Fishing reports
14831 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Ozark trout waters settle into steady fall flow
The Current River drainage (USGS gauge 07067000) is running at a steady, moderate flow as of this week, a stage that typically keeps trout holding in predictable current seams rather than scattering with high water. Water temperature readings aren't in from this gauge, but early October in the Ozarks is the classic transition window, cooling mornings nudging fish into a steadier daytime bite.
Cooling flows signal fall feeding window across NH watershed
USGS stream gauges across the watershed are holding in the low 50s this week, with readings of 53 to 54°F across the four regional sites we track. Flow is lean, from 4.69 cfs up to 16.8 cfs, keeping the water low and clear ahead of the next rain. That combination, cooling water on thin flow, is the classic early-October signal in New Hampshire: fish start shifting out of summer holding water as the thermal layering that built up over the warm months breaks down.
Low tributary flows mark fall transition on Oregon waters
USGS gauge 14211720 is running 13,400 cfs at 64°F, while the two smaller tributary gauges (14211542 and 14211550) sit at a modest 13.3 and 15.3 cfs with water settling near 60°F. That split, a swollen mainstem against lean, cool feeder flows, is the clearest signal of where early October has the Columbia & Rogue system right now.
Rio Grande flows ease back as New Mexico settles into fall
USGS gauge 08317400 has the Rio Grande running at 1,150 cfs with water temperature at 66°F as of Tuesday evening. The downstream gauge at site 08330000 reads noticeably lower at 779 cfs, a reminder that volume drops off the farther you move down this stretch this time of year. The 66-degree reading puts the river solidly in its fall transition window, past the summer highs that push fish into deeper, slower water and into the range where feeding activity typically picks back up through the day.
Warm fall tides set up Hawaii's overnight bite windows
Water temperatures are holding firm in the low-to-mid 80s across the islands tonight, with NOAA CO-OPS station 1612340 off Honolulu reading 84°F and station 1615680 off Kahului reading 81.1°F — both readings consistent with the typical warm, stable water Hawaii sees in early October. Tonight's tide swings from a low near 8:26 PM into a high around 2:38 AM at Honolulu, while Kahului builds toward a high close to 1:06 AM before easing back to a low around 6:50 AM. That overnight tide change marks the better window for moving water this week.
Fall walleye and pike bite firms up on Northwoods waters
Water temperatures across the Northwoods have eased into the low 50s this week, with one lake-area gauge reading 50°F and a connected river gauge at 55°F on a steady 108 cfs flow, per USGS readings — the band anglers watch for the fall feeding push to kick in. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch reports the bladed swim jig continuing to produce northern pike and walleye off shoreline flats as weeds die back, and his "plain rig," a bottom bouncer paired with a nightcrawler snell, remains a dependable fall walleye producer as water cools. Frisch also notes that traditional approaches like jigging live bait and pulling crankbaits still put walleye in the boat even as forward-facing sonar reshapes how many anglers search for them.
Snook and tarpon feast as fall mullet run floods FL's Atlantic beaches
The fall mullet run is in full swing along Florida's Atlantic Coast, with Snook Nook in Stuart reporting snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks working bait schools inshore this month. Water stays summer-warm: NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 reads 85.8°F and station 8720218 reads 79.9°F, keeping the predator bite tied to bait movement rather than a seasonal cooldown. Snook Nook notes the recent full moon and higher king tides made the bite tougher for a stretch, but early-morning and evening sessions around the bait near the St. Lucie Inlet have stayed productive using live croakers, pilchards and threadfins. Saltwater Sportsman's look at the Atlantic Coast mullet run backs the timing, with millions of mullet pushing out of the rivers and estuaries from September into November and pulling gamefish tight to the beaches and inlets behind them.
Walleye and lake trout turn on as NY waters slide into fall mode
Hudson Valley gauges are holding steady in the low 60s — 61–62°F at the Schoharie-area stations (USGS 01359139, 01354230) — with the Schoharie/Mohawk corridor at USGS gauge 01357500 running 1,570 cfs and gauge 01358000 at 5,060 cfs, a typical fall flow for the region. NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter is gearing anglers up for the fall-run push into Lake Ontario tributaries statewide. Farther west on Lake Erie and the Niagara, Brookdog Fishing Co. reports the walleye bite has stayed strong into early October, with lake trout action "especially good" out of Barcelona on deep jigging, and smallmouth still producing on the Niagara River.
Big Hole River Reopens as Fall Spawning Closures Take Hold
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks lifted the angling closure on Section 5 of the Big Hole River, from the Tony Schoonen Fishing Access Site down to its confluence with the Beaverhead River, after weekend rain pushed flows back up, per MT FWP Fishing News. The Section 1 closure, covering water from the Saginaw Bridge on Skinner Meadows Road downstream, stays in effect. FWP also notes that spawning closures on some rivers begin October 1, a routine fall measure across the upper Missouri drainage that anglers in the Yellowstone and Missouri systems should expect to see rolled out stretch by stretch this month.
