Fishing reports
16412 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Walleye Stay Red-Hot as Michigan's Great Lakes Waters Tip Into Fall
Walleye is now the most-harvested species in Michigan's Great Lakes waters, according to the MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report — a trend the agency has been tracking through August and into this September stretch as water temperatures ease and baitfish start bunching up. On the technique side, Fishing the Midwest reports anglers are blending traditional live-bait rigs and crankbait trolling with forward-facing sonar to stay on schools rather than leaning on one method alone. Smallmouth bass remain a draw too — Field & Stream notes Great Lakes smallies get outsized attention for their size and fight compared to other regional fisheries. On the Grand River system, the seasonal fall run typically starts building through September as water cools, though we don't have on-the-water confirmation yet this week. No live buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temp and flow as unconfirmed until the next check.
Fluke pool fish and bluefish keep Sandy Hook busy this week
Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has posted pool-fish weights all week — a 5-pound-9-ounce fluke Wednesday, a 5-pound-6-ounce fish Tuesday, and a 5-pound-3-ounce keeper over Labor Day weekend — with customers regularly boating their three-fish limit despite brutal current that's had anglers loading 10 to 12 ounces of lead just to hold bottom. Sea bass are mixing in steadily on those same drifts. Up the coast, Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle (per The Fisherman — Northern NJ) reports mixed-size bluefish, bonito, and Spanish mackerel between nighttime storms, and On The Water's September 3 Northern New Jersey report confirms bonito, blues, Spanish mackerel and false albacore working the surf with fluke steady on the reefs. New moon tides this week should sharpen the current anglers are already fighting.
Bass, pickerel keep biting as Delaware River smallmouth turn on
Pine Barrens lakes are holding a solid late-summer bite heading into the new moon, with largemouth bass, pickerel, and panfish the reliable players. Creekside Outfitters reports bass to 3 pounds out of Ocean Acres along with pickerel and panfish on Chatterbaits and killies, while Batsto Lake has been giving up bass and pickerel and Waretown Lake is producing good catfish action. Down in Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle notes fair largemouth in local lakes and ponds with steady catfishing in Ponderlodge Lake, and Dennisville topped the list for bass and panfish this past week. On the Delaware River itself, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown flagged some good smallmouth fishing early in the week, alongside suspended bass, hybrids, and muskies holding 10-20 feet down over Lake Nockamixon's thermocline. Recent storms have lifted water levels in the upper tidal streams, per Allen's Dock, which could reshuffle a few spots heading into the weekend.
Fluke, blues and speedsters keep Jersey Shore anglers busy
Fluke remains the steadiest bite along the Jersey Shore this week, with Fisherman's Headquarters — New Jersey & Delaware Bay Offshore reporting keeper flatties and Fisherman's Headquarters — Southern New Jersey noting a 9-pound fluke on a mullet presentation. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) has boats on bonita, albacore, and 27-30 inch bluefin, running 30-45 miles offshore. Bluefish are showing consistently across the surf and back bays per multiple Fisherman regional shops, while Spanish mackerel, bonito, and false albacore are mixing in on the beachfront according to The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ notes tricky current but steady sea bass and fluke limits on recent open-boat trips. With the new moon bringing stronger tidal push, expect bait to keep funneling through inlets. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings are available for this cycle, so treat water temp as seasonal early-September norms until fresh data comes in.
Delaware Bay flounder bite stays hot as fall transition nears
Keeper flounder are stacking up in Delaware Bay's back bays and reef sites, with Higbee's Bait and Tackle reporting boat limits to 22 inches on minnows, spearing and squid strips, and Big Dave's Tackle putting flounder to 23 inches and weakfish to 19 inches on the same baits. Both shops note more blues and weakfish showing than in past weeks, plus black drum in the teens and up to 20 pounds on clam baits. Pier 47 Marina saw a busy Labor Day stretch, with rental boats releasing up to 25 flounder in a half day and the Wildwood and Cape May Reef Sites adding triggerfish, tautog and sea bass to the mix. Along the beaches, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports Spanish mackerel and bonito streaking metals off Cape May and Sea Isle, kingfish and croaker on the bayshore, while Boulevard Bait and Tackle has tautog to 4 pounds and sheepshead coming off the 8th Street jetty on green crabs and sand fleas.
