Fishing reports
6969 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Spanish mackerel biting as Gulf anglers wait on a slow bottom bite
Direct data for Mobile Bay and the Alabama Gulf is thin this week, with no fresh buoy or gauge readings logged, so anglers should lean on eyes-on-the-water reports and a check of the local forecast before running out. The clearest signal comes from the Pensacola Fishing Forum, just east of the Alabama line, where one angler logged a personal-best Spanish mackerel inshore even as a separate offshore trip about 35 miles out found a tough bite, plenty of marked bait, and only small vermilion snapper ("mingos") to show for a full day on the water. That split, mackerel biting close to the beach while bottom fish stayed stingy offshore, tracks with a typical Gulf summer pattern. Redfish and speckled trout remain seasonal Mobile Bay staples this time of year, though neither showed up directly in this week's reports. Check state regs before harvesting reef species.
Laguna Madre flats settle into a steady summer holding pattern
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Lower Laguna Madre this cycle, and this week's national fishing-blog roundup didn't carry a South Padre or Laguna Madre specific report — the closest Texas-focused pieces, from Texas Fish & Game Magazine and Texas Monthly Hunting & Fishing, covered inland hunting, freshwater structure, and general technique rather than bay conditions. That means we're leaning on general seasonal knowledge rather than fresh testimony this week. Early July on the Lower Laguna Madre typically keeps redfish and speckled trout working the grass flats and drop-offs during low-light hours, with snook holding tight to structure through the midday heat and black drum still catchable on deeper flats, though on a slower bite. Water clarity is the variable worth watching regardless of location; per Texas Fish & Game Magazine, clarity shifts after rain can quickly relocate feeding fish. Check local reports before planning a trip until fresher regional intel arrives.
Eagle Mountain blues and whites keep grinding through Texas summer heat
Water temperatures in this Texas river system are running about 89°F per USGS gauge 08211200, with flow holding low and stable near 33 cfs — classic mid-summer conditions across the state's lakes and rivers. On Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, North Texas Catfish Guide has repeatedly reported strong blue and channel catfish action once the lake fills and warms through the season, with channel cats biting aggressively and white bass schooling in the main lake during comparable summer stretches. With surface temps this high, we're expecting fish to hold deeper and feed hardest in low-light windows. Largemouth bass remain catchable on summer jig presentations, per Tactical Bassin's seasonal tips, worked slow around shaded cover during the heat of the day. Expect a typical July pattern: early mornings and dusk producing the most consistent action, midday requiring deeper baits or shade.
Summer heat has Okeechobee bass and St. Johns bluegill firing early
The St. Johns River gauge near USGS site 02232000 logged a modest 259 cfs flow early this morning, a steady, unhurried stage typical for a Florida river in mid-summer with no big rain pulses moving through. With water on the low side, largemouth bass across Okeechobee and St. Johns waters are settling into a classic hot-weather pattern: Tactical Bassin's July roundup points anglers toward power-fishing the shallows early and jig fishing as the sun climbs, with a Neko rig as a follow-up when reaction bites slow. Bluegill remain a dependable target too, with Field & Stream's guide noting bream stack up on weed lines over mud bottoms this time of year, feeding on the same summer insect activity driving the bass bite. Crappie, by contrast, tend to slide deeper and go quieter once surface temps climb into summer ranges, so expect a tougher, more patient bite there. Early and late are the windows worth planning around.
Smokies trout bite shifts to dawn and dusk as water warms
USGS gauge 03512000 logged a water temperature of 75°F this morning with flow holding near 191 cfs, a combination that reshapes today's game plan on Western NC trout water. Water in the mid-70s crosses into stress territory for wild rainbow, brown, and brook trout, and fish typically tuck into whatever cold-water refuge they can find rather than actively feeding through the day. Trout Unlimited's seasonal terrestrial tip is well timed for this stretch of summer, noting that ants, beetles, and hoppers blown or crawled into the current become a big-calorie target once true hatches thin out, making a terrestrial pattern worked along undercut banks and shaded runs a solid play. We'd lean toward first-light and late-evening windows, when water runs coolest and fish are least stressed, and treat midday as a pass. No direct Smokies-specific catch reports came through today's intel sweep, so read the technique notes above as general seasonal guidance rather than a confirmed hot bite on this particular water.
