Fishing reports
16592 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Flounder limits, weakfish comeback headline Delaware Bay
Flounder are stacking up in Delaware Bay, with Higbee's Bait and Tackle reporting private boaters, party boats, and the charter fleet posting limits of keeper flounder to 22 inches at the EP Tower, and pool winners on the party boats reaching 25 inches. Weakfish, largely absent all spring and summer, have finally shown up along the bay coastline — Hands Too Bait and Tackle says fish to 24 inches are hitting bloodworms and jigs, especially into the evening. Croaker and spot remain thick from the Woodland Beach pier out to the Old Grounds, per Eric Burnley, though anglers should mind the 9-inch minimum on croaker. Smith's Bait Shop notes Port Mahon boats working Mid-Bay reef structure for a flounder-trout-croaker-spot mix on minnows, jigs, and bloodworms, with the bite expected to keep building through September. A few small striped bass are mixing in on bloodworms at the Woodland Beach pier.
Fall salmon season approaches on Superior's North Shore
WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing's spring dispatches on the Chequamegon Bay lake whitefish fishery — a public meeting in Ashland, a since-closed online angler questionnaire, and an ongoing Lake Superior basin burbot research project — are the only lake-related state-agency signals in today's feed, and they're mostly holdovers from earlier this year rather than fresh September reports. No buoy or stream-gauge readings came back for the North Shore itself today, and none of the other feeds filed a direct on-the-water report from this stretch of Lake Superior. So this update leans on typical early-September patterns instead of a confirmed bite: this is usually when Chinook and coho salmon begin staging near river mouths ahead of the fall spawning push, while lake trout keep working deeper structure before following bait shallower later in the month. Treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation only, and check current conditions and regs locally before heading out.
Northwoods muskies shift into September topwater mode
Water temperatures across the Northwoods have slid into the low 70s after a run of cooler nights in the 40s and 50s, and Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop reports that transition is 'triggering excellent action across multiple species' in their late-August report. The shop also flags a severe regional drought pulling area lake levels down, worth noting before launching at shallower ramps. Their September outlook points to a strengthening topwater bite as muskies key on the seasonal shift — described as a window when 'the work on the water gets a little more thrilling and the strikes infinitely more vicious.' For walleye anglers, Fishing the Midwest notes that traditional presentations — jigged live bait, spinner rigs tipped with leeches or crawlers, and crankbait trolling — still produce in clearer late-summer water, though many anglers are now leaning on forward-facing sonar to locate suspended fish faster. No buoy or gauge readings are available for this cycle, so pack a stream thermometer and confirm access points before you go.
NY bass and walleye action holds strong into the fall transition
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Hudson Valley or Finger Lakes this cycle, so today's picture leans on statewide angler intel. Out west on Lake Erie and Niagara water, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports walleyes and smallmouth bass "continuing to cooperate" through late August despite choppy weather and crowded launches, with limits coming easily on multiple days. That fishery strength showed up on a bigger stage too: at the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series finale on the St. Lawrence River, angler Evan Kung landed a record 109-pound, 9-ounce smallmouth bag, per Wired 2 Fish — a strong signal that New York smallmouth are running deep and healthy heading into September. The NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter has flagged summer panfish activity (bluegill, pumpkinseed, bullhead) statewide and noted black bass season building through the warm months. Expect largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, and panfish to stay the primary Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley targets as the fall transition sets in.
Low water on Sam Rayburn stirs up the bass bite as gar season opens
Sam Rayburn Reservoir is running low heading into a hot early-September stretch, with MLF News reporting that falling water levels and a changing lake could make the bass "fish very different" than anglers are used to as the Cowboy Division Super Tournament approaches Sept. 12-13. Statewide, Texas Parks and Wildlife opens its annual Alligator Gar Harvest Authorization drawing Sept. 1 for the Trinity River, per Texas Fish & Game Magazine, giving anglers a shot at fish over 48 inches — always check current TPWD regs before targeting one. On the catfish side, North Texas Catfish Guide's Eagle Mountain Lake reports describe blue and channel catfish stacking up when fresh water pushes into the system, a pattern worth watching if recent rain has refilled area reservoirs. Largemouth bass are in the classic late-summer-to-fall transition, per Tactical Bassin, pushing onto baitfish and rewarding anglers who cover water fast with reaction baits rather than working old summer holes.