Short Gulf grouper season opens as snook start their fall push
Florida's Gulf Coast gag grouper fishery is in its brief annual window right now — Sport Fishing Mag describes the west coast season as short and close to shore, with anglers making quick runs to rock piles and structure in relatively shallow water for fast strikes on the troll. At the same time, Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition report notes Gulf snook are feeling the shorter days and starting to migrate toward their winter holding areas, which typically opens one of the better snook windows of the year as summer heat breaks. Earlier-season dispatches from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters describe this stretch of the Gulf as a dependable permit, tarpon, and kingfish fishery, with permit usually sight-fished and kings worked on plugs and flies — species that should still be in the mix as the fall pattern builds in. No local buoy or gauge readings are available this week, so confirm water temps and sea state before running offshore for grouper.
Silver salmon push marks peak of Gulf of Alaska fall run
Early September typically sits at the heart of the fall silver (coho) salmon run through the Gulf of Alaska, with fish staging in nearshore waters and pushing into protected bays and river mouths ahead of spawning. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, and today's angler-intel feeds didn't carry any on-the-water Alaska saltwater reports — the available Alaska Sea Grant items covered oyster farming, boating safety, and community programs rather than fishing conditions. So this update leans on typical seasonal patterns rather than a specific catch report. Halibut fishing generally holds steady through September in the Gulf, with fish still working deeper structure before the season tightens toward fall. King salmon action is usually winding down by this point in most systems. Rockfish remain a reliable structure bite through the month. Check current state regulations before harvesting, since season windows and bag limits shift through fall. We'd rather flag the data gap than guess at specifics.
South Florida's Second Mahi Season Arrives in the Keys
South Florida's second mahi season is arriving on schedule, with Saltwater Sportsman pegging the offshore push as building through mid-September and running into fall — the headline opportunity for Keys anglers running the edge right now. Bottom fishing has company too: Sport Fishing Mag notes Gulf-side gag grouper are in their short, structure-hugging September trolling window, a pattern ALL IN Key West's own Gulf trips (groupers, cobia, kingfish) back up. Reef fishing for yellowtail and mutton snapper has been a mainstay all season per ALL IN Key West's reports, and typically stays productive into fall around the reef line — worth working a chum slick if the mahi bite is slow. Sailfish are the wildcard: ALL IN Key West flagged an unusually early start to the run back in March, so it's worth watching whether the winter sailfish season builds early again. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida is tracking a fresh court injunction against the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs — relevant if you fish reds on the Atlantic side. Check current regs before harvesting anything.
Chicago lakefront salmon push builds as fall transition sets in
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge came back for the Chicago nearshore this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep didn't turn up a current on-the-water report specific to Chicago's stretch of Lake Michigan. What we do have is context: the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report's harvest recap shows anglers landed over 210,000 coho salmon and more than 160,000 Chinook lakewide in 2024, the best Chinook numbers since 2012, credited to stronger alewife survival feeding those stocked classes. Early September is typically peak transition time on the Chicago lakefront — Chinook and coho stage and push toward harbor mouths and river outlets as surface water cools, yellow perch action picks up along breakwalls and deeper structure, and smallmouth bass stay a reliable inshore option into early fall. With no fresh local reports this cycle, treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed bite, and check for updated shop or DNR reports before you head out.
