Fishing reports
16757 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
UP trout streams hold steady as Lake Superior whitefish action builds
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Upper Peninsula this cycle, so this report leans on seasonal patterns rather than a live temperature or flow number. The clearest angler-relevant signal from the Lake Superior basin comes from WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing, which notes that lake whitefish have become an increasingly popular target in the Chequamegon Bay region, both by boat now and through the ice once winter arrives — popular enough that the agency is running an open angler questionnaire on the fishery through April 2026. That's the Wisconsin shoreline rather than Michigan's directly, but it points to whitefish activity building across the broader lake as late-summer surface temps start to ease. For UP brook and brown trout streams, late August typically means a dawn-and-dusk bite as water cools and midday pressure eases; check current flows and state regulations before heading out, since no fresh gauge data confirms conditions on any specific water this week.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep Keys anglers busy as summer winds down
ALL IN Key West's captains called it plainly this season: yellowtail and mutton snapper have been thick, with muttons spawning heavy around the full moon and yellowtails "practically jumping in the boat" on the reef. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada team backed that up in their early-summer report, adding tarpon on the bridges and mahi pushing offshore in the Gulf Stream as the warm-water, high-bait pattern set in. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so plan around typical late-August Keys surface temps and check a local forecast before running offshore. Permit are around too — Florida Sea Grant notes Keys spawning aggregations can run into the hundreds of fish this time of year, a solid sign for sight-fishing on the flats. Overall the pattern reads consistent with a strong, still-active late-summer Keys season heading toward the fall transition.
Delaware Bay flounder bite stays hot as fall transition nears
Flounder action in Delaware Bay has been hot lately, per Higbee's Bait and Tackle, with customers boating limits to 23 inches around the EP Tower and areas near the lighthouse. Big Dave's Tackle likewise reports plenty of flounder, croakers, and spot from the beaches out to the shipping channel, with tog and sheepshead working structure on green crabs and sandfleas. On the Delaware side, Smith's Bait Shop (via The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake) notes striped bass in the 20-to-24-inch range coming from tidal creeks and rivers on sandworms and shrimp, alongside solid croaker catches at Woodland Beach and Bowers Beach jetty. Eric Burnley adds that fishing remains good from the ponds to the canyons, though keeper-sized croakers are getting harder to find as the season winds toward the NJ-side flounder closure on September 25 (DE side stays open through year-end at a 4-fish, 17.5-inch limit). We're watching for the bite to hold as water cools into September.
Treasure Coast snook stay hot as Atlantic snapper season hangs in limbo
Snook Nook's August report calls Treasure Coast snook fishing "excellent," with steady numbers of fish and plenty in the 40-inch-plus range holding around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins; a dead threadfin worked on bottom still produces when the inlet bite slows. Sailfish are active too — Team Snook Nook won the small-boat division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7-for-9 on bites, per Snook Nook. Kingfish are showing on the Atlantic side as well, with Coastal Angler Magazine reporting a 45-inch king boated off the Jupiter coast on pole gear rather than a trolling spread. All of this comes as Florida's Atlantic red snapper season sits in limbo: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing pilot just hours before the season opened, and Saltwater Sportsman notes the states are now pushing for a stopgap October 1-31 season.
Dog-days pattern holds across LA's Mississippi and Atchafalaya waters
Louisiana Sportsman's August 24 Field Notes on Tickfaw State Park frames the current stretch of the outdoor calendar around paddling, camping, and wildlife viewing rather than a hot bite report, and that is a fair read on where things stand across the Mississippi and Atchafalaya freshwater systems right now. No fresh buoy or gauge data came through the wire for this basin today, and no LA-specific charter or tackle-shop reports landed either, so we are leaning on general late-August patterns rather than confirmed local intel. Expect largemouth bass to slide off main-channel structure into shaded eddies and current breaks as afternoon heat builds, a pattern Tactical Bassin flagged for late-summer bass nationwide this week. Catfish typically stay the most dependable player on cut bait after dark, bream should still bite around brushy bank cover in the mornings, and crappie usually stays sluggish until water starts cooling toward September.
