Fishing reports
14831 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Colorado River flows hold steady as Arizona's fall pattern sets in
USGS gauge 09380000 on the Colorado River is reading a steady 5,100 cfs with water temperature at 68°F early this week, while upriver gauges 09383050 and 09383100 both sit at 69°F. The three readings agree within a degree, pointing to a stable, dam-regulated system rather than a river in transition. No major swings in flow or temperature show up across the network, which is the normal signature for this stretch of the Colorado and Salt River system heading into mid-October.
Cooling flows signal fall transition on AL's Tennessee, Coosa systems
Water is running low and cool across the upper Tennessee and Coosa River systems this week. USGS gauge 02338523 reads 5.43 cfs at 63°F, while gauges 02413210 and 02413205 both sit near 28-29 cfs at 65°F, a near-identical read on neighboring tributaries. Downstream, USGS gauge 02339500 carries far more volume at 826 cfs, the difference between small feeder creeks and a larger mainstem reach. These are classic early-October numbers for the region: flows pulled back from summer highs, water clear, temperatures settled into the low-to-mid 60s.
Champlain's cooling water signals the fall smallmouth shift
The USGS gauge feeding Lake Champlain read 58°F this morning, a number that puts the lake squarely into its early-October transition. Water in the high 50s is the mark that typically pulls smallmouth bass off summer haunts and onto staging structure as baitfish activity ramps up ahead of the colder stretch to come. We don't have direct angler reports from the lake this week, so the conditions themselves are the story: a gauge reading at this level is the clearest early signal of the fall pattern setting up on Champlain.
New River basin settles into its fall cool-down
USGS gauge 03054500 is reading 61°F with flow at 460 cfs this morning, gauge 03069500 sits at 57°F and 474 cfs, gauge 03068000 reads 54°F, and gauge 03051000 is running light at 172 cfs. That spread, upper 50s sliding toward the mid-50s, with flows holding near typical fall base levels across all four gauges, signals the basin's tributaries are settling firmly into their autumn cool-down.
Topwater bite lingers as Guntersville and Wheeler cool into fall
Water on the Tennessee River system is sliding into the mid-60s, with a gauge near Guntersville reading 65°F and 262 cfs this morning (USGS gauge 03582000), while a secondary gauge downstream held a lighter 117 cfs (USGS gauge 03575100). That's a clear marker of fall turnover settling in across Guntersville and Wheeler. The timing lines up with the tail end of tournament season on this stretch: Outdoor Hub reported an estimated 75 to 100 dead fish along the Guntersville shoreline following back-to-back MLF events in late September, a reminder to handle livewell fish carefully as water continues to cool. MLF News also recapped Nick LeBrun's recent Ultimate Angler Championship win on Guntersville, where a Frog Factory Top Toad produced through the final day — a topwater pattern worth watching as surface temps keep dropping.
Flathead system eases into fall as Montana floats bigger limits
The Flathead River near Columbia Falls (USGS gauge 12372000) read 60°F with flow holding at 7,210 cfs in this morning's pre-dawn check, a steady fall-transition signature for the Flathead Lake and Bitterroot drainages. The bigger regional story this week isn't a bite report, it's regulatory: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has proposed removing the daily limits on northern pike, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass in Flathead Lake for the 2027-28 season, Outdoor Hub reports, reflecting how thick those populations have grown in the lake.
Snake and Salmon basin settles into fall cooldown for steelhead run
USGS gauges across the Snake and Salmon River systems are reading water in the mid-to-upper 50s this week — 54°F and 55°F on the two higher-flow sites (3,090 and 3,040 cfs) and 59°F on the lower-flow site (1,160 cfs) — marking the steady fall cooldown anglers expect heading into October. Trout Unlimited's ongoing Snake River basin coverage, including its recent fish-count reflections and Snake Week programming, keeps a spotlight on steelhead and Chinook salmon returns moving through this stretch this season.
High Iowa River Flow Reshapes the Early-October Bite
The USGS gauge on the Iowa River (USGS gauge 05465500) is showing a strong, fast push this week, keeping the river running high and off-color for early October. That kind of current typically shoves fish out of the main channel and into softer water along the banks, behind wing dams, and anywhere structure breaks the flow. Plan around current speed and visibility this week rather than a tight temperature window.
