Fishing reports
14764 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Warm, high water holds through early October on Kentucky Lake
USGS gauge 03612600 has water running at 74°F with flow near 108,000 cfs as of Wednesday morning, a strong discharge for Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley heading into October. That much current pushes hard through the main channel and tailwater stretches, concentrating baitfish and the predators following them tighter against current breaks and channel-edge structure. A second local gauge, 03611500, had no fresh reading at the time of this report.
Wind River flows ease as cold-water season takes hold
Water temperatures across the Wind River basin range from 50°F to 58°F this week, with USGS gauge 06236100 reading the warmest monitored reach at 58°F on 355 cfs, gauge 06253000 at 53°F on 115 cfs, and gauge 06258000 running a lean 9.97 cfs at 50°F. That flow spread, from under 10 cfs to well over 300 cfs across reaches just a few miles apart, is typical as late-season irrigation diversions taper off through the basin. Gauge 06259000 is currently offline.
Walleye and pike dial in as Ohio river systems cool into fall
Readings across southwest Ohio's gauge network show a clear cool-down split this week. USGS gauge 03274000 is running a steady 2,120 cfs at 64°F, gauge 03242350 sits warmer at 69°F, and the smaller gauge 03240000 has dropped to 57°F on just 72 cfs. That spread lines up with Fishing the Midwest's fall-pattern notes on bladed swim jigs drawing walleye and northern pike as baitfish push off dying summer weed growth into firmer cover. The same source points to the "plain rig," a bottom-bouncer rig with a nightcrawler snell, as a go-to for walleye once water cools into the mid-50s to mid-60s, right where these gauges sit now.
Deschutes headwaters settle into cold, low-flow fall pattern
Headwater gauges feeding the Deschutes system are running cold and thin this week, with early-morning readings of 38°F at USGS gauges 14070624 and 14070621 and 41°F at USGS gauge 14070900, all well into the range where fish metabolism slows and feeding windows narrow. Flows are modest too, from 5.61 cfs to 18.9 cfs across the three monitored sites, typical of base flow once fall rains have yet to arrive in the high Cascades.
High Water Pushes Mississippi River Bite to the Margins
USGS gauge 07289000 on the Mississippi River is running well above typical early-October stage, keeping the main channel high and the current strong through the stretch it tracks across the Mississippi and Pearl river systems. No fresh water-temperature reading came through with this update, so the clearest read on where fish are stacking right now is current, not thermometer. High, fast water this time of year usually means less feeding along exposed flats and more activity tucked into current breaks, wing dams, and the mouths of connecting sloughs and backwaters where the main flow eases.
Fall transition settles in on the Platte and Missouri
USGS gauge 06796500 on the Platte system logged 65°F with flow running 3,590 cfs this morning, while gauge 06800500 downstream held near 64°F at 1,230 cfs — numbers that put both rivers squarely in the early-October cool-water window after summer's warmer flows faded. A third station (06796550) confirms the 64°F read without a flow report, and the upstream gauge 06796000 shows the Missouri side pushing a heavier 4,190 cfs. Across the network, water sits in the low-to-mid 60s, the kind of steady fall cooling that pushes baitfish and predators alike toward structure as the season turns.
High flow keeps Mississippi River fish pushed into the Atchafalaya basin's backwaters
The Mississippi River at Baton Rouge (USGS gauge 07374000) is running roughly 342,000 cfs with water holding near 78°F on its latest reading, firmly on the warm side this deep into October. That volume keeps the river pushing hard through the main channel, which typically shifts freshwater fish out of open current and into the softer water along the Atchafalaya basin's flooded timber, cuts, and backwater edges, where forage concentrates and current breaks are easier to hold on.
Cooling flows set up fall transition at Roosevelt Lake
Tonto Creek is running a cool 55°F into Roosevelt Lake this week (USGS gauge 09497830), while the Salt River below the dam holds steadier at 65°F with 134 cfs moving through the chain (USGS gauge 09510000). Upstream, the Salt River above the lake is running higher at 404 cfs (USGS gauge 09498500). That spread, a cold tributary meeting a warmer, higher lake system, marks the start of the fall turnover window anglers in this chain watch for every October.