Croaker and flounder keep bay anglers busy as fall tune-up nears
Croaker and small striped bass are working the pier at Woodland Beach on bloodworms and Fishbites, per Smith's Bait Shop in this week's DE/MD/Chesapeake report from The Fisherman. Boats running out of Port Mahon to the mid-bay reef sites are finding a mixed bag of croaker, flounder, and trout, with flounder favoring live minnows or a jig tipped with a squid strip. Eric Burnley notes spot and croaker fishing is holding up almost anywhere from the Woodland Beach pier out to the Old Grounds — mind the 9-inch minimum on croaker — while flounder action in the ocean has stayed decent. Offshore, boats working the canyons are mixing tuna with tilefish. Toward Fenwick Shoal, Spanish mackerel and small bluefish are hitting trolled Clark or Drone spoons, per Hook 'em and Cook 'em. No live buoy or gauge readings came through today, so treat water temps as seasonal-typical for a Labor Day week in the bay.
Gulf of Maine cod reopens as stripers push south from Maine
The Gulf of Maine cod fishery reopened September 1 with a one-fish limit at a 23-inch minimum, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, while the Southern New England stock area stays closed through year-end. Beauport Fishing Adventures was expected to run trips taking advantage of the fresh opening. Meanwhile striped bass are working their way down the coast from Maine, with the same report noting insane fishing to the north slowly sliding south toward the Merrimack stretch — good news for NH's stretch of Gulf of Maine coastline sitting right in that path. Local eel-slingers and plug-slingers along the Refuge have been picking off slot fish on bottom bait. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this stretch today, so treat water temps and swell as check-before-you-go until better data lands. Early September typically marks the start of the real fall push here.
Fluke stays hot on Long Island as bluefin push close to shore
Fluke are stealing the show across Long Island heading into September. Tight Lines Tackle in Southampton reported very good fluke fishing along the south side of Montauk over the weekend, with limits and fish to 8 pounds, while Bob's Bait and Tackle called the South Shore bay bite "rock solid" with keepers coming off the Fire Island Reef. Porgy fishing is standout on the North Shore too — Rip Tide III out of City Island logged doubleheaders and limits on worms and clams. Tuna remain a bright spot out east: White Water Outfitters says bluefin are being found as close as 2 to 3 miles outside Shinnecock Inlet, and Double D Charters in Montauk expects that bite to hold into September. After dark, striped bass are working live eels and plugs from Huntington to Smithtown, per Cow Harbor Bait and Tackle, with early bonito and Spanish mackerel starting to show along ocean beaches.
Fluke, Sea Bass Stay Hot as Bonito and Bait Push Into the Surf
A 13-pound "flukeasaurus" landed aboard the Big Mohawk III (per The Fisherman — Northern NJ) sums up the week: fluke fishing is holding strong into September, with several boats posting pool fish in the 6- to 7-pound class. Sea bass are backing up the bite on nearly every trip — Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands and the Northern NJ open-boat fleet both report fish stacked on bottom structure. Fall is nosing in too: Fishermans HQ LBI notes spearing, peanut bunker, and mullet flooding the surf zone as summer eases toward September, and Grumpys Tackle and Surf City Bait and Tackle both have Spanish mackerel and bonito hitting epoxy jigs and Deadly Dicks along the beach. Offshore, Blue Chip Sportfishing is finding mahi and sharks on the mid-shore grounds, while Fishermans HQ LBI landed bluefin tuna to 40 pounds within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet. Fluke season winds down soon — check current regs before keeping fish.