Cold-warm split on Cumberland tailwater signals fall feeding window
Water in the Lake Cumberland system is running on the cool side for early October. USGS gauge 03414002 near the dam read 60°F overnight, while downstream tributary gauges 03409500 and 03408500 posted warmer readings of 65°F and 67°F, a split that reflects the dam's bottom-draw releases keeping the upper tailwater colder than water further downstream. Flows across the monitored gauges are running thin: 16.9 cfs, 26.7 cfs, and just 2.8 cfs at gauge 03413200, consistent with a typical fall low-water stretch on this system.
Cooling water nudges Tennessee River chain into fall pattern
USGS gauges on tributaries feeding the Tennessee River system show water sitting in the mid-60s this week: one station read 65°F with flow at 262 cfs, a second logged 69°F, and a smaller tributary gauge measured just 3.94 cfs, a sign the chain is settling into its typical fall drawdown. Direct, on-the-water reports specific to Chickamauga and Watts Bar were sparse this week. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch notes that as weeds die back in cooling water, oxygen drops in thinning beds and baitfish push toward the healthiest remaining green growth, pulling gamefish with them, a pattern that holds for Tennessee River reservoirs working through the same seasonal shift.
Fall weed die-off resets walleye pattern on Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs is deep into its fall transition. Per Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch, this is prime season for the plain rig, a bottom bouncer rigged with a plain snell and nightcrawler that he leans on for walleyes as water cools heading into late season. Frisch also points to the broader shift driving fish location changes across Minnesota lakes right now: as weeds die back and shed oxygen, baitfish and gamefish leave the fading beds for whatever green, living weed remains, concentrating both walleye and northern pike into tighter areas.
Steady flows and shallow bites mark Winnipesaukee's fall shift
USGS gauge 01081000, sitting right in the Lake Winnipesaukee region, is reading a steady fall flow with no sign of a recent rain-driven spike. Elsewhere in New Hampshire, per The Fisherman's New England Freshwater report, smallmouth bass remain active on the Merrimack River's Concord stretch, taking spinnerbaits and topwater lures worked from shore — a sign fish are still feeding shallow in moving water across the state as the deeper cool-down sets in.
East Texas reservoirs ease into the fall transition
Water temps on the Toledo Bend-area gauges are holding in the low-to-mid 80s — 84°F at gauge 08017044 and 82°F at both 08017095 and 08017118 — while the connected Sabine system gauge (08030500) is running a steady 1,030 cfs. There's no fresh on-the-water intel specific to Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn this week, but Lake Fork Trophy Bass's October report flags the same regional shift now underway across East Texas: cooling air is nudging reservoir bass toward early fall feeding behavior, and the lake is quieter as hunting season pulls some anglers off the water.
Mississippi pools holding steady as fall flow stays strong
USGS gauge 05420500 near the Clinton-Dubuque pools logged 30,400 cfs and 65°F water early this morning, flow that's still running well above typical fall base stage. Angler intel for this stretch is thin this week, with regional coverage leaning toward Midwest walleye and bass tactics rather than direct Upper Mississippi reports.
Fall cool-down splits Kentucky's tributaries as weed-edge bite turns on
Water temperatures across the Ohio and Cumberland River tributaries feeding Kentucky are split this week: USGS gauge 03297800 reads 57°F, 03302050 sits at 62°F, and 03302058 is still holding at 69°F, while flows stay low across the board at 0.2 to 12.4 cfs. That spread shows the fall cool-down landing in patches rather than all at once. Per Fishing the Midwest, a bladed swim jig worked along deep weed edges is producing bass, northern pike, and walleye as baitfish shift toward the remaining green weed growth, and per Tactical Bassin, fall jig fishing near docks, laydowns, and rock is holding up as bass settle into predictable fall positioning, with the site's roster now including a dedicated smallmouth specialist for the season.
Crappie bite holds steady in central Delaware ponds as flows stay low
Water in Delaware's Christina and Nanticoke watersheds is running low and steady this week - USGS gauge 01483155 read 58°F with flow at just 2.72 cfs this morning, while gauges 01493500 and 01585075 confirm the same thin, stable baseflow across the system. Steve at Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports crappie and panfish producing decent numbers in Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond, concentrated in dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics, Gulp, or minnows, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater.