Finger Lakes anglers eye fall turnover as flows run low
USGS gauge 04232050, reading near the Finger Lakes drainage, logged 58°F water and flow holding low at 13.2 cfs as of early Wednesday morning. That combination, cool but not cold, flow thin and settled, points to a region still easing toward fall turnover rather than any recent rain pulse pushing water around. No state agency or shop reports specific to Cayuga, Seneca, or Skaneateles came through this week, so this update is grounded in the instrument reading rather than fresh bite reports.
High water tests Missouri river anglers as fall bite builds
Both monitored river gauges are running high this week: USGS gauge 06935550 logged 125,000 cfs at 69°F early Thursday morning, while USGS gauge 06934500 showed 119,000 cfs at 68°F a few hours earlier. That much volume pushes extra current and color through these systems, water that rewards anglers working slack-water seams, eddies and inside bends rather than fighting the main channel. Temps in the upper 60s are still mild for early October, which should keep fish feeding actively ahead of the colder push that typically follows later in the month.
Columbia System Settles Into Early Fall Flow Pattern
The Columbia mainstem gauge (USGS 14105700) read 78,400 cfs and 65°F in the early hours this morning, while two tributary gauges (USGS 14103000, USGS 14113000) showed cooler, smaller flows: 60°F at 4,060 cfs, and 624 cfs with no temperature reported. Strong mainstem volume running against cooler tributary input is the typical signature of the lower Columbia system moving into its early-fall rhythm.
Rainy River walleyes shift into fall cool-down pattern
The Rainy River is running about 5,980 cfs with water sitting at 54°F this morning, per USGS gauge 05133500 near Lake of the Woods, numbers that put the system squarely into the cooling-water window anglers wait for all fall. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch points to exactly this stretch of the calendar for walleyes, favoring the "plain rig," a bottom bouncer rigged with a plain snell and a nightcrawler or leech, a presentation he calls a go-to once water cools from its summer highs.
Tailwater Flows Hold Steady on the South Platte and Arkansas
Flows on the South Platte, per USGS gauge 06701900, are running at stable, typical fall levels, continuing a pattern that has defined Colorado's rivers through most of 2026. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing has pointed anglers toward tailwaters like this one all year as the most reliable option while freestone rivers ran low and warm through the drought. Colorado Trout Hunters reports the Dream Stream's migratory brown trout push has wrapped up for the season, with fish having moved back downstream into the reservoir after a strong fall run.
South Fork Snake River settles into fall drawdown pattern
The South Fork's flow held steady overnight, per USGS gauge 13037500, consistent with the fall drawdown pattern that typically settles in across the Snake River system once irrigation season winds down upstream. Water clarity and current speed this time of year favor steady, technical presentations over the more aggressive approach anglers lean on during spring runoff.
Fall cool-down takes hold as Eufaula-area rivers run near record lows
Flows across the Lake Eufaula and Red River drainages are about as thin as they get. USGS gauge 07247500 on the Canadian River is reading just 3.24 cfs, gauge 07335700 is essentially flat at 0 cfs with water at 69°F, and gauge 07198000 is at 61.6 cfs with water at 71°F. Those temperatures put the system squarely in the early-fall transition window, with water still warm enough to keep fish active but cooling toward the turnover that reshuffles where they hold.
Delta tides push back as fall water cooling sets in
Mid-channel Delta temperatures are holding in the low 70s, with USGS gauge 381126121554801 reading 72°F and gauge 381142122015801 at 71°F, while the Sacramento River gauge at Freeport (USGS 11447650) runs several degrees cooler at 67°F on a solid 7,870 cfs outflow. The standout reading is gauge 11455420, logging a flow of roughly -31,500 cfs — a strong negative value that signals an incoming tide overpowering river outflow and pushing water back upstream through the lower Delta channels. That kind of tidal reversal is normal for this stretch of water and matters more for timing a trip than the water temperature does right now.