Okeechobee, St. Johns bass shift to dawn-and-dusk bite as heat holds
Late August keeps Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns River locked into peak summer heat, the stretch of the season when largemouth bass typically slide off skinny grass flats into deeper cover and current breaks once the sun climbs. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge feed came through for this region today, and no Okeechobee- or St. Johns-specific angler reports landed in this cycle either, so this read leans on general seasonal patterns rather than a fresh local bite report. Nationally, Tactical Bassin's late-summer coverage this week warns against the common late-summer mistake of slowing down and re-fishing old spring spots instead of working the transition toward fall staging areas. Field & Stream's rundown of the Carolina rig remains a proven producer worked slow along clean-bottom points and ledges in 10-plus feet through late summer. Expect bass and catfish to stay catchable on low-light shifts, panfish holding steadier through the heat, and crappie typically slow until water starts to cool.
Drop-Shot Bass, Bluegill Bite Highlight Late-Summer at SML, Buggs Island
Virginia DWR's fishing blog is steering anglers toward two plays as August winds down: a drop shot rig for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, and a run at bluegill and redear sunfish, which DWR calls a strong late-summer target on ultralight spinning gear or bait fished around lake structure. Neither DWR post names Smith Mountain Lake or Buggs Island specifically, but both techniques translate directly to these reservoirs' clear, structure-rich water. Separately, Tactical Bassin's late-summer bass coverage flags this stretch as a transition window — baitfish are shrinking and bass are shifting patterns ahead of fall, with anglers who adjust presentations now typically keeping bites coming. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water levels and clarity as unconfirmed until you check a current DWR or lake-authority posting. Striper activity wasn't reported by any source this cycle; expect it to stay tough through typical late-summer thermocline conditions on both reservoirs.
Chesapeake mouth eases into the late-summer turnover
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Chesapeake mouth this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds carry direct, on-the-water testimony for Virginia's saltwater side — the Virginia DWR Wildlife Blog items pulled this week cover freshwater bass technique and sunfish rather than Bay conditions, and VA Sea Grant's posts are fellowship and internship announcements. Rather than guess at numbers, this update leans on general seasonal knowledge for late August at the Chesapeake mouth: water is typically still warm, cobia action is past its peak, and red drum, Spanish mackerel, and spot are the species most anglers target through this stretch as the fall turnover approaches. The waning gibbous moon this week means moderate rather than maximum tidal swings. Treat this as a seasonal-pattern briefing until region-specific reports return to the feed; check a local shop or the DWR's own saltwater angler report before planning a trip around any single species or spot.
Gulf of Maine cod reopener nears as giant bluefin roam offshore
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Gulf of Maine region this cycle, but the angler intel fills the gap. Per The Fisherman's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine report, stripers are working the length of Cape Cod Bay shore, especially around the Fishing Ledge and Provincetown areas, though the ocean beaches are 'mostly a bait bite' for now. Bigger news for bottom-fishers: after a fully closed 2026 season, codfish in the Gulf of Maine Stock Area reopens September 1st with a 1-fish limit at a 23-inch minimum, while the Southern New England stock stays shut through year-end. Offshore, the same report flags giant bluefin taken around the Sword and Crab Ledge areas, with whales pushing back in near Jeffrey's Ledge per Beauport Fishing Adventures. On The Water also logged a rare bright spot — a 529-pound swordfish caught off Maine that could stand as the state's first record for the species.
Trout and redfish keep SC anglers busy as fall snapper push builds
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came back for Charleston Harbor today, so this report leans on angler intel from the broader South Carolina coast rather than fabricated numbers. Up the Grand Strand near North Myrtle Beach and Little River, anglers are still into summertime spotted trout, with a slip-cork-and-live-shrimp setup the top producer, and red drum showing up in the same water, per Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater. That inshore pattern, trout holding on structure and marsh edges while reds cruise the shallows, is typical for South Carolina's Lowcountry through late August. Offshore, South Carolina is one of three South Atlantic states pushing NOAA Fisheries for a 39-day, October 1-31 recreational red snapper season after a lawsuit halted the original 2026 opener, per Saltwater Sportsman, which is worth tracking if you fish bottom structure out of Charleston.