Striped bass surge through Long Island surf and bays as fall run peaks
Striped bass have taken over the Long Island conversation this week. Montauk's Double D Charters reports bass moved in with most fish running over the slot and an occasional keeper mixed through, while Tight Lines Tackle on the South Fork logged incredible surf fishing with fish into the upper 40-inch range, including bass to 51 inches around the Ponquogue Bridge. The pattern holds across the Island: White Water Outfitters counted bass over 40 pounds in the Shinnecock Inlet surf, and Miller Place Bait and Tackle on the North Shore had a customer land and release nine fish over 30 pounds during last week's nor'easter at Cedar. Bluefish are mixing in too, per Fishing East Coast Bait and Tackle, as both species work through heavy baitfish schools in Manhasset and Little Neck Bay. Fluke are winding down ahead of the October 15 closure, strongest on the South Shore per Bob's Bait and Tackle and JIB VI, but slowing at Double D's Montauk grounds. Water at the Montauk NOAA CO-OPS station reads 63.7°F, consistent with the cooling push pulling fish south and inshore.
Striped bass hang on in Maine as Gulf of Maine water keeps cooling
The seasonal cool-down is visible across the coast this week. Gulf of Maine water temperatures range from 57.6°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8418150 down to 55°F at station 8413320 and 53.8°F at station 8410140, a gradient that tracks the usual fall slide. Striped bass are still part of the picture: per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, bass reports continue to come out of Maine, with local striper anglers making the drive down to Surfland Bait and Tackle for eels this week, a sign the bite still has enough life to chase bait for rather than switch off.
Cape Cod Bay turns the corner into fall conditions
Cape Cod Bay sits at 60.6°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130, tracking the seasonal cooldown as the waning crescent moon keeps nights dark. The next low tide falls near 4:25 a.m. and the next high around 11:05 a.m. local time, giving early risers a dawn low-to-rising push worth working. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) describes the Northeast's fall run accelerating this week, with striper fishing picking up fast as water temperatures ease and baitfish move out of the back bays, matching the pattern driving conditions up and down this coast.
Chesapeake anglers eye the turn as the fall push builds up the coast
Water at the Bay's NOAA CO-OPS station (8570283) read 65.3°F this morning, still mild for early October but closing in on the range that kicks off the Chesapeake's fall feeding window. Today's tide swings from a high near 6:50 AM to a low around 12:44 PM Eastern, a tight morning cycle worth building a trip around. Up the coast, Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports the fall run settling in behind a weekend nor'easter, with striper activity building as the water clears and tautog starting to chew, a pattern that typically works its way down the coast through October.
Puget Sound's Widening Tides Set Up Fall's Best Windows
Puget Sound registered 52.3°F at NOAA's Seattle tide station this evening, a clear move into the cold-water pattern that defines fall across Washington's inside waters. The tide swing right now is sharp: a high around 11:23pm tonight gives way to a low near 5:49am, a strong overnight exchange that pushes bait and current through the Sound's channels and seams. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's creel and stocking reports remain the best source for current region-specific catch counts and regulations as the season shifts, and anglers should lean on those updates rather than guesswork this time of year.
Bluefish trickle through Cape Lookout surf as fall push builds
Water temperatures are holding at 70.9°F across the Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout corridor, and surf anglers are still finding Bluefish mixed into the catch. Morgan, of The Reel Outdoors in Swansboro/Emerald Isle, reports scattered Bluefish along the beachfront this week, per Fisherman's Post (NC) — fish are moving but not stacked up yet. Tides are running a solid morning high into an early-afternoon low across both the Sound and Lookout-area stations, giving surfcasters a workable window either side of sunrise.
Delaware Bay eases into fall as tide windows set the bite
Water temperatures in Delaware Bay held at 66°F overnight at NOAA's CO-OPS gauge (station 8557380), a normal early-October reading as the bay settles into its seasonal cool-down. The next high tide arrives around 7:34 AM ET, with the following low near 1:32 PM, giving a clean incoming-tide window through the morning. On the beach, Delaware Surf Fishing reports nearly 200 feet of the Cape Henlopen fishing pier's end now fenced off, limiting cart access for anglers who fish that stretch.
Falling Water Temps Set Up VT's Fall Bass and Walleye Window
USGS gauge 01135100 is reading 47°F with flow down to 0.04 cfs, and gauge 01135300 nearby is barely moving at 4.11 cfs — both signs that Vermont's Lake Champlain tributaries have slipped into typical low, cold fall flow. On the Connecticut River side, gauge 01129500 is running warmer and fuller at 51°F and 329 cfs. Water this cool is pushing baitfish and gamefish out of summer haunts, the kind of shift Fishing the Midwest flags as the trigger for its fall walleye and pike patterns this week.