Fall mullet run reaches the Georgia coast as fish follow the bait
NOAA's CO-OPS station 8670870 is reading 77°F at the Georgia coast, still warm enough to keep the fall transition gradual. Offshore, buoy 41008 logged light winds near 16 knots with air temps in the upper 70s, a calm early-October pattern. The real headline right now is the bait: Saltwater Sportsman reports the fall mullet run is underway along the Atlantic Coast, with millions of mullet pouring out of rivers, bays, and estuaries from September into November and pulling predators tight behind them. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's October 2 report leaned into the same seasonal shift, cooler mornings and changing leaves arriving along the coast. Georgia Sea Grant is also marking National Seafood Month through October with coastal tastings, boat trips, and estuary-focused events, a timely nod to the same waters producing this bite.
Hill Country lakes ease into fall as flows settle near baseline
Water temperatures across the Highland Lakes chain are sliding into the low-to-mid 70s this week, with USGS gauge 08155500 reading 72°F near the Travis headwaters, 08105891 at 76°F, and 08170990 down to 70°F near Buchanan. Flow is light throughout the system: 08170990 shows 0 cfs, 08155500 is running just 20 cfs, and 08158000 is at 201 cfs below Austin. That mix of cooling water and minimal fresh inflow marks the shift out of summer stratification and into the early fall turnover window anglers watch for on Travis, LBJ, and Buchanan.
Catskills trout streams run cold and low into fall
Water temperatures across the gauged Catskills streams range from 49°F at USGS gauge 01434025 up to 54°F at USGS gauge 01414750, with 53°F showing on USGS gauge 0136219503. Flows are low and varied: 5.23 cfs at 01434025, 8.28 cfs at 01415000, and a comparatively higher 82.8 cfs at 01413500. That spread puts most of the region in the high-40s to mid-50s band where brown trout become more active ahead of their fall spawning push, and the thinner flows mean clearer water for sight-fishing pocket water and pools.
ND rivers enter fall cooldown as walleye window opens
USGS gauge 05059300 logged water at 56°F with flow near 566 cfs early this morning, while gauge 05051522 held at 56°F and 349 cfs and gauge 05054000 ran slightly warmer at 59°F and 351 cfs. That spread puts the Red and Missouri River systems squarely in the fall cooling window, where water sliding into the mid-50s typically sharpens feeding activity as fish bulk up ahead of winter.
Sacramento-Delta Settles Into Its Fall Water Pattern
Sacramento-Delta water temperatures are holding in the mid-60s this week. USGS gauge 11447650 logged 67°F with flow at 7,870 cfs, while gauge 11446980 read 67°F and gauge 11446700 read 65°F, all taken overnight on October 7-8. That spread is typical for the system easing out of summer highs, with flow still running at a steady base-level volume rather than a post-storm bump.
Colorado's trout water settles into a stable fall baseline
USGS gauge 09095500 has the Colorado River running 1,140 cfs at 62°F this morning, with the nearby 09106485 gauge reading 196 cfs at that same 62°F: flows that have settled into a stable fall baseline after one of the driest years on record. A third site, gauge 391953108130201, is barely moving at 0.39 cfs and running cooler at 56°F, the kind of pinched tributary reading typical of a low-snowpack season this late in the year. Per Crystal Fly Shop, voluntary heat closures on area rivers have been lifted now that flows are low, clear and cool, with small patterns like Rainbow Warriors and Sparklewing RS2s picking up fish on tight water.
Low, steady flow on the Sabine sets up Toledo Bend's fall turn
The USGS gauge on the Sabine near Toledo Bend is holding a low, steady flow this week, the kind of stable stage anglers see in the lull just before reservoir turnover sets in. No fresh captain or shop reports have come in from this stretch of the border lake in the past few days, so this update leans on the gauge trend and the calendar rather than a bite report.
Driftless trout streams running high heading into fall
A USGS gauge in Wisconsin's Driftless Area is reading well above typical early-October baseflow, the clearest signal available this week. Elevated, faster-moving water changes how these streams fish: holding water and defined seams that were easy to pick apart in September get redistributed, and trout move off traditional current edges toward slower cover tight to the bank or behind structure where they can hold without fighting the extra push.