Naples action holds on permit and tarpon as summer patterns shift
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' latest report describes steady Tarpon migration action paired with sight-fishing for large Permit, plus a mixed bag of Cobia and Amberjack rounding out the day — the kind of two-target program that's defined this stretch of the Gulf Coast in recent weeks. Nearshore structure is still holding size: Coastal Angler Magazine logged a Goliath Grouper catch out of Anna Maria Island, a reminder that bigger reef and wreck fish are active around Tampa Bay-area structure (Goliath Grouper are catch-and-release only in Florida). No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat water temps as seasonal norms for late August rather than a fresh reading. Red snapper anglers should watch the regulatory picture — CCA Florida has been tracking ongoing Gulf enforcement concerns around illegal harvest. Inshore, expect the typical late-summer mix of moving-water Snook and Redfish activity along mangrove shorelines and grass flats.
Bull redfish biting near Saint Simons as cooler weekend nears
Fish have been biting well around the Georgia coast this week despite the late-summer heat, according to Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News), which highlighted a bull redfish landed in the Saint Simons area. That same report calls for cooler, overcast conditions moving in over the weekend, which should keep the bite active as anglers get a break from the heat. On the regulatory side, Saltwater Sportsman reports Georgia is joining Florida and South Carolina in pushing for a salvage red snapper season of Oct. 1-31 in the South Atlantic after this year's federal season was halted by a lawsuit, so bottom fishing for snapper stays off the table for now. Inshore, redfish remain the most reliable target along the marsh edges and creek mouths as summer winds down toward the early-fall transition.
Bay-Side Stripers Build as Early Albies Show in Cape Waters
Captain Phil at Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans is reporting canyon trips producing near-record catches of yellowfin tuna this week, plus a deep-dropped swordfish and reports of giant tuna around the Sword and Crab Ledge grounds, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME. Closer to the beach, stripers are holding along the Cape Cod Bay shoreline, especially around the Fishing Ledge area and off Provincetown, and the ocean beaches are just starting to give up bass to surf casters — though it's mostly a bait bite so far. Over in Sesuit, Black Rose Fishing Charters says striper fishing has been solid alongside black sea bass and big scup, per The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands. The Fisherman (Northeast)'s regional video forecast also flags a few albies showing up in Cape waters, one topping 16 pounds — an early signal the fall push is beginning.
Louisiana marsh redfish and trout hold steady into late August
Sport Fishing Mag's guide to inshore Louisiana waters says trophy speckled trout right now want a big meal — larger plugs or live mullet, pogies, and croakers are the call for anglers chasing size over numbers. Redfish stay the more dependable target across the Delta's marshes, willing to crush a wide range of artificial lures, with Strike King Redfish Magic, Thunder Cricket, and Rage Swimmer topping the captain-recommended list alongside live and cut bait, per the same report. Flounder are a tougher get through late summer — Salt Strong notes flounder and snapper start sliding toward deeper water once the heat sets in, though working shipping channels and inshore waterways can still put dinner in the cooler without live bait. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through the Delta this cycle, so lean on typical late-summer saltwater patterns and check local tide charts before running out.
Albies and Blues Push Into the Elizabeth Islands Rips
Blues and albies are stacking up around the Elizabeth Islands rips this week. Falmouth Bait and Tackle reports bonito and albies showing around Quicks Hole and the rips at Robinsons Hole, with 4- to 6-pound bluefish working the north shore of the Vineyard up to Nobska Point and some bigger blues coming off Horseshoe Shoal. Up the coast in Hyannis, Sports Port says blues have been working the rips between Nobska and Hyannis, with occasional bonito and albies off Osterville and Bass River, though those fish keep moving and aren't holding in one spot yet. The Fisherman's regional forecast adds that bonito numbers are building in nearby Rhode Island waters with a few albies already showing in Cape waters, one topping 16 pounds — a sign the fall push is arriving close to schedule. Bottom fishing stays steady too, with short fluke and legal sea bass drifting the Bishops-to-Succonnesset stretch.