Fall salmon run stirs interest on Indiana's Lake Michigan shore
Wisconsin DNR's Lake Michigan Fishing Report flagged a standout 2024 season lakewide — anglers landed more than 210,000 coho salmon (a record) and over 160,000 Chinook, the best Chinook harvest since 2012, with stronger alewife survival helping stocked fish along the way. That basin-wide rebound is the backdrop heading into mid-September, typically when Chinook and coho begin staging and pushing toward river mouths ahead of the fall spawning run. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Indiana shoreline this cycle, and no shop or charter reports specific to this stretch turned up either, so treat water temperature and clarity as unconfirmed — check a local reading before you commit to a trip. Smallmouth bass should still be catchable around rocky structure into early fall, and yellow perch typically start tightening up over deeper humps as surface temps ease down. Until firsthand reports on the Indiana shore come in, lean on these seasonal patterns rather than a confirmed bite.
Musky bite heats up as Northwoods walleye lakes turn toward fall
Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop, working the Vilas and Oneida County water that anchors this region, reports the season's 'September Transition' is underway — north winds are dropping surface temps out of the upper 60s and low 70s and pushing muskies into a more aggressive early-fall pattern, with a strengthening topwater bite as the shop's own reporting notes. On the walleye side, Fishing the Midwest's Bob Jensen and Mike Frisch describe lakes running clear this fall, with forward-facing sonar reshaping presentations even as traditional jigging and live-bait rigs continue producing fish — a blend-old-with-new approach worth carrying onto Northwoods water. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings are available for this inland system today, so check water clarity and morning temps at your own ramp before planning a trip. With a new moon overnight, dawn and dusk low-light windows should sharpen bites across species as baitfish begin their seasonal shuffle.
Bluefin Stay Red-Hot Off Montauk as Bass and Bonito Push In
Inshore bluefin remain red-hot off Montauk this week, per The Fisherman's Long Island video forecast, while the fall transition is quietly underway across the Island. Double D Charters in Montauk reports striped bass beginning to trickle in alongside strong porgy and sea bass action, and White Water Outfitters in Hampton Bays notes more stripers showing as fluke continues to hold up well in Shinnecock Bay. On the South Shore, Fishfinder II called the night bluefish bite 'the best in a lot of years' on diamond jigs, and Laura Lee Fleet out of Captree logged excellent bonito and albacore over the weekend. River Bay Outfitters in Baldwin says false albacore are starting to make their presence known along the Sound and East End. Fluke remains a mixed bag — plentiful but often short in North Shore bays, better quality on ocean structure. New moon tides this week should sharpen the bite windows.
Red snapper season reopens fishing windows in Mississippi Sound
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' order opening the state's recreational Red Snapper season — effective 12:01 a.m. on September 4, 2026, per MS DMR — is the story shaping trips on the Sound this week. The season runs Friday through Sunday, plus the one-time Labor Day Monday bonus day already used, so this week's legal window falls September 11-13 before the Friday-through-Sunday pattern repeats. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this report, so there's no current water-temp snapshot to lean on. Early September in Mississippi Sound typically still runs warm and stable, with speckled trout and redfish holding around marsh edges, reef structure, and grass flats as the fall transition gets underway — though no specific bite reports surfaced in today's intel sweep. Confirm bag limits, size minimums, and zone boundaries with MS DMR before targeting Red Snapper this weekend, and check current regs for trout and redfish too.
Fall Cooldown Set to Wake Up Kennebec & Penobscot Fisheries
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for the Kennebec or Penobscot watersheds this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep leaned almost entirely national and coastal — bass-tournament blogs, Cape Cod striper reports, Rhode Island charter logs — with nothing filed directly from these two Maine river systems. Rather than force a local claim from unrelated data, this report leans on typical early-September patterns for inland Maine: surface temperatures easing off summer highs, smallmouth and largemouth bass pushing baitfish onto flats and drop-offs in the low light, and landlocked salmon starting to show more willingness to chase as the water column cools. Brook trout should see similar relief. We'd treat species status here as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed bite reports until local shop or agency intel comes through. Always check current Maine IFW regulations before keeping fish, since season and limit rules can shift by water body this time of year.
