Fishing reports
16190 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall salmon push builds along Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline
Mid-September marks the seasonal turn along Indiana's Lake Michigan shoreline, when cooling surface water typically triggers Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead to start staging near harbor mouths and pier structure ahead of their fall spawning push. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for this stretch this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds carry a direct shop, captain, or state report from the Indiana lakeshore itself — the closest regional signal is Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's ongoing Great Lakes education and research programming, which speaks to the health of the basin but not to what's biting today. With no fresh eyewitness reports to lean on, we're working off typical early-fall patterns: salmon and steelhead activity should build through the month as nearshore temps drop, yellow perch action tends to taper as fish slide toward deeper water, and smallmouth bass stay catchable around nearshore rock and pier riprap. Check a local shop or the Indiana DNR site before heading out, since ground-truth reports for this exact stretch were thin this cycle.
Spanish mackerel keep Cape Lookout coast red hot into fall
Spanish mackerel are lighting up the Cape Lookout coast this week — Chasin' Tails in Morehead City (per Fisherman's Post) reports nearshore anglers trolling the beaches into steady mixed catches of spanish mackerel and bluefish, with fish showing on top when bait balls get pushed up. Up at Topsail, East Coast Sports says surf and pier anglers are working casting jigs for the same spanish mackerel/bluefish combo, with the best of it coming early in the day. Down toward the Pamlico Sound gateway at Hatteras, Hatteras Jack reports bottom anglers picking up good-sized sea mullet off the Rodanthe-area beaches, with occasional sight-casting chances turning up too. Carolina Beach is running typical late-summer fare — croakers, small sharks, and pinfish — per Island Tackle and Hardware. With water still holding onto summer warmth, spanish mackerel and bluefish are the clear headliners along this stretch as the calendar turns toward the fall transition.
Sea mullet keep Hatteras surf anglers busy as fall bite builds
Bottom anglers working the Rodanthe-area beaches are boxing good-sized sea mullet this week, per Eric at Hatteras Jack, with surf fishermen also getting looks at sight-casting opportunities along the same stretch. That fall build is showing up coastwide too: Fisherman's Post (NC)'s regional roundup has captains trolling up spanish mackerel and bluefish off Morehead City, while Topsail/Sneads Ferry anglers are working casting jigs into the same two species from the surf and piers. Down at Carolina Beach, the report is still a summer holdover — croakers, small sharks, and pinfish in the wash. No local buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temp and swell as unknowns until you check a local source before heading out. NC Sea Grant's storm-readiness reminder is also timely — we're deep in hurricane season, so keep one eye on the tropics alongside the bite.
Charleston Harbor inshore holds strong as flounder run builds
Captain Justin Ravenel's September report for Coastal Angler Magazine describes strong early-fall inshore fishing in the marsh creeks and rivers around Charleston, South Carolina — one of the better stretches this fishery sees all year as water starts easing off summer highs. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Charleston Harbor with this cycle, so we're leaning on angler intel rather than instrument data today. Redfish and spotted seatrout remain the backbone of this fishery through September, typically holding tight to oyster rakes, dock pilings, and grass edges on the moving tide, while flounder start stacking up around creek mouths and channel edges as they stage for their fall push toward the inlets. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are turning on farther up the Carolina coast per Fisherman's Post, a pattern that often works its way south into SC waters as temps drop. Check current state regs before harvesting.
Erie anglers lean on fall transition as reports stay quiet
No buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Erie or Presque Isle this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds carried a direct report from the bay or the lake itself — the closest regional source, PA Sea Grant, published staffing and workshop news rather than a conditions update, and PA Fish & Boat's Biologist Reports page returned no dated entry for this stretch. Rather than guess at a bite, we're leaning on what's typical for mid-September on Lake Erie: walleye starting to push out of deep summer haunts as baitfish schools shift, smallmouth bass still working rock and gravel structure before the fall drop-back, and yellow perch beginning to bunch up in scattered schools. The Presque Isle steelhead run is not expected to be underway yet at this date — that typically builds through October as water temperatures fall. Check current PA Fish & Boat regulations before targeting any species, and treat this as a seasonal outlook rather than a same-day report.
