indiana's Lake Michigan shore
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Indiana shoreline this week, and no Indiana-specific charter or shop reports came through the feed either, so this update leans on lake-wide context and typical mid-September patterns rather than a fresh local bite report. The WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report highlighted just how strong the basin-wide salmon fishery has been recently, noting anglers lakewide landed over 210,000 coho salmon and more than 160,000 Chinook in 2024 — the most Chinook since 2012 — thanks to healthy alewife survival feeding stocked fish. That strength typically carries into the fall staging period across the lake, including Indiana's nearshore waters, as Chinook and coho push toward harbor mouths ahead of their spawning run. Yellow perch should be grouping over deeper structure as the water cools, while smallmouth bass activity typically tapers this time of year. Check with local shops for day-of specifics before heading out.
Albies Push Into Montauk as Long Island's Fall Run Kicks Off
Albies are beginning to fill in off Montauk while yellowfin tuna show in decent numbers on the midshore grounds, per On The Water's September 10 Long Island report. Fluke fishing remains strong from the Western Sound to the South Shore, with Bob's Bait and Tackle in Amity Harbor calling this week 'a mirror image of last week' — plenty of fish in the bay and larger flatties out on the ocean reefs. Striped bass are trickling back into the mix: Long Island Surf shop reports have schoolies to slot fish working the sand at Ditch Plains, Cow Harbor, and Mount Sinai on peanut bunker and spearing, with the better bite at dawn and dusk. Bonito and Spanish mackerel continue pushing along the Sound and East End beaches, a sign the fall run is building. Bluefish are a mixed bag — the Fishfinder II calls its night bite the best in years on diamond jigs, while other North Shore shops report the action has been slower.
Yellowtail and mutton snappers keep Keys anglers busy into fall
Snapper fishing remains the headline story in the Florida Keys, with ALL IN Key West reporting yellowtails "practically jumping in the boat" and big numbers of mutton snappers still feeding aggressively alongside groupers, cobia and kingfish on Gulf-side trips. Bud n' Mary's early-summer report echoed the same pattern, calling June and early July prime time across the flats to the reef, with tarpon around the bridges and mahi pushing offshore. No buoy or gauge data came through for this cycle, so water temp and wave/tide readings aren't available today — check a local source before running offshore. Sailfish showed up unusually early per ALL IN Key West, riding strong Gulf Stream current close to shore. With red snapper season management still in flux per CCA Florida, bottom anglers should confirm current rules before keeping bottomfish.
Snapper, mingo, and triggers keep Panhandle bottom bite going
A Pensacola Fishing Forum angler reported boating a legal red snapper, several vermilion snapper (locally called mingo), and undersized 14.5-inch gray triggerfish across a handful of nearshore structure spots this week — a modest, single-report showing for mid-September, but one that tracks with the Panhandle's usual pattern of bottom species holding tight to structure this time of year. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this update, so check water temps and swell locally before running offshore. Florida Sea Grant's ongoing Atlantic red snapper tagging project — which pays a $250 reward for reported tagged fish — is a good reminder to review current snapper season dates and reporting rules before targeting them. As the fall transition sets in along the Gulf, expect the usual handoff toward king mackerel and redfish showing up on nearshore structure and beaches in the coming weeks.
Snook still biting Sarasota docks as tarpon start thinning out
Snook fishing remains a bright spot around Sarasota this month, with Capt. Rick Grassett of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting fish still holding in the coastal Gulf surf and around ICW docks and bridges near passes, especially as late-summer heat lingers into September. Adult migratory tarpon are thinning out of open Gulf waters per Grassett's monthly forecast, sliding into inside waters to rest over deep grass flats and around bridges ahead of their fall push. Reds are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress of CB's landed several redfish on a popping cork with live shrimp during a rising morning tide this past week. Capt. Brandon Naeve's clients also boated a 27-inch spotted seatrout in Sarasota Bay, one of the state's better speckled-trout grounds, with sunrise and sunset feeding windows still the move. Sport Fishing Mag notes the Gulf-side gag grouper season is short in September and worth targeting before it wraps up.