Fall Chinook window holds as Puget Sound bite intel runs thin
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for Puget Sound & Pacific this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds carried little in the way of specific Washington catch reports. WA Sea Grant's latest items skewed toward stewardship rather than the bite — new Clean Marina certifications for Kettle Falls Marina, Tacoma Yacht Club and Des Moines Marina, plus a Skills and Drills commercial-fishing course set for September 28-29 in South Bend with a focus on the Dungeness crab fishery. WA WDFW Fishing Reports remains the standing reference for creel surveys and stocking data statewide, though no specific numbers came through in this pull. With no direct catch reports to confirm activity, we're leaning on the calendar: early September sits squarely in Washington's fall Chinook and coho run, so expect salmon-focused effort across Puget Sound and coastal river mouths even without fresh on-the-water confirmation this week.
Fall kingfish push builds as Panhandle anglers rig for bottom fishing
On the Pensacola Fishing Forum this week, local anglers traded notes on snapper-rigging knots and gear for upcoming bottom-fishing trips, a sign the fall bottom bite is already on Panhandle minds even though no live buoy or gauge readings came through for this update. Statewide, Coastal Angler Magazine flagged that the fall kingfish migration is building along Florida's coastline, a run that Destin and Pensacola trollers typically ride through late September and October. With the new moon overhead, expect stronger tidal swings to push bait through the passes and help jump-start the inshore bite for redfish and speckled trout on the grass flats. Bottom-fishing regulars should confirm the current Gulf red snapper season status before targeting reef fish, since recreational windows shift year to year. No direct on-the-water Panhandle bite reports came through this cycle, so treat the species outlook below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed catches.
Sarasota trout and reds fire up as tarpon push offshore
Sarasota Bay anglers pulled a 27-inch spotted seatrout this past week, per Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters, who notes the bay remains one of Florida's best spots for speckled trout when you fish the sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress reported reds on a rising morning tide near Siesta Key, taken on popping corks with live shrimp. Meanwhile Capt. Rick Grassett's September outlook calls for the coastal gulf's migratory tarpon to thin out this month as fish slide into the ICW to rest around bridges and deep grass flats, while snook fishing should hold up well in the surf and around passes as the heat starts to break. With gag grouper season open on Florida's Gulf coast, per Sport Fishing Mag, nearshore structure is also worth a look this month.
False Albacore Blitz Ignites Narragansett Bay's Fall Run
False albacore mayhem broke out at a well-known central Rhode Island breakwall Wednesday morning, per The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England forecast, with the Cape's albie run lagging behind but Rhode Island firing first. Snug Harbor Marina and The Saltwater Edge both report albies and green bonito stacked around the Harbor of Refuge and south county beaches, best early before boat traffic pushes fish down; J&B Tackle in Watch Hill notes tons of bait moving the shoreline and expects more consistency there this week on Hogy epoxy jigs and Joe Baggs resins. Striped bass remain active along the beaches and inside the salt ponds per Quonnie Bait and Tackle, though The Saltwater Edge notes some anglers are backing off bass to protect them from brown shark predation. Fluke are still producing keepers at Frances Fleet and Booked Off Charters but are sliding deeper as September progresses, with sea bass filling in behind them.
Spanish Mackerel Push Holds Along Cape Lookout to Hatteras Surf
Spanish mackerel are the story up and down the NC coast this week, and the pattern is holding right through the Cape Lookout and Pamlico Sound stretch. Steve at Chasin' Tails in Morehead City/Atlantic Beach reports nearshore boats trolling the beachfront are finding a steady mix of spanish mackerel and bluefish, with topwater bites turning on whenever bait balls push to the surface. Up at Hatteras, Eric at Hatteras Jack says surf anglers working the Rodanthe-area beaches are pulling good-sized sea mullet on bottom rigs, with occasional sight-casting chances along the wash. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came through for this cycle, so water temp and swell are unconfirmed — check a local source before running offshore. The new moon this week means bigger tidal swings, which should keep bait pinned tighter to structure and current breaks through the weekend.