Albies push into Montauk as Long Island's fall run stirs to life
False albacore are filling in off Montauk and yellowfin tuna are showing on the midshore grounds, per On The Water's September 10 Long Island report, while big fluke keep chewing from the Western Sound to the South Shore as they exit the backwaters for the season. On the East End, Double D Charters says striped bass are just beginning to trickle in with porgy and sea bass still strong, while White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays reports stripers showing alongside steady Shinnecock Bay fluke and a strong inlet bluefish bite. Farther west, Fishing East Coast Bait and Tackle in Little Neck credits this week's full moon for a good nighttime striper bite on live eels around Throggs Neck and Manhasset Bay. Bluefish are a mixed bag — red-hot on diamond jigs for the Fishfinder II out of the South Shore, but still "disappointing" per Tyalure Tackle on the North Shore. Cooling nights into the new moon should keep pushing the fall transition forward.
Whitefish buzz builds Superior-wide as North Shore cools into fall
Lake whitefish are the headline story on Lake Superior this year — Wisconsin DNR reports a fishery that has "emerged" strongly enough in the Chequamegon Bay area that biologists ran a public meeting in Ashland and are now surveying anglers through an online questionnaire, a sign of basin-wide interest in a species North Shore anglers can target too. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came back for the North Shore this cycle, so water temp and flow are unverified this run — check a local report before planning around numbers. Typical for mid-September on Superior: cooling surface temps push baitfish shallower and trigger the early fall coho and lake trout bite, while steelhead usually don't stage hard at river mouths until later in the month. Wisconsin DNR is also recruiting Lake Superior basin anglers for a Michigan Tech burbot study, another marker of growing interest beyond salmon and trout. With tonight's new moon, expect the sharpest bite windows at dawn and dusk.
Fall transition arrives on Lake Superior as UP streams cool
Early September marks the seasonal handoff on Lake Superior's south shore, with surface water beginning its typical slide toward fall temperatures and brook trout in Upper Peninsula feeder streams starting to key on cooling flows ahead of the pre-spawn window. Direct, dated field reports for the UP and Lake Superior itself were thin in this week's pull — the WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing program's recent items concern a growing Chequamegon Bay lake whitefish fishery on the Wisconsin side of the basin, and the MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report page is live but didn't surface region-specific detail this time. In the absence of fresh, citable testimony, expect typical early-fall patterns: lake trout easing into shallower structure as nearshore water cools, coho salmon starting to stage near tributary mouths ahead of their run, and stream-resident brook trout picking up activity on cooler mornings. Verify current conditions directly with MI DNR before planning a trip.
Salt River bass eye the fall shad shift as Roosevelt holds steady
The Salt River chain feeding Roosevelt Lake is holding a steady base flow of 628 cfs at USGS gauge 09498500, measured yesterday evening — a stable read with no spike or drop to signal a big shift in water clarity or level heading into the weekend. Water temperature wasn't reported at the gauge, but early-September conditions in this stretch of Arizona typically still run warm enough to keep largemouth and smallmouth bass in their late-summer feeding rhythm before the real fall cooldown kicks in. Nationally, bass anglers are already leaning into that early-fall transition — Tactical Bassin (blog) reports fish pushing onto dock structure and grass edges as baitfish relocate, a pattern that tends to show up on Roosevelt as shad schools start moving shallower. No direct reports came in from the lake or river this week, so treat species activity below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed bite reports until local intel firms up.
Platte and Missouri Catfish Action Building Into Fall
Flows on the Platte and Missouri sit near 1,250 cfs at USGS gauge 06796000 as of September 12, a moderate late-summer stage that keeps catfish activity typical for the season. No water-temperature reading came through on this gauge, so anglers should check a handheld thermometer before dialing in presentations. Local bite reports were light this week, but Wired 2 Fish's recent feature on a Missouri River blue catfish catch is a useful reminder of what this river system can produce — a self-described "river rat" recounted a 100-pound blue catfish taken on an overnight trotline, a technique still worth trying as water cools into fall. General fall patterns favor baitfish-focused presentations as gamefish key on shad and shiners pushing into slower water. Channel cats, blue cats, and white bass should stay catchable on cut bait and bottom rigs through the coming weeks; walleye activity typically stays modest until temperatures drop further.
