Fishing reports
16966 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Late-Summer Bass Cling to Cover as Ohio Reservoirs Near Fall Turnover
On The Water's late-summer bass advisory this week lines up with the pattern anglers should expect right now at Mosquito Lake and Pymatuning Reservoir: work dense shallow cover during low light with frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits. No buoy or gauge telemetry came back for these inland reservoirs today, so this report leans on regional technique reporting rather than a fresh temperature reading. Tactical Bassin's coverage of hot August reservoir fishing backs the same idea, with bass sliding from shallow morning points into deeper, shaded water as the sun climbs — a pattern that should sync well with the Full Moon's stronger dawn and overnight feeding windows. Walleye anglers should find the usual late-August mix of forward-facing-sonar suspended fish and traditional bottom rigs, per Fishing the Midwest's recent breakdown of how FFS has changed, but not replaced, classic walleye tactics. Pymatuning's muskie fishery is worth a few casts this time of year.
Late-summer coho push holds as Gulf of Alaska waits on fresh reports
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Gulf of Alaska this cycle, and the AK Sea Grant feed's latest posts covered community and workforce stories rather than on-the-water bite reports, so this update leans on typical late-August patterns for the region. Late summer here usually still carries the tail of the silver salmon (coho) push into nearshore waters and stream mouths, with halibut and lingcod holding on deeper structure as water temperatures ease off their summer peak. Expect steady, season-typical action rather than a confirmed hot bite from any single source right now. Tonight's full moon should strengthen tidal exchange, which typically helps trigger salmon movement and can sharpen drift-bait presentations for halibut over deeper flats. Anglers should check current state fishing regulations before harvesting, since seasons and limits can shift through late summer.
Late-summer weed die-back signals fall shift on Lake Michigan
Fishing the Midwest's late-summer breakdown flags the seasonal pivot anglers on Lake Michigan should watch for: as weeds start dying back with cooling water, baitfish and the gamefish trailing them relocate to the healthiest remaining green growth, a pattern that typically holds for Door County and Sheboygan's nearshore smallmouth too. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this stretch this cycle, so the rest of this update leans on seasonal pattern and regional chatter. Over on the Michigan Sportsman Forum's Frankfort thread, anglers are already looking ahead to the season's first lake trout and brown trout posts, though nothing concrete has been reported yet. For Door County and Sheboygan specifically, expect the standard late-August rhythm: king salmon and lake trout starting to work deeper structure and river-mouth staging areas, browns showing early and late in the shallows, and smallmouth holding tight to rock and weed edges. Check current Wisconsin regs before keeping anything.
Late-summer heat pushes Salt and Colorado River bites to first and last light
On The Water's late-summer largemouth playbook — work dense shoreline cover during low light with frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits — is the best available signal for the Salt and Colorado corridor this week, since no fresh buoy or gauge telemetry came in from either river this cycle. Under the Full Moon, expect that pattern to hold for bass generally: Tactical Bassin's August heat coverage points to shallow points and finesse presentations at first light, sliding deeper as the sun climbs and the bite goes quiet through midday. Trout in the cooler, more oxygenated stretches should still be tightest to the first and last hour of shade, typical for late-August water temps in this region. Channel catfish, as Wired 2 Fish's recent heat-wave night trip illustrates, are a good bet after dark when the moon is bright and daytime feeding shuts down. Treat all of this as seasonal pattern, not a confirmed local bite — no AZ-specific reports came through this cycle.
Full moon sets up a catfish night bite on the Clinton-Dubuque pools
Wired 2 Fish's report of a 108-pound blue catfish landed during a night trip amid a late-August heat wave is a useful signal for this stretch too: no fresh buoy or gauge readings and no direct local report came in for the Clinton-Dubuque pools this cycle, so this update leans on typical late-summer patterns for the Upper Mississippi. Walleye and sauger fishing around the wing dams and current seams tends to taper through hot afternoons here, with better windows at dawn and dusk. Smallmouth bass stay more consistently active, holding tight to riprap and current breaks as they feed up ahead of the fall transition. Channel catfish are usually the most dependable target in this heat, and this week's full moon should stretch their overnight feeding window further, matching the after-dark pattern described nationally by Wired 2 Fish. Treat the species read below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed on-the-water report until fresher local intel arrives.
Ohio, Cumberland River bass anglers lean into low-light bite
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came in for the Ohio and Cumberland River systems this cycle, so today's outlook leans on seasonal pattern and this week's national angler intel rather than local flow numbers. Late-August heat has bass anglers everywhere shifting strategy: On The Water's latest roundup on beating the bank for late-summer largemouth points anglers toward dense cover and topwater frogs, jigs, and stickbaits worked during low light, and Tactical Bassin's late-summer breakdown warns against the common mistake of slowing down and camping on old summer spots as the fall transition approaches. Catfish anglers nationally are also working around the heat with night trips, per Wired 2 Fish's coverage of a heat-wave catch out of Virginia — a pattern typical for Ohio and Cumberland River blues and channels this time of year as well. Tonight's full moon should sharpen the low-light bite further for both species groups.
Pearl River anglers dial in shade and after-dark patterns as heat holds
No fresh buoy or gauge data came in for the Mississippi and Pearl River system this cycle, so this report leans on the broader late-summer picture developing across freshwater fisheries right now. Tactical Bassin's newest late-summer roundup cautions against the common mistake of slowing down and sticking only to spots that worked earlier in the year as the Fall transition approaches — worth keeping in mind as Pearl River largemouth likely pull tight to shade and cover through the midday grind. On the catfish side, Wired 2 Fish's report of a guide working a heat-wave night bite on Lake Gaston is a useful signal that channel cats across the South often shift onto a similar after-dark pattern once daytime highs stay locked in. Crappie and bream should stay a steadier, if quieter, option through the heat, especially around this week's Full Moon.