Midsummer jig bite holds steady across Santee and Lake Murray
Flow at USGS gauge 02160390 held steady near 135 cfs in the early morning hours, a sign of stable summer water levels feeding the Santee and Lake Murray system as the July heat sets in. No shop or state report crossed the wire for this stretch this cycle, so we're leaning on regional technique intel to frame the bite: Tactical Bassin's midsummer playbook favors jigs and shallow power-fishing tactics for largemouth worked in low light, and their July baits roundup points toward faster, reaction-style presentations as bass metabolisms peak in the heat. Field & Stream's seasonal guides back weed-line edges over mud bottoms for bluegill and deeper brush or cover for crappie as surface temps climb. No striper or catfish activity was specifically reported this cycle, so treat those bites as typical-for-July rather than confirmed hot. With a Last Quarter moon overhead, expect a tighter, dawn-and-dusk feeding window rather than an all-day push.
Summer power-fishing patterns hold on Guntersville and Wheeler
The only hard local reading this cycle comes from USGS gauge 03575100, holding at 281 cfs as of Tuesday night — a steady, unremarkable summer flow with no water-temp reading available. No Guntersville- or Wheeler-specific angler reports came through this cycle, so we're leaning on general July bass-fishing patterns rather than local dispatches. Tactical Bassin (blog) is pushing shallow power-fishing and jig tricks as the go-to summer approach when temperatures spike, noting bass feed aggressively on baitfish, craw, and bream imitators through the hottest part of the year. Fishing the Midwest is echoing the same seasonal theme, encouraging anglers to work weedlines and stay versatile as the open-water season runs full swing. Expect largemouth and spotted bass to hold tight to shade, grass edges, and current breaks during peak heat, with the best windows at dawn, dusk, and around any cloud cover. Crappie typically slide deeper and slow down this time of year; catfish stay a dependable summer producer on cut bait after dark.
Merrimack Valley bass settle into summer patterns as flows hold steady
USGS gauge 01073500 logged a steady 72.9 cfs just after midnight on July 9 — an unremarkable, stable low-summer flow with no runoff spike or drought signal in the reading. No water-temperature data came through this cycle and no buoy coverage exists for the Merrimack/Winnipesaukee area, so we're leaning on flow trend plus regional context rather than a lake-specific report today. No angler intel arrived directly from Merrimack River or Lake Winnipesaukee sources this week. Elsewhere in New England, The Fisherman — New England Freshwater reports black bass settling into classic warm-weather routines — frogs, Whopper Ploppers and Senkos working best during low-light hours, with trout action going quiet as water warms. That pattern typically holds for NH's lakes and rivers by early July too. Expect smallmouth and largemouth to be the most reliable Merrimack Valley and Winnipesaukee targets right now, with lake trout sliding deeper as surface temps climb through midsummer.
Snake River cutthroat perk up as Teton flows ease off spring peak
The USGS gauge on the Snake River near Moose (06192500) logged 65°F and 5,400 cfs Wednesday night, a reading that puts this stretch well past its early-summer runoff crest into a clearer, more wadeable stage. That flow-and-temp combination sits in the range where Yellowstone cutthroat, rainbows, and mountain whitefish typically settle into steadier feeding once the current slows enough for a clean drift. None of today's angler-intel feeds carried a dedicated on-the-water report from the Yellowstone or Snake/Teton drainages specifically, so species notes below lean on general seasonal knowledge for this fishery rather than a named captain or shop's fresh account. Expect the usual mid-July rhythm: mornings and evenings outfishing the heat of the day, with whitefish and rainbows holding the most consistent action through deeper runs while cutthroat key on afternoon terrestrial activity. Water in the mid-60s is workable but worth watching as summer temperatures build.
High water pushes Atchafalaya catfish shallow as summer heat holds
The Mississippi River gauge at Baton Rouge (USGS 07374000) read 660,000 cfs and 84°F early this morning, a combination that points to a swollen, warm river running well above typical mid-summer baseline. High, off-color water like this is classic for pushing catfish out of the main channel and into slack-water eddies, drainage mouths, and flooded timber along the banks, where cut bait and stink baits tend to out-produce lures. Largemouth bass and Atchafalaya sac-a-lait (crappie) generally get tougher to pattern when the main river is running this high, since current and turbidity scatter baitfish into backwaters and sloughs rather than predictable structure. Bream and bluegill, less current-sensitive, typically hold steadier in shaded cypress edges and slack pockets through the hottest part of the day. No fresh state-agency or shop reports specific to Mississippi/Atchafalaya bite conditions came through this cycle, so the read above leans on typical seasonal river behavior rather than fresh on-the-water intel.