North Shore Lake Trout Bite Rebounds as Fall Walleye Fire Up Near Duluth
The Lake Trout bite on Lake Superior's North Shore has turned a corner. The MN DNR's Lake Superior Summer Fishing report, filed October 1, describes a steady bite for 18- to 29-inch Lake Trout from all stations near Duluth, a clear step up from the slow fishing logged through most of September. The same report notes good numbers of 15- to 19-inch Walleye working that stretch, giving anglers near Duluth two active options instead of one. Surface temperatures are sitting in a cool, early-fall range typical for this point in the season, keeping fish spread out but trending toward a tighter pattern. Further inland, Fishing the Midwest points to the broader shift driving that kind of activity this time of year: as weed beds die back, baitfish and the gamefish chasing them push toward whatever living, green weed cover remains, concentrating fish in predictable pockets for anglers willing to search for it.
Red drum run heats up along the NC coast, bluefish mix in
Water temps are holding at 73.9°F at the Beaufort-area NOAA CO-OPS station (8656483) this week, and red drum have taken over the conversation up and down the North Carolina coast. Nathan of East Coast Sports reports a solid run of slot-sized red drum in the surf and off the piers at Topsail/Sneads Ferry, with some over-slot fish mixed in, per Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater. Farther north on the Pamlico/Neuse, Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication says red drum are the main target, with fish showing throughout the river wherever bait has stacked up, per Fisherman's Post (NC). Down at Swansboro/Emerald Isle, Morgan of The Reel Outdoors reports scattered red drum working the beachfront alongside bluefish, also per Fisherman's Post (NC).
Yellowtail still biting south as Central Coast settles into fall pattern
Water across our two Central Coast tide stations is holding in the mid-60s this morning, 65.1°F and 67.8°F, a typical reading as the region eases into its fall pattern. South along the coast, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports a San Diego-area crew trip out of Point Loma Sportfishing is still crushing yellowtail, a sign the SoCal yellowtail run remains active even as water temperatures ease. Central Coast anglers watching that trend should expect any late-season yellowtail push to filter north behind it, typically with a lag of days to weeks rather than showing up all at once.
Sea bass bite stays hot as NJ's fall striper run begins
Water on the bay reads 66.7°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, still mild enough to keep the black sea bass bite rolling that's been running hot up and down the Jersey coast. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has logged good-to-very-good sea bass fishing on back-to-back trips this week, with anglers filling out and a 2.5-pound fish taking the pool on Friday; Fluke up to 4 pounds also came aboard on one recent bottom-fishing trip. Grumpys Tackle has its bucktail inventory on sale specifically for what it calls perfect timing to stock up for the fall run, and Anglers Journal's latest dispatch frames this stretch of October as the heart of the Northeast's fall migration, when striped bass push south ahead of shortening days. Together the reports point to the same seasonal hinge: sea bass holding steady on bottom structure while the first waves of migratory stripers start to show.
Tourney weekend arrives as Galveston-to-lower-coast bites stay mixed
Gulf water is still summer-warm along the upper Texas coast, with NOAA tide stations near Galveston reading in the low-to-mid 80s this week. Fishing held up despite breezy conditions: Galveston Daily News' Reel Report says Freeport and Matagorda Bay turned in solid catches of several species even with the wind, and Capt. Billy Howell of Galveston Bait and Tackle filed a detailed report out of lower and west Galveston Bay. Farther down the coast the picture was more mixed, per Capt. Cliff Fleming fishing out of Port Isabel and Capt. Jim Leavelle reporting from Baffin Bay. The same Reel Report flags a disturbed-weather system in the southern Gulf that forecasters see trending north over the next few days, a track worth watching as the Galveston area heads into Saturday's King of the Dike and other end-of-summer tournaments.
Fall cooldown settles over Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay's two NOAA tide stations are both reading water temperatures in the low 60s tonight, 63.7°F at station 8452660 and 63.3°F at station 8452944, confirming the bay has settled into its autumn cooling pattern. Low tide falls just after midnight, with the next high around 6:30 to 6:45 tomorrow morning, bracketing a dawn window worth building a trip around. Conditions this week point toward that seasonal shift rather than a single standout bite.
Keys bite set to turn as summer heat finally breaks
Water is still running summer-warm across the Keys — 86.7°F at Key West and 88.2°F off Vaca Key per NOAA CO-OPS readings taken this morning — but ALL IN Key West says the heat is finally letting up after a scorching September, and the captain is back on the water after taking the month off for boat upgrades. That first crack in the summer pattern is the thing to watch this week more than any single bite report.