Big Fluke, Rising Sea Bass Mark Late-Summer LI Sound Bite
A stacked Thursday fluke drift stood out this week: per The Fisherman — Connecticut, Black Hawk boated three fish over 7 pounds on the first drift, then a 9-pounder and an 11-pounder came aboard shortly after, with porgies, sea bass and triggerfish rounding out the box. J&B Tackle echoes the fluke and sea bass bite as good around Black Point, Niantic Bay and Two Tree Channel, with bigger fish reported near Montauk; striped bass are running best at dawn and dusk, and live-lined eels are producing the biggest bass after dark. AW Marina notes a steady but modest bluefish bite at The Race and Plum Gut, with anglers hoping bigger blues arrive ahead of this weekend's Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth, which The Fisherman (Northeast) reports is taking over Long Island Sound. Sea bass fishing continues to improve, per Tartan II, as the summer lull eases into a fall transition.
Late-summer turnover nears for Indiana's Lake Michigan salmon and perch
The clearest hard data point in this cycle's feed isn't from the Indiana shoreline at all — it's the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report's recap of the 2024 season, which noted a record coho salmon harvest (over 210,000 fish) and the biggest Chinook haul since 2012 lakewide, credited to strong alewife survival feeding the stocked salmon classes. That's basin-wide context, not a fresh bite report, and no NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Indiana shoreline this cycle, and no charter, shop, or state report specific to Indiana's Lake Michigan waters was available either. So this update leans on typical late-August patterns for the region rather than confirmed local intel: warm surface water still has salmon and steelhead staging offshore and near river mouths, yellow perch working deeper structure, and smallmouth active around rock and pier structure. Check a current buoy reading and a local shop report before planning a trip.
Toledo Bend anglers push deep as late-August heat holds
No direct buoy, gauge, or angler-report data came through for Toledo Bend or the Sabine River border this cycle — this week's intel feed leaned national and saltwater, without a single Toledo Bend-, Sabine-, or Louisiana-freshwater-specific catch report making it through. So this update leans on general seasonal knowledge rather than fresh, attributable intel. Late August on this reservoir system is typically a dog-days stretch: largemouth bass slide off the bank and hold on river-channel ledges, main-lake humps, and standing timber in deeper water where oxygen and temperature stay more stable, often feeding hardest in the first and last hour of daylight. Crappie commonly suspend over brush piles and deeper structure this time of year, while catfish activity tends to hold up well after dark. We'd rather tell you the data gap plainly than guess at a bite nobody actually reported — check current Louisiana fishing regulations before heading out.
Illinois River and Lake Michigan Ease Into the Fall Transition
No fresh buoy or river-gauge readings came through for the Illinois River or Lake Michigan this cycle, so this week's outlook leans on regional technique intel and the late-August calendar instead of live numbers. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch notes that Forward-Facing Sonar has reshaped how Midwest anglers locate walleye, with more fish showing up suspended off structure than a traditional jig-and-crawler approach would find — worth trying on the Illinois River's deeper holes and current breaks. Fishing the Midwest's Bob Jensen also flags multi-tentacled "urchin" style soft plastics drawing strikes this season, a bait worth having on hand for smallmouth around rock and structure. Tactical Bassin's late-summer video warns against camping on spots that produced back in July as fish start shifting toward the Fall transition. Expect the typical late-August pattern to hold: bass and walleye leaning structure-oriented, catfish steady after dark, and perch beginning to tighten up as Lake Michigan starts its seasonal cool-down.