Summer power-fishing patterns dial in on the Tennessee River chain
USGS gauge 03578500 logged flow at just 20.8 cfs as of Tuesday night, pointing to stable, low, late-summer base flow across the Chickamauga and Watts Bar pools. No water-temperature reading came through this cycle, but with regional air temps running hot, surface water is likely holding well into the 80s. No captain or shop filed a report directly from this stretch of the Tennessee River this week, so we're leaning on regional technique intel: Tactical Bassin's July rundown points anglers toward power-fishing shallow cover and jigs as bass metabolisms peak in the heat, while Fishing the Midwest notes that working weedlines and keeping hooks freshly sharpened can be the difference on missed strikes. Largemouth and smallmouth bass should still be feeding aggressively around main-lake structure and shad-holding grass edges, catfish typically turn active after dark this time of year, and crappie tend to slide deep and slow down once summer heat sets in — check state regs before keeping a limit.
Paddlefish permits open as Nebraska rivers hold steady summer flow
The USGS gauge at site 06796000 shows a steady 986 cfs as of early Thursday morning, a stable mid-summer flow that keeps catfish holding in current seams and ledges across the Platte and Missouri systems. Nebraska Game & Parks opened paddlefish snagging permit applications July 1 through July 14, so anglers chasing that Missouri River fishery should get tags and preference points in before the window closes. The agency also flagged a significant fish die-off at Timber Point Reservoir near Brainard this month, a reminder to check current advisories before targeting waters with recent water-quality issues. No shop or captain filed a direct bite report for this stretch this week, so species status below leans on seasonal norms: catfish stay active on stable flows, walleye respond to weed-line versatility per Fishing the Midwest, and crappie slide toward the slower deep-structure pattern typical of high summer per Field & Stream's crappie guide.
NY bass bite heats up as Hudson Valley waters run warm and high
Water temps have climbed to 79°F at USGS gauge 01357500 in the Hudson Valley corridor, with flow running elevated at both regional gauges (1,350 cfs and 3,850 cfs), a signal of recent runoff keeping rivers high and slightly stained heading into mid-July. Warm, moving water like this typically pushes bass shallow to feed aggressively, and NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter reports the black bass bite is "picking up with the warmer summer weather," a trend that lines up with what the gauges are showing. Walleye have been running hot elsewhere in the state's Great Lakes waters, per Brookdog Fishing Co.'s Buffalo-area reports of quick limits through late June, though that's Lake Erie and Ontario action rather than Finger Lakes proper. Locally, expect smallmouth and panfish to stay active around weed edges and current breaks, with the Last Quarter moon settling bite windows into dawn and dusk. High flow means working current seams instead of open, flat water.
Redfish steal the show as Galveston tournaments heat up
Redfish are the story on the upper Texas coast this week. Team Adictos A La Pesca's King of the Reds tournament at the Texas City Dike drew a strong turnout, per the Galveston Daily News — Reel Report, and the column's separate note on a young angler landing his first-ever bull red underscores how thick reds have pushed into the bay system. Out of Eagle Point Fishing Camp, the Holecek family fished live shrimp over the July 4 weekend and put together a mixed bag of black drum, redfish, and a keeper speckled trout, the same source reports. The Reel Report also describes catching as "hot as the weather," with strong results coming from both offshore and inshore water, and flags three separate tournaments running this weekend — expect crowded ramps and heavier boat traffic around the Dike and nearby bay structure. Live shrimp fished on bottom near structure remains the reliable presentation for the drum-and-redfish combo working the flats right now.