High Mississippi River Flow Keeps LA Catfish on the Move
The Mississippi River gauge at USGS site 07374000 logged a flow of 214,000 cfs as of the evening of September 12, a strong push of water for mid-September with no water temperature reading available this cycle. Flows in this range typically mean a stained, elevated river, conditions that usually favor catfish over largemouth bass in this basin. Catfish tend to stack up in current seams, wing-dam eddies, and slack-water pockets as baitfish get displaced from the main channel, while bass fishing usually gets tougher in high, off-color water and shifts to backwaters, oxbows, and slower cuts off the main stem. This week's angler-intel sweep did not return any reports specific to the Mississippi or Atchafalaya basins in Louisiana, so the species calls below lean on general seasonal and flow-driven patterns rather than direct on-the-water testimony. Treat any bite chatter from other regions as background context only, not confirmation for local water.
Catskills flows run thin as hopper season keeps trout looking up
USGS readings from two Catskills-region gauges show thin water this week — 58.4 cfs at one gauge and just 7.96 cfs at a second, both logged late Friday night, with no water-temperature data reporting from either station. Low, clear flows like these are typical for mid-September and put a premium on stealth and long leaders rather than raw numbers. On the habitat side, Trout Unlimited reports its New York staff just wrapped a stream-restoration project with the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District on the Saranac River's North Branch, rebuilding an eroded bank with natural materials — a reminder that regional trout water is getting active season-long investment even when the fishing reports are quiet. Elsewhere, shops like Caddis Fly note grasshoppers are peaking as a food source for trout right now, which tracks with what anglers should expect working banks and grassy edges in the Adirondacks and Catskills through the next few weeks.
Finger Lakes smallmouth start eyeing the fall baitfish shift
The USGS gauge at station 04232050 logged 65°F water and a lean 14 cfs flow late Thursday night (9/12), a reading consistent with typical low, clear late-summer baseflow heading into the fall transition. No angler reports came in directly off Cayuga, Seneca, or Skaneateles this cycle, so we're leaning on seasonal pattern rather than on-the-water testimony for this update — worth saying plainly rather than guessing at a bite that wasn't reported. National multi-species outlets are flagging the relevant trend though: Fishing the Midwest notes fish relocating to weed edges that are still green and holding oxygen as shallower grass starts to die off, and Tactical Bassin describes bass sliding toward open water to shadow baitfish schools as the early-fall transition sets in. Both patterns translate reasonably well to Finger Lakes smallmouth and walleye behavior this time of year. With a new moon overnight, expect stronger low-light bites at dawn and dusk. Check current state regs before harvesting anything.
Fluke Stays Hot as Albies Arrive on Sandy Hook Reefs
Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands logged pool-fish fluke pushing 5 pounds 9 ounces this week, with several anglers boating their three-fish limits on clean drifts through Sandy Hook Bay -- about as good as fluke fishing gets this late in the season. Sea bass are stacking around the boat too, giving anglers a reliable backup bite. Offshore of the bay, the picture is shifting fast: OTW's Northern New Jersey report (Sept 10) has false albacore joining bonito and Spanish mackerel on the reefs, with fluking still described as consistent even though the tuna bite has gone spotty. Grumpys Tackle is seeing the same mixed bag of bonito, albies, blues, and Spanish mackerel showing at once. Sea bass charters are producing well per Blue Chip Sportfishing, and shark action has picked up sharply, with a Friday trip there producing three mako sharks, all released.
Albie Blitz Turns On Along the Jersey Shore Reefs
False albacore have joined bonito and Spanish mackerel on the reefs, with Fishermans HQ LBI reporting big bonita and 27-to-30-inch bluefin tuna on light spinning rods this week, and OTW Northern New Jersey confirming albies mixed into the bonito/Spanish mackerel bite on September 10 while fluke action stays steady on the same structure. Grumpys Tackle echoes the pattern — bonito, albies, fluke, and Spanish mackerel all showing in their local reports. Offshore, Blue Chip Sportfishing is finding sharks, tuna, and mahi mid-shore, with sea bass charters producing what the captain called "enough for everyone on board." Fluke remains the reliable inshore target: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has strung together several strong keeper days with pool fish over five pounds, tide and current permitting. Striped bass haven't shown in numbers in these reports yet, which tracks for mid-September ahead of the fall migration.