Bluefish take over The Race as CT bottom bite keeps building
At AW Marina, the bluefish bite has settled in hard at The Race, with blues elbowing out the stripers that had been holding that rip most of the summer — the shop also weighed in a 13.73-pound tournament entry this week. J&B Tackle reports striped bass are still around for anglers willing to work dawn and dusk, with live-lined eels at night producing the biggest fish, while bluefish are now showing wide from Montauk and The Race to Sluiceway, Black Point, Rocky Neck, and Plum Gut. Tartan II says bottom fishing remains the bread and butter this week, with scup fishing "very good" and black sea bass catches getting bigger and better after a slow start to the season. J&B Tackle also notes fluke and sea bass have shown late-season improvement, with bonito reported nearby in Watch Hill. With Labor Day crowds thinning and a new moon building, expect the rip-current bite to keep carrying Long Island Sound anglers through the week.
Weakfish Return to Delaware Bay After a No-Show Summer
Weakfish made a much-anticipated return to the Delaware Bay side this week. Hand's Too Bait and Tackle, in The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report, says fish to 24 inches are hitting bloodworms after the species was "suspiciously missing all spring and summer," and The Fisherman's NJ/DE Surf report has weakfish to 22-24 inches holding tight to the jetty tips along the seawall. Flounder fishing is a mixed bag depending on where you drop: Higbee's Bait and Tackle called the EP Tower area the hotspot, with multiple boaters landing limits of keeper flounder to 22 inches and party boats posting pool winners to 25 inches, while Big Dave's Tackle and Fin-Atics both describe a tougher back-bay grind of mostly shorts, with Corson's Inlet the better bet for keepers to 20 inches. Sheepshead to 9 pounds are stacking around the Cold Spring Inlet rocks alongside tog and triggerfish, and croakers remain thick but small in the back bays.
Fluke and sea bass hold strong as bonito push into the surf off Sandy Hook
Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands logged one of the better fluke days of the stretch this week, with anglers boating quality fish up to 5 pounds 8 ounces and doubling up around the boat, though the captain also flagged sea bass crashing the bait before fluke could reach it — a sign the bottom is thick with life right in Raritan Bay. Grumpys Tackle in New Jersey reports fluke, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and bonito all mixing together as warm water lingers along the Jersey Shore, while The Fisherman's Northern New Jersey report notes big keeper fluke holding on the reefs and wrecks even as the midshore tuna bite stays inconsistent. Blue Chip Sportfishing adds that sea bass charters are filling limits most trips. No live buoy or gauge readings came in for Sandy Hook this cycle, so plan around the Last Quarter moon and check a local forecast before running out.
Lake Erie anglers eye the fall transition as bait pushes shift
No buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Erie or Presque Isle this cycle, and this week's angler intel leaned heavily on PA Sea Grant program news and general national fishing content rather than on-the-water Erie reports. That leaves this outlook built on typical early-September patterns for the fishery rather than a confirmed bite report. Smallmouth bass are entering the classic fall transition — as regional bass coverage from Tactical Bassin and Fishing the Midwest describes for other Midwest and Great Lakes waters this time of year, fish are grouping onto baitfish schools and feeding more aggressively as water cools, a pattern that typically holds on Lake Erie's rock and gravel structure too. Walleye should be picking up on trolling spreads as baitfish push off deep structure, and yellow perch begin schooling more predictably around harbor structure. Steelhead are still likely a few weeks from a meaningful tributary push into Presque Isle-area creeks.
Pickerel and bass turn on in Pine Barrens cedar waters
White perch are showing near the Bass River marina and chain pickerel are working live-lined killies through the region's tannic cedar waters, per Allen's Dock. In Cape May County, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports catfish taking cut bait, shrimp and worms in the evening at Ponderlodge Lake, with bass mixing in on topwater and swimming plugs at first light, plus more largemouth activity at Dennisville and Magnolia lakes on topwater and weedless plastics. Farther up the Delaware corridor, Dave's Sport Shop notes cooling water has pushed smallmouth and hybrid stripers roughly five feet deeper, with the bite improving as a result — a pattern typical of the early-September cooldown. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came back for the Pine Barrens system this cycle, so treat flow and clarity as unverified and check locally before launching. Pickerel and largemouth remain the surest bets through the holiday week.