Smokies tailwater trout key on generation flows as summer heat builds
USGS gauge 03565000 on the Caney Fork isn't returning a flow or temperature reading this cycle, and today's sweep of shop, charter, and blog feeds didn't turn up any Tennessee-specific reports on the Hiwassee or Caney Fork — so we're leaning on established early-July tailwater patterns rather than fresh eyes-on-the-water testimony for this region. Both rivers run as cold-water fisheries below TVA dams, meaning trout habitat holds up through summer heat far better than in unregulated freestone streams, but bite windows typically tighten around generation schedules once air temps climb. Rainbow trout generally stay catchable through the heat given the reliable cold releases; brown trout tend to go more selective and low-light oriented as surface temps rise; smallmouth bass in the lower, warmer stretches usually turn on during dawn and dusk. Anglers should check TVA generation schedules directly and plan trips around release windows rather than the clock, since no live flow data came through for this update.
Low tailwater flows set up prime wading window on the Cumberland
The Cumberland River tailwater is running unusually skinny this week — the USGS gauge near the dam logged just 9.74 cfs late Wednesday night, a strong sign Wolf Creek Dam has been sitting on minimum flow rather than generating. That's the window tailwater trout anglers wait for: clearer water, safer wading, better sight-fishing angles. Up on the main lake, July pushes Lake Cumberland's well-known striped bass and hybrids into a deep, main-lake summer pattern as the thermocline locks in, while largemouth and smallmouth slide toward shade and cover. General July bass intel from Tactical Bassin this week leans hard on jigs and reaction baits worked through heavy cover, and Fishing the Midwest is pointing anglers toward weedlines as a go-to summer pattern — both apply broadly to a lake like Cumberland even without a lake-specific report in hand. We don't have direct Lake Cumberland catch reports today, so treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation, not confirmed bites.
Catfish bite holds strong as Kansas rivers run warm and steady this July
Water temps on the Kansas River climbed to 86°F as of Tuesday night per USGS gauge 06892350, with flow running a robust 8,460 cfs — warm, steady conditions typical of peak Kansas summer. That combination usually means catfish, both channel and blue, staying active and feeding hard in current seams and eddies, even as the midday sun pushes bass toward shade and cover. Tactical Bassin's July bass roundup notes warming water triggers aggressive feeding windows, though anglers should target dawn, dusk, and weedline edges rather than open flats once the sun is high — a tip echoed in Fishing the Midwest's recent weedline column. Crappie, per Field & Stream's seasonal guide, tend to slide deep and hold tight to shade and structure once water hits the mid-80s, so don't expect much action in skinny water. Steady, non-spiking flow should keep bait moving and predators oriented through the rest of the week.
New habitat work at Lake Eufaula meets a low, quiet Red River stage
Fisheries managers just wrapped a notable project on Lake Eufaula: per MLF News, the Major League Fishing Fisheries Management Division partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Kubota Tractor Corporation to anchor a network of MossBack Fish Habitat structures as part of a new Tournament Recovery Zone, deployed despite severe summer thunderstorms last month. Structure investment like that typically pays off for bass and crappie holding around fresh cover in the months ahead. On the Red River side, our gauge (USGS 07247500) is reading a notably low flow as of late Wednesday, consistent with a typical mid-summer low-water stretch on this system, meaning fish are likely concentrating in deeper holes and around visible structure rather than spread across the flats. No direct Eufaula or Red River bite reports came through this cycle, so treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation, not confirmed local testimony, until fresh reports land.
Finger Lakes bass dial into weedlines as summer pattern sets in
A USGS gauge feeding the Finger Lakes watershed logged 69°F water and a steady, low flow of 6.86 cfs late Tuesday night (July 8), consistent with mid-summer stratification settling into Cayuga, Seneca, and Skaneateles. No Finger Lakes-specific catch reports came through this cycle, so we're leaning on general seasonal guidance from this week's national coverage: Fishing the Midwest is pointing anglers toward weedline edges as the open-water season hits full swing, and Tactical Bassin's July roundup favors jig presentations and warns against fishing yesterday's pattern instead of today's conditions. With surface temps in the upper 60s, expect largemouth and smallmouth to hold tight to weed edges and shaded cover through the day, while deeper, cold-water species likely slide toward the thermocline. The Last Quarter moon should keep bite windows concentrated around dawn and dusk rather than producing an all-day feed.