Fluke limits hold strong as NJ's fall transition builds
No buoy or gauge readings came through for Delaware Bay this cycle, so treat conditions as unconfirmed and check a local forecast before running out. Statewide NJ intel says the fluke bite is still very much alive heading into mid-September — Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands called a recent day "excellent," with several anglers boxing full three-fish limits and pool fish running 5 pounds-plus, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reports fluke holding steady alongside blues, Spanish mackerel, and bonito along the coast. Bay-side, expect summer flounder to remain the September workhorse typical of this fishery, with striped bass activity beginning to build as the fall migration gets underway per Anglers Journal's seasonal notes. NJ Fish & Wildlife News is still gathering angler effort data on summer flounder and black sea bass this season. Bait is thick along the shore per multiple shops — a good early sign for bay predators as they stage ahead of the real fall run.
North Shore lake trout and coho gear up as fall winds arrive
NOAA buoy 45004 recorded sustained wind near 20 mph and air temps around 60°F this week, a sign that fall wind-driven mixing is underway on Lake Superior's North Shore. The buoy didn't report water temperature or wave height this cycle, but cooling surface water typically pushes lake trout and baitfish tighter to structure through September. Basin-wide, the WI DNR's Lake Superior Fishing program notes a growing lake whitefish fishery centered on Chequamegon Bay — a Wisconsin-side fishery, but a useful signal that whitefish activity is picking up lake-wide heading into fall. Coho salmon typically begin staging near river mouths along the North Shore this time of year ahead of their fall spawning push. Direct angler reports for this specific stretch were sparse this cycle; general freshwater fall patterns from Fishing the Midwest point to fish keying on remaining green weed growth and baitfish concentrations as water cools. Expect breezy, changeable conditions to keep boat anglers working sheltered water.
Lake Erie walleye and smallmouth hold summer patterns into fall
Water at NOAA buoy 45132 on Lake Erie held at 73°F this week, with buoy 45005 nearby logging similar mild air temps — both readings still solidly in late-summer range for mid-September in the Presque Isle area, under a light 2-foot chop and wind near 11 mph. Direct on-the-water bite reports specific to Erie were thin in this week's feeds: PA Fish & Boat's Biologist Reports page and PA Sea Grant's latest posts leaned toward research and education news rather than day-to-day conditions. That leaves us pairing the buoy numbers with the seasonal pattern Fishing the Midwest is flagging across the Great Lakes region right now — as weeds start dying back, baitfish (and the walleye, smallmouth, and pike keying on them) are shifting to the last stretches of living, "green" vegetation, with a bladed swim jig worked along those edges producing multi-species action. Expect Erie's walleye and smallmouth to be running the same script.
UP Anglers Eye Cooling Water as Superior Stays Rough
NOAA buoy 45004 is logging roughly 4-5 foot swells on Lake Superior this morning under sustained southwest wind near 20 mph and mild air near 60°F — a day to fish sheltered water rather than push into open-lake chop. The buoy wasn't reporting a water temperature reading, but early September on Superior typically still holds late-summer thermal layering before the real fall turnover kicks in. On the intel side, WI DNR's Lake Superior Fishing program continues tracking a genuinely growing lake whitefish fishery in the Chequamegon Bay area, drawing both boat anglers now and ice anglers later in the season — a trend worth watching as a signal for whitefish activity elsewhere along the lake's south shore, UP waters included. Direct reports out of Upper Peninsula trout streams were thin in today's feeds, so we're leaning on typical early-fall patterns for brookies and browns until fresher shop or captain intel comes through. Expect stream fish to key harder on cooling flows and shortening days from here.