MS Red Snapper season reopens Friday as Sound anglers gear up
Mississippi's recreational Red Snapper season reopens in state territorial waters this Friday, September 4, under an order from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources — open Friday through Sunday each week, plus an additional Labor Day open day on Monday, September 7. That's the headline for Mississippi Sound anglers this week, and the weekend-plus-holiday structure lines up with the late-summer stretch when snapper stack up on nearshore structure. MDMR is also hosting a stakeholder meeting September 8 in Pass Christian to talk through the 2026/2027 oyster season, a sign the state is already turning toward fall harvest planning. No buoy or gauge readings came back for Mississippi Sound this cycle, and no shop or charter reports filtered in either, so treat the inshore trout and redfish notes below as general seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local bite — check regs and local intel before you load the boat.
Redfish tail the flats as the fall mullet run builds near Pensacola
A Sept. 1 report from an angler on the Pensacola Fishing Forum found the Escambia River running warm — just over 80 degrees in the main river, climbing past 86 on the shallow flats — with clarity swinging from strong tea to fairly clear through the morning. That angler worked a Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore Topknock Pencil for a few topwater blow-ups without a hookup, and spotted tailing redfish on the flats before the fish slipped off as the sun climbed. A separate forum post the same week flagged mullet stacking at the mouth of the Escambia, a classic marker of the fall mullet run building along the Panhandle. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag points to gag grouper as worth a look this month, with Florida's Gulf side into its short September trolling window over nearshore structure. Speckled trout are typically slower to turn on until water temps ease down from summer highs; expect scattered action for now rather than a full bite.
Snook dial in as Sarasota tarpon push toward the bridges
Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) has migratory tarpon thinning out of the coastal Gulf and sliding into inside waters, where anglers are finding them around bridges and over deep grass flats on DOA Baitbusters, Shrimp and TerrorEyz. Snook fishing should hold up well through the month, with fish still working the surf in the coastal Gulf and stacking in the ICW near docks, bridges and passes. Closer to the bay, Capt. Chuck Cress reported solid action on a high rising morning tide, with a popping cork and live shrimp drawing redfish plus a few released snook. Capt. Brandon Naeve's crew also boated and released a 27-inch spotted seatrout in Sarasota Bay, a fishery well known for its trout — summer patterns still favor sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Late-summer heat remains a factor for timing your trip.
Night eels producing big stripers as Narragansett Bay bait push builds
Striped bass are producing well at night on live eels around the incoming tide or slack current, per Quonnie Bait and Tackle this week, though sharks remain a persistent nuisance for bass anglers fishing around Block Island, according to both Snug Harbor Marina and Saltwater Edge. Bottom fishing stays reliable — Frances Fleet and Snug Harbor Marina both report solid fluke, black sea bass, and scup, with fluke starting to slide into deeper water as the pattern shifts. Green bonito are still around per Quonnie and Saltwater Edge, but false albacore haven't shown up locally yet, even as Saltwater Edge's latest forecast notes peanut bunker, silversides, and bay anchovies pushing out of the salt ponds toward the oceanfront — the bait movement that typically sets up the albie run. Offshore, Booked Off Charters is finding recreational bluefin tuna work, and boaters are reporting some limit catches on tautog.
Gulf Coast redfish turn on as fall mullet run begins
Redfish are showing up tailing on skinny, tea-colored flats near Pensacola this week, with mullet stacking at the mouth of the Escambia River — a classic signal of Florida's fall mullet run getting underway, per an angler at Pensacola Fishing Forum. Water on the shallow flats there pushed into the mid-80s under bright late-summer sun, though clarity swung from tea-stained to fairly clear depending on the tide. Farther south, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' most recent reports describe steady sight-fishing for permit paired with tarpon still pushing through on the tail end of their spring migration, a pattern that typically starts winding down as water cools into fall. Salt Strong notes September historically brings less fishing pressure and more aggressive fish as temperatures ease, a trend Gulf Coast anglers should start feeling over the next few weeks. Redfish and trout on skinny flats look like the highest-percentage play right now.