Marsh transition sets up Georgia's early fall inshore bite
Georgia Wildlife Blog's Fishing Report for September 11 points to the season's first real cooldown settling in — the signal Atlantic coast anglers watch for as inshore species start shifting toward classic fall feeding behavior. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this cycle, so water temp and tide timing here are unconfirmed; check a local source before you head out. Separately, GA Sea Grant's ongoing Turtle-Brunswick River Estuary traineeship is specifically studying how warming waters are affecting striped bass in Georgia's estuaries, underscoring that predator-prey timing on this coast keeps shifting year over year. Direct on-the-water reports for the Atlantic coast were thin this week, so expect the typical early-September pattern to hold: redfish and spotted seatrout working marsh edges and creek mouths as shrimp push out of the grass, with flounder still tight to structure. Confirm current regs before keeping anything.
Snake River cutthroat dial in as fall trout window opens
The USGS gauge near Moose is reading 60°F with flow holding around 1,710 cfs as of Sunday night — comfortable, stable water for a mid-September push on the Snake River system draining Grand Teton and Yellowstone country. This sits squarely in the sweet spot of the fall calendar for Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat, which typically key on hopper-dropper rigs and attractor dries through midday before smaller Blue-Winged Olives take over toward evening. Brown trout are entering their seasonal shift toward pre-spawn aggression, a stretch that generally rewards streamer swings along undercut banks and slower seams as October approaches. Rainbows should be working the same runs on nymph rigs, while mountain whitefish remain a steady, underappreciated bottom-bouncing option when the trout bite slows. No storm signals are showing in the data at hand, so stable flows should hold through the week — check the local forecast and current WY regs before heading out.
Fall Green River trout bite steadies as UT backs native cutthroat
The Green River is holding a steady 59°F at 2,320 cfs as of Saturday evening, per USGS gauge 09234500 — solid tailwater conditions for an early-fall feeding window. No angler reports specific to the Green River or Uinta Lakes surfaced in our sources this cycle, but Utah's native-trout story is active elsewhere in the state: Outdoor Hub reports the Division of Wildlife Resources treated roughly three miles of Salt Lake County's Mill Creek with rotenone to remove an illegally introduced brook trout population and protect native cutthroat, a sign of how seriously the state is managing its trout fisheries this season. On the Green itself, expect typical mid-September behavior — rainbows and browns feeding actively on midges and terrestrials as flows and temps ease toward fall norms, with Uinta high-lake cutthroat still catchable ahead of the first hard cold. Check current Utah DWR regulations before harvesting anything, especially in waters tied to native-species recovery work.
Green River tailwater settles into a stable fall trout pattern
The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam is running a steady 2,320 cfs at 59°F as of Saturday evening, per the USGS gauge at Greendale (09234500) — both numbers sitting right in the seasonal window for a dam-controlled tailwater easing into fall. No fresh on-the-water reports came in from Flaming Gorge or Green River sources this cycle, so species status below leans on typical September behavior rather than a confirmed bite. Statewide, Outdoor Hub reported Utah wildlife officials treated Mill Creek in Salt Lake County with rotenone to remove an illegal brook trout population and protect native cutthroat — a different drainage from the Green, but a sign the state is actively managing cutthroat fisheries this month. Expect rainbows and browns to stay steady as flows hold consistent, with kokanee starting to stage for their fall run. Check current Utah DWR regulations before harvesting any species out of this tailwater section.