Yellowtail Keep Firing Off San Diego as Fall Warmth Holds
San Diego's yellowtail bite is still paying off heading into the second week of October. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports the half-day boat Daily Double, running out of Point Loma Sportfishing, rewarded its crew with a trip framed by the captain as payback for "another great season" after the boat kept crushing yellowtail on the water. That kind of reward trip, rather than a one-off lucky stop, points to a bite that has stayed consistent through the stretch rather than a single hot afternoon. The water backs up the warm read: NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 logged 78.3°F and station 9410230 came in at 72.9°F, a healthy spread that keeps bait pushed up and game fish feeding through the Bight this week.
Sea bass and fluke keep biting as Jersey Shore eyes fall striper run
Water temperatures sit at 65.5°F and 65.7°F at the NOAA CO-OPS stations tracking the Jersey Shore, still comfortable enough to keep the late-season bite rolling before the real fall cool-down sets in. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports a strong all-day black sea bass bite, with action from start to finish and keeper-size fish coming over the rail on recent open-boat trips; fluke to 4 pounds have also shown up in the mix. Blue Chip Sportfishing echoes the pattern further down the coast, noting fluke and sea bass are being caught on both half- and full-day trips. At Grumpys Tackle, the shop has bucktails on sale specifically timed for the fall run, a signal that striped bass are starting to move into the mix as water cools and bait pushes south.
Sea bass and fluke keep NJ boats busy as fall run builds
Water at Sandy Hook is holding at 63.7°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, comfortable territory for the fall push. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has logged a run of strong Black Sea Bass trips this week, including a Friday limit-style day paced by a 2.5-pound fish and "action from start to finish," plus recent all-day Fluke drops that sent anglers home with dinner, including fish up to four pounds. Blue Chip Sportfishing is reporting the same two-species pattern further down the coast, pointing to Fluke and Sea Bass half- and full-day trips as the current best value on the water. On the tackle side, Grumpys Tackle just put its Pro Series Bass Bucktails on a 30 percent sale timed, in the shop's words, for anglers to "stock up for the fall run" — an early tell that Striped Bass season is beginning to turn on along the Jersey Shore even as the bottom bite stays the sure thing.
Fall Transition Takes Hold on the Delaware and in the Pine Barrens
Early October marks the real start of the fall transition on the Delaware River and across New Jersey's Pine Barrens. As surface temperatures ease off their late-summer highs, smallmouth bass slide out of deep pools and riffles into current seams and shallower flats, feeding more aggressively through the day instead of just at dawn and dusk. The same shift tends to wake up walleye and northern pike in the river's deeper runs and in the Pine Barrens' slower, tannic-stained waters, while bluegill and crappie bunch up tighter around structure as they stage for the colder months ahead. This is the window anglers on this water wait for all summer.
Oregon Coast anglers track a building tide swing into the weekend
Water off the Oregon Coast is running 57°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380, with the next high tide near 10:54pm and a low around 5:08am. Boat traffic stayed steady this week near Buoy 10 and off Garibaldi, per reports on IFish.net Fishing Reports, with anglers flagging lost and found gear at both spots, a sign of a busy lower Columbia and north coast scene heading into the weekend.
Snook settle into docks and bridges across Sarasota Bay
Water temps in Tampa Bay are holding at 82.6°F per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726520 and 8726724, still warm enough to keep snook working out of the passes toward inshore structure. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) has snook staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and on shallow flats as they begin shifting toward wintertime areas, with live shrimp near structure and pilchards on the flats producing. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of the same shop on Siesta Key, reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook and redfish this past week. Capt. Brandon Naeve adds that the fall snook season, which opened September 1, is in full swing south toward Fort Myers.
Redfish push builds along the Carolinas as Charleston water stays warm
Water at Charleston Harbor (NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530) read 76.8°F this week, a mild number for early October that keeps conditions on the warm side of typical for the season. The fall redfish run that defines this stretch of coast is already rolling just north of us: Fisherman's Post reports anglers working the surf and piers around Topsail/Sneads Ferry are into a steady run of slot-sized red drum, with some over-slot fish mixed in, while the same publication's Pamlico/Neuse report has red drum as the main focus throughout the river, with bait stacking up nearby. Those two reports are North Carolina water, not Charleston Harbor itself, but they mark the same seasonal signal that tends to move down the coast as days shorten. On the regional CO-OPS gauge, tide bottoms out near midnight and builds to a high around 6:15 AM, giving early risers a clean low-to-high window to fish.
Tournament bite hints at fall shift taking hold on Lake Hartwell
Lake Hartwell's fall transition is showing up on the tournament trail this week. Per MLF News, Dawsonville, Georgia angler Reed Rooke won the season-ending Phoenix Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Hartwell, posting a two-day total of 34 pounds after starting shallow early before moving out as the sun climbed. That shallow-to-deep progression through the morning is a classic signature of cooling water this time of year, with baitfish pushing onto flats, points and standing timber as the lake eases out of summer patterns.