Limestone spring creeks settle into late-summer trout rhythm
No fresh gauge or angler-report data came through for Spring Creek and Penns Creek this cycle, so this update leans on typical late-August patterns for Pennsylvania's limestone fisheries. These spring-fed systems run cooler and more stable than freestone streams through summer, which typically keeps trout active even as regional air temps climb. Late August on limestone water usually means low, clear flows, selective fish, and a shift toward smaller terrestrial patterns and early-morning or evening windows to avoid warming afternoon water. Wild brown trout in these systems are typically wary this time of year given consistent fishing pressure and skinny flows. Until a fresh USGS gauge reading or a PA-specific report comes through, treat this as a general seasonal outlook rather than a live conditions read — check the PA Fish & Boat Biologist Reports page directly for the latest survey notes on these waters before planning a trip.
Smallmouth stay active as PA rivers settle into late-summer pattern
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Susquehanna and Allegheny this cycle, so this week's outlook leans on typical late-August behavior for Pennsylvania's big warmwater rivers rather than a live reading. Smallmouth bass remain the most reliable target, and national technique roundups from Field & Stream and Tactical Bassin this week both emphasize the same late-summer-into-fall transition pattern — working points, ledges, and current breaks with moving baits early and late, sliding to slower presentations through the heat of the day. Walleye typically go quieter as water warms through late August, holding deep and favoring low-light windows. Muskellunge fishing is normally still building toward its better fall stretch. Channel catfish, on the other hand, are usually near their seasonal peak, feeding aggressively after dark on cut bait and stinkbait in slower pools. None of this week's angler-intel feeds carried a direct Susquehanna or Allegheny report, so treat species status below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed bites.
Stripers Show in Chesapeake Creeks as Flounder Season Winds Down
Striped bass in the 20- to 24-inch range are showing in Delaware Bay and Chesapeake-area tidal creeks and rivers, biting sandworms and shrimp, according to Smith's Bait Shop via this week's The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake report. Flounder action continues at the Old Grounds, Port Mahon, and Bowers Beach jetty, with live minnows, bucktails tipped with squid strips, or Gulp crawfish producing keepers, while sea bass and croaker round out the bottom bite. Croaker numbers remain plentiful but undersized this stretch — Eric Burnley notes it's been tough finding croaker over the 9-inch minimum. Offshore, canyon boats are still picking at tuna and tilefish. With NJ's Delaware Bay flounder season set to close September 25 (Delaware's four-fish, 17.5-inch rule runs through year-end), anglers eyeing keeper flounder have a closing window before regulations tighten the bite locally.
Great Lakes walleye lead the pack as fall salmon run nears
Michigan's own numbers set the tone this week: the MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report notes walleye has become the most harvested species in the state's Great Lakes waters, a trend playing out as typical late-August patterns hold across the Lower Peninsula. On Lake Michigan, one angler working the Ludington grounds reported trolling 40-60 feet of water with small silver, red-head J-plugs and boating six fish the next morning, per a post on Michigan Sportsman Forum — an encouraging, if single-report, sign for trollers working the deeper thermocline as summer winds down. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temps and Grand River flow as seasonally typical until the next update. With Labor Day weekend approaching, expect walleye trolling to stay the headline pattern lakewide while Chinook salmon begin staging near river mouths ahead of the fall push. Check current state regulations before harvesting either species.
Cooling Water Lifts Hoot-Owl Limits Across Montana Trout Rivers
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks lifted hoot-owl fishing restrictions on the Smith and Sun Rivers effective Aug. 29, and similar afternoon-closure rules eased across the upper Clark Fork, lower Bitterroot, and other western and southwest Montana streams as stream temperatures dropped, per MT FWP Fishing News. The moves cap a stretch where warm-water stress had triggered restrictions region-wide; FWP had already lifted several hoot-owl rules and river-mouth closures on Aug. 13, though falling flows forced new closures on sections of the Big Hole at the same time. For Yellowstone-area anglers, Hatch Magazine's terrestrial countdown notes the annual hopper-and-ant window is in full swing as the long, smoky summer grinds toward fall. Yellowstone National Park is also closing Buffalo Creek, a Slough Creek tributary, Aug. 31-Sept. 7 for native fish restoration work, per Flylords Mag. We're seeing conditions trend the right direction for full-day access on trout water that's been squeezed by heat most of the summer.