Kansas River corridor still favors catfish as fall pattern builds
Water on the Kansas River corridor sat at 76°F Sunday night with flow running 1,690 cfs at USGS gauge 06892350 — a stout push for mid-September that keeps current seams, wing-dam eddies, and rip-rap edges the go-to program right now. No shop or charter reports came in directly off the Kansas or Arkansas Rivers this week, so we're leaning on typical late-summer-into-fall behavior for prairie rivers this warm: channel catfish should still be feeding hard on cut bait and stinkbait worked along current breaks, and blue catfish are more likely to show after dark in the deeper holes. Fishing the Midwest's fall notes on baitfish movement track with what tends to trigger the first white bass and wiper schooling activity as shad start pushing toward structure — worth watching for as temps ease. Crappie remain the slower bite until water cools further.
Western Basin Walleye Hold Pattern as Water Stays Warm
Water temperatures across the Western Basin corridor held at 73°F this week, per the USGS gauge on the Maumee watershed system (site 04193500), with flow steady near 581 cfs — still running on the warm side for mid-September. That kind of warmth typically keeps Western Basin walleye scattered and relating to bait schools over deeper structure rather than pushing shallow, a normal late-summer holding pattern before the real fall cool-down arrives. This week's regional fishing-media pull didn't turn up a Western Basin-specific bite report, but Fishing the Midwest's recent notes on blending traditional walleye presentations — jigging live bait, pulling crawler harnesses, trolling crankbaits — with forward-facing sonar are a useful reminder that the old-school program still produces even when fish are spread out in warm water. Treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local report until a shop or captain check-in comes through.
Tennessee River bass shift from grass to open-water baitfish
On the Tennessee River, anglers are finding largemouth stacked around grass flats early in the day before the bite slides to open water once the sun climbs, per a Tactical Bassin on-the-water report this week that pairs flipping and topwater with reaction baits as fish key on baitfish. The same report notes fish are mid-transition from summer to fall patterns, a shift On The Water's fall-bass coverage frames around chasing baitfish rather than water temperature alone. Flow at USGS gauge 03434500 read 74.6 cfs as of the most recent reading, with no water-temperature data available this cycle. Fishing the Midwest's fall-pattern notes on weed-holding fish echo the same idea a region over: as vegetation starts to thin, gamefish relocate to the healthiest remaining grass and adjacent open water. For Cumberland-system anglers, that means working grass edges early, then following baitfish schools as the day warms.
Fall Chinook Season Rolls On for Olympic Peninsula Rivers
No buoy or gauge readings came back for Olympic Peninsula salmon rivers this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep leaned national and saltwater rather than local — nothing from a Peninsula-specific shop, captain, or forum thread made it into the feed. What we can say is seasonal: mid-September sits squarely in the front half of the fall Chinook and coho push that defines Olympic Peninsula river fishing, with hatchery and wild fish typically staging and pushing upstream on rain-driven freshets through October. WDFW's statewide creel and catch program (WA WDFW Fishing Reports) tracks exactly this kind of week-to-week movement via angler interviews at access sites, and checking those numbers directly is the best way to fill the gap this report can't. Until fresher local intel or gauge data comes through, treat any specific bite report for this stretch with caution — nothing above confirms fish are moving yet.
Eastern Washington anglers eye the fall trout and kokanee turn
Mid-September marks the seasonal pivot for Eastern Washington's Yakima and Spokane-area waters, with cooling nights typically nudging trout and kokanee into more active feeding windows after summer's low, clear-water lull. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds skewed toward Puget Sound shellfish-safety notes and national bass/muskie content rather than Eastern Washington-specific dispatches — so treat this as seasonal-pattern guidance, not a fresh bite report. WDFW's statewide creel and stocking program, per WA WDFW Fishing Reports, keeps Yakima River tailwaters and Spokane-region lakes replenished heading into fall, which is typically the setup for improving rainbow trout and kokanee action as water temperatures drop. Smallmouth bass on the Columbia system and walleye in the bigger reservoirs are usually still catchable this time of year but sliding off peak-summer pace. We don't have hyper-local numbers this week, so check current WDFW creel reports before planning a trip.