Keys snapper bite stays lit heading into September
The most recent word out of the Florida Keys comes from ALL IN Key West, whose captain described "huge yellowtail, tons and tons of mutton snapper" during this summer's full-moon mutton spawn, calling the reef and offshore action some of the best he'd seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoed the pattern in its early-summer report, noting tarpon stacked on the bridges alongside mahi offshore and yellowtail working the reef. No fresh September dispatch has landed from either shop yet, so this snapshot leans on those most-recent reports plus typical late-summer patterns for the Keys. Florida Sea Grant also flagged permit spawning aggregations on the flats — sometimes topping a thousand fish — as a notable regional phenomenon worth watching for sight-casting anglers. No live buoy or gauge data is available for this update, so plan around a local forecast and typical Keys tidal movement rather than a specific reading.
Snook still smashing on the Treasure Coast as mullet run builds
Snook Nook in Stuart is still logging quality snook in the 40"+ range through late summer, with the better bites coming from anglers working the St. Lucie Inlet and running the beach on live croakers and threadfins. The shop notes this year's mullet run is running later than usual after a cooler winter — early September has produced scattered schools of larger mullet moving down the beaches, with the bulk of finger mullet still to arrive. Offshore, Snook Nook's own charter team just placed first in the small-boat division of the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, a sign sailfish are cooperating in the Atlantic Coast's nearshore/offshore zone. Meanwhile red snapper access remains unsettled — CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing-permit season Florida anglers were counting on, so status there stays uncertain pending further action.
Okeechobee bass hold summer patterns as fall bite still weeks off
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Okeechobee/St. Johns system this cycle, and today's angler-intel feeds were light on direct Florida freshwater reports, so this outlook leans on seasonal pattern rather than fresh eyewitness bite calls. Tactical Bassin's September lineup and On The Water's fall-transition roundup both flag bass keying on baitfish as moving baits — buzzbaits, topwater, reaction baits — start outproducing slow presentations; that shift typically lands later on subtropical water like Okeechobee and the St. Johns than it does on the northern reservoirs those pieces describe, but the underlying cue (shad and bream schooling tighter as days shorten) still applies. Expect largemouth bass to stay on a summer-pattern rhythm — mats, points, and low-light windows — for now. Bluegill and shellcracker should keep working around structure through the heat. Black crappie (speckled perch) typically remain the slowest bite until water starts cooling later in fall. Check current conditions before heading out.
Fall transition puts bass on the move at Smith Mountain Lake
Bass anglers across Smith Mountain Lake and Buggs Island are entering the September fall transition that regional bass sources are flagging as the signal to change tactics. Tactical Bassin's latest September breakdown notes bass moving off summer structure to chase baitfish near open water, favoring moving baits — topwater, crankbaits, and swimbaits — over slower presentations. On The Water's fall-transition roundup echoes the same shift, pointing to baitfish migrations reshaping where fish set up as water cools. For deeper structure once the moving-bait bite slows, the Virginia DWR's recent breakdown of drop shot rigging remains a solid go-to for both smallmouth and largemouth. No direct reports from Smith Mountain Lake or Buggs Island came through this week, so treat the species status below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local bite — worth a call to a local shop before you head out.
Chesapeake mouth anglers wait on hard intel as fall transition nears
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Chesapeake mouth on this pull, and none of today's angler-intel feeds carried a Virginia saltwater report — the Virginia DWR Wildlife Blog's newest post this week covered freshwater drop-shot technique for largemouth and smallmouth bass, not Bay-mouth species, and VA Sea Grant's recent items were fellowship and internship announcements rather than fishing intel. Without a direct captain, shop, or agency report for this stretch of water, this update leans on typical seasonal patterns for the Bay mouth heading into September: striped bass, red drum, Spanish mackerel, and cobia are the species anglers here are typically working this time of year as water starts to cool and baitfish begin staging near the mouth. Treat status calls below as season-typical rather than confirmed-on-the-water until a local source reports in. Check state regs before harvesting any species, and confirm current conditions locally before heading out.