Pine Barrens Bass and Pickerel Push Through a Stormy September Week
A 3-pound largemouth topped a recent HOFNOD contest out of Creekside Outfitters, and Pine Barrens waters are still producing despite a stormy, quiet stretch, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. Batsto Lake continues giving up bass and pickerel, Ocean Acres bass are running to 3 pounds on Chatterbaits and live killies, and Waretown Lake is holding a decent catfish bite. Over toward the Delaware Bay side, Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports water temps still in the upper 70s, with bass, snakeheads and crappie working an early/late topwater pattern, plus panfish stacked in the dam spillways. Recent storms bumped water levels in the upper tidal streams and slowed the sweetwater bite overall, but Dennisville and local Cape May-area lakes and ponds are still turning out largemouth and panfish for anglers working shaded weed edges.
Fall baitfish exodus signals striper push in Narragansett Bay
Saltwater Edge in Middletown reports bonito and a handful of Spanish mackerel landed over the past couple weeks, with albies expected close behind as the fall run gets underway in Narragansett Bay. Their September New Moon forecast, timed to today's moon phase, describes peanut bunker, silversides, and bay anchovies pushing out of the salt ponds and estuaries toward the oceanfront, mixing with sandeels, herring, and squid — the bait exodus stripers key on this time of year. To the north at the Cape Cod Canal, OTW Saltwater documented a squid-driven blitz with 40- and 50-inch bass tearing through the current, a preview of what often follows down the coast. Coastal Angler Magazine and Anglers Journal both flag the broader Northeast striper migration building toward its October peak. No buoy or gauge readings came back this cycle, so check a local forecast before heading out.
Fluke Bite Stays Hot at Sandy Hook as Albies Push Onto Bay Reefs
Fluke fishing has been outstanding out of Atlantic Highlands, with Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reporting "perfect drift all day, beautiful clean water and the fluke were hungry" on a recent trip, with several anglers boating three-keeper limits and pool fish running 3-5 pounds — though tricky current and afternoon southerly winds cut into a few other days out. Sea bass are riding along as a steady mixed-bag partner, with Ol' Salty II (The Fisherman — Northern NJ) reporting one-fish limits of sea bass, ling, and fluke on recent trips. Fall migrants have arrived on the local reefs: Golden Eagle Fishing noted good bluefishing with bonito and Spanish mackerel mixed in between nighttime storms, and OTW Northern New Jersey's September 10 report has albies joining bonito and Spanish mackerel on the reefs while the tuna bite stays spotty. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) is also seeing bonito and albies in the mix. Expect New Moon tides to sharpen the bite this week.
Fluke finish strong as albies and bonito flood Jersey reefs
Fluke are going out on a high note before New Jersey's season closes September 25 — Capt. Ron's Atlantic Highlands called it "exellent fluke fishing" this week, banking a 5-pound-9-ounce pool fish and full limits for several customers despite a couple of current-battered days. On Long Beach Island, Fisherman's HQ LBI reports warm, clean surf water and heavy spearing bait keeping a variety bite going, while the Hi Flier open boat is putting anglers on big bonita, false albacore, and 27-to-30-inch bluefin roughly 30-45 miles out on light spinning gear. Grumpys Tackle and OTW's Northern New Jersey report both note albies have now joined bonito and Spanish mackerel busting bait on the reefs, with fluking still holding steady there too. Black sea bass regs tighten to a 10-fish bag limit on September 23, and NJ Fish & Wildlife is holding hearings this week on a menhaden reduction cap that could ripple into fall bait supply.
Delaware Bay Keeper Flounder Bite Holds Strong Into September
Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports a boat limit of keeper flounder to 22 inches this week on minnows, spearing and squid strips, with croaker, spot, and black drum to 20 pounds mixing in along Delaware Bay, plus more blues and weakfish showing than in recent weeks. Big Dave's Tackle sees the same spread — flounder to 23 inches, weakfish to 19 inches, black drum in the teens on clam baits — while tog and sheepshead work the lighthouses and sea walls on sand fleas and green crabs. Hands Too Bait and Tackle calls the bait supply from the bay down to Cape May "tons and tons," with blues to 6 pounds on hard plastics, weakfish to 4 pounds on soft plastics and bloodworms, and stripers starting to push into the back-bay sod banks. Boulevard Bait & Tackle says the bay flounder bite is still going but keepers take some sorting; better odds are at the reef sites and along the jetty.