Sea mullet bite fires up at Rodanthe as fall pattern builds in
Bottom anglers working the Rodanthe-area beaches are boating good-sized sea mullet this week, per Eric at Hatteras Jack in the Hatteras/Ocracoke report, with sight-casting opportunities also turning up along the same stretch. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Outer Banks this cycle, so today's numbers aren't available, but the broader North Carolina coast is showing the classic early-September turnover: shops from Topsail to Morehead City are reporting spanish mackerel and bluefish still working the surf, piers, and nearshore waters on casting jigs, a pattern that typically pushes north toward the Banks as water temperatures ease off their summer peak. Surf and pier anglers south of Hatteras are also picking off the usual late-summer mix of croakers and small stuff. With a new moon this week pulling stronger tidal exchange, expect bait to move and bottom species like sea mullet to stay a reliable target through the weekend.
Smokies trout lean on terrestrials as summer heat lingers
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this Smokies pull, and this scan didn't surface a charter, tackle-shop, or agency report specific to western North Carolina trout water — so what follows is seasonal guidance, not an on-the-water dispatch. Early September in the Smokies typically still carries late-summer warmth, and Flylords Mag's recent piece on 'Cold Spots' is a good reminder that trout are cold-water fish that stress out once temperatures and oxygen levels drop under summer heat — a real consideration on brook trout water especially. Terrestrial patterns (grasshoppers, ants, beetles) remain the reliable search flies into early fall, a theme echoed broadly across trout-fishing coverage this time of year. Expect rainbow and brown trout to stay catchable through the day in shaded, oxygenated runs, with native brook trout holding tighter to the coolest headwater pockets until mornings turn consistently cool.
Taneycomo trout locking into a steady dam-generation rhythm
Water on Lake Taneycomo has warmed to about 53 degrees, a normal mark for early September, according to Lilleys Landing's latest report, which also notes fairly consistent generation through August — minimum flow starting near 7 a.m. into the afternoon, then ramping up to 135 megawatts (2.5 units) from mid-afternoon into the evening. That rhythm has kept trout fishing solid. Dissolved oxygen has dipped as flows and warmth persist, so dam operators are injecting liquid oxygen into the outflow to protect the fishery — worth knowing if you notice sluggish fish in slack water. Earlier in the season Lilleys Landing described the bite as aggressive with no pecking around, guides doing well on the Provo rig in the afternoons, and a simple bottom-weighted drift with an 18-inch drop-shot loop (fluorocarbon tippet, a tip credited to guide Blake Wilson) also producing. Table Rock itself has no direct report in this batch, but the tailwater below it is fishing true to form for the calendar.
Marsh redfish and trout wake up as Georgia eases into fall
Georgia's coastal fishery is turning the corner into fall, though direct saltwater reports out of the Atlantic coast region are thin this cycle. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's September 4 update frames the new month as a fresh start for anglers willing to get out early, part of a rotating regional-report format the agency began in August. No buoy or gauge readings came back for this stretch of coast today, so water temp and tide numbers aren't available — check the Conditions panel or a local source before you head out. Regionally, Coastal Angler Magazine is flagging the fall kingfish push building along the Southeast Atlantic as October nears, a trend Georgia's nearshore anglers typically ride into October and November. With no specific bite reports in hand for redfish, trout, or flounder this week, we're leaning on typical early-September patterns for the marsh and nearshore complex: fish still adjusting to cooling nights and shortening days.
Early fall transition puts Susquehanna and Allegheny bass on the move
No buoy or gauge telemetry came back for the Susquehanna or Allegheny this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds skewed national rather than regional, so today's read leans on seasonal pattern rather than a fresh bite report. Early September is the pivot point locally: as water begins to cool off summer highs, smallmouth bass shift onto rocky structure and start keying on baitfish, a pattern Field & Stream's smallmouth-lure roundup frames around moving reaction baits and confidence plastics rather than a slow finesse crawl. Fishing the Midwest's fall notes echo the same idea for other multi-species water — baitfish position dictates everything as weeds start to die back, and gamefish follow. Walleye should ease back toward classic low-light presentations as daylight shortens. Muskellunge on the Allegheny typically stay a slower, low-light game into September before the real fall push. Treat this as a seasonal baseline until local reports firm up.