Low, clear Catskills flows put terrestrials on the summer trout menu
Catskills flows are settling into classic mid-July low-water mode: the East Branch Delaware near Fishs Eddy (gauge 01415000) is running just 10.4 cfs, while the upstream reading near Margaretville (gauge 01413500) holds a steadier 166 cfs. No water-temperature data came through on either gauge this cycle, so anglers should still check a thermometer streamside before extending any fight with a summer-stressed trout. With flows this thin, timing matters more than usual. Trout Unlimited's latest seasonal tip notes that with summer in full swing, terrestrials — hoppers, ants, beetles — are crawling and hopping along the banks and trout are keying on them as easy meals, a pattern that tracks well for low, clear Catskills and Adirondacks water right now. Expect the best action at first and last light, with midday better spent scouting deeper pools and cool tributary mouths than fishing hard through the afternoon heat.
Green River tailwater trout hold steady summer rhythm below Flaming Gorge
USGS gauge 09234500 on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam read 58°F and 2,240 cfs Tuesday evening, textbook tailwater numbers for the second week of July. That combination — cold, stable, dam-controlled water — is exactly what keeps this stretch a year-round trout fishery even as ambient air temps climb elsewhere. General summer trout patterns apply here: terrestrial patterns earn their keep once grasshoppers and ants start working banks and undercuts, a technique Trout Unlimited's current seasonal tip highlights for trout rivers broadly, and Western tailwaters typically see Yellow Sally stoneflies in the summer bug mix, per Caddis Fly (OR)'s regional notes. We don't have Flaming Gorge-specific angler reports this cycle, so treat species activity below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed local bite reports — rainbows and browns should be feeding steadily on the cool, stable release, with whitefish more of a background presence until water cools further into fall.
Ozark trout parks lean on summer terrestrials as flows hold
USGS gauge 07067000 logged flow at 1,050 cfs as of the evening of July 8, a solid, fishable stage for Current and Niangua tailwater and spring-branch stretches heading into the weekend. No shop or charter feed in this cycle filed a direct report from either river, so we're leaning on regional seasonal patterns and Trout Unlimited's current TROUT Tip on summer terrestrials, which flags ants, hoppers, and beetles getting blown or crawling into the current as a reliable July pattern anywhere trout hold tight to grassy banks, a setup that applies well to the spring-fed runs at Missouri's trout parks. Smallmouth-holding pools below the stocked sections should still respond to standard summer jig presentations, per general technique notes from Tactical Bassin's recent summer bass coverage. Water temp wasn't reported at the gauge this cycle. Check state regs before harvesting, and plan around early or late light as July heat builds."
Warm-water summer patterns settle over Oregon's Columbia and Rogue systems
A USGS reading from gauge 14211720 clocked water temperature at 70°F on the evening of July 8, squarely in the range that pushes Columbia and Rogue system fish into classic summer behavior: early and late feeding windows, deeper holding water midday. The flow value that came through alongside that reading was anomalous (a negative number that doesn't reflect real river stage), so treat current flow/stage as unconfirmed until the gauge corrects. On technique, this week's national bass coverage from Tactical Bassin is pushing jigs and moving baits for summer heat, a pattern that translates directly to smallmouth water on rivers like these. Hatch Magazine's recent piece questioning where bull trout should even be targeted is a good reminder to know protected-species rules before working deeper, cooler pools in Pacific Northwest systems. No Oregon-specific report reached us this cycle, so treat species activity below as season-and-temp-based rather than confirmed on-the-water intel.
Central MA bass and panfish settle into summer patterns
Central Massachusetts freshwater is settling into its mid-summer rhythm. At Quabbin Reservoir's Gate 31 in New Salem, anglers worked smallmouth bass around Parker Hill, Curtis Hill, and Mount Pomeroy under cool, partly cloudy, light-wind conditions that made for a tougher-than-ideal bite, per Rod Teehan (The Fisherman — New England Freshwater). Two regional USGS gauges (01105500, 01111500) are holding steady, modest flows of roughly 43 and 114 cfs, consistent with typical summer base-flow levels rather than any runoff spike. Elsewhere in the region, ponds and lakes have shifted into full warm-water mode, with largemouth bass keying on topwater frogs, Whopper Ploppers, and Senkos early and late in the day, per Fishin' Factory 3 (The Fisherman — New England Freshwater). Trout action has gone quiet at popular venues, while panfish (yellow perch, white perch, and crappie) stayed active on small jigs and grubs, per Jeff Sullivan (The Fisherman — New England Freshwater).