Roosevelt Lake bass shift to dawn and deep water as heat holds
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Salt River chain this cycle, so this report leans on seasonal norms and national technique coverage rather than a live temp check — expect surface water solidly in the 80s given late August in the low desert. Tactical Bassin's hot-weather reservoir coverage this week reinforces the standard playbook for this kind of heat: work shallow points and topwater at first light, then slide out to deeper structure and finesse jigs once the sun climbs. On The Water's late-summer largemouth piece backs the same idea from the bank — frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits worked around dense cover during low-light windows. Catfish tend to stay the most dependable bite through stretches like this, feeding actively even as surface temps climb. Smallmouth bass and crappie typically slide deeper and go quiet through midday heat. With a full moon tonight, expect the low-light feeding window to stretch later into the evening and start earlier before sunrise than usual.
Night bite delivers trophy rainbow on the White River
Guide Jesse Brison out of Mountain Home found the payoff on a target he'd been watching for weeks: a giant rainbow trout finally taken after dark near the Shipp's Ferry area, close to where the White and Norfork rivers meet, per Wired 2 Fish. That stretch of tailwater below Bull Shoals and Norfork continues to produce oversized fish for anglers willing to work a known holding spot repeatedly rather than run-and-gun. With a full moon overhead this week, low-light and after-dark presentations are worth prioritizing on familiar runs and seams where big fish have shown themselves before. No fresh USGS gauge or generation data came through for this cycle, so plan around typical tailwater rules of thumb: check scheduled dam releases before wading, and expect the biggest fish to favor low-light windows on pressured water. Standard White River trout tactics apply — small streamers and jigs worked slow through deep, current-broken pockets near structure.
Big stripers push toward the Gulf of Maine ahead of the cod reopener
Striper action has caught fire north of the Cape, with some seriously big fish in the mix from Maine to Boston and beyond, according to The Fisherman's New England Video Fishing Forecast. That pattern extends up the coast toward NH waters — Beauport Fishing Adventures, working out of Gloucester just south of the New Hampshire line, reports striper action is all big fish right now, with plenty of squid and pogies keeping bait thick around the harbor. Bluefish remain scarce north of Salem this season, per the same report, so blitz action stays striper-and-bait-school focused for now. The bigger story for NH bottom fishermen is regulatory: per The Fisherman's Dave Anderson, a Gulf of Maine cod season opens September 1st with a 1-fish limit at 23 inches minimum, the first legal cod opportunity of 2026 in this stock area. No live buoy or gauge readings were available for this update — check local marine forecasts before heading out.
Delaware Bay flounder limits keep coming as fall transition nears
Anglers are still boating flounder to 23 inches out of Delaware Bay, per Higbee's Bait and Tackle, with the EP Tower and water near the lighthouse consistently giving up keepers. Big Dave's Tackle reports the bay giving up flounder, croakers, and spot from the beaches out to the shipping channel, while anglers working structure are finding tog and sheepshead on green crabs and sand fleas. On the Delaware side, Smith's Bait Shop notes boats sailing from Port Mahon are taking flounder, trout, croaker, and spot over bay structure, with striped bass in the 20-24 inch range coming from tidal creeks and rivers on sandworms and shrimp — sized close to Delaware's summer slot per DNREC's most recent revision (confirm current regs before keeping fish). Eric Burnley's column notes the bite remains steady from the ponds to the canyons, though most croaker are running short of the 9-inch mark. With flounder season closing September 25 on the New Jersey side, the Delaware side's four-fish, 17.5-inch limit runs through year-end.
Spanish Mackerel Bite Heats Up Off Cape Lookout
Off Morehead City and Atlantic Beach, nearshore anglers are locked into a strong Spanish mackerel bite this week, with the biggest fish showing up around Cape Lookout, according to Chasin' Tails as reported by Fisherman's Post (NC). Bottom rigs further offshore are also picking up. Down the coast at Swansboro and Emerald Isle, pier anglers casting jigs and Gotcha plugs are connecting with spanish mackerel and bluefish, and a few king mackerel have started showing, per The Reel Outdoors (Fisherman's Post NC) — an early signal ahead of the fall king run. Up on the Outer Banks, TW's Bait and Tackle reports a solid surf bite on sea mullet, bluefish, and croakers, with inshore action finally waking up after a slow stretch. With a full moon pushing bigger tidal swings through Pamlico Sound and around Cape Lookout, expect stronger current on structure and jetties this week — good news for mackerel and bluefish keyed on bait getting pushed around.
Bluefish blitzes ignite off Montauk as bluefin jigging stays hot
Captain Dan aboard Montauk's Double D Charters reports savage light-tackle bluefish blitzes have become the norm this week, with jumbo porgies and strong offshore bluefin mixed in. On The Water's August 20 Long Island and NYC report calls the bluefin jig bite red-hot, with fluke fishing excellent off the South Shore and weakfish, bluefish, and porgy keeping east-end inshore anglers busy. Bergen Bay Docks notes bluefin still working the Linda and Coimbra wrecks off Fire Island Inlet, while Babylon Fishing Station logged a 57-inch bluefin by the Towers. Tight Lines Tackle is hearing early rumors of false albacore around Shinnecock as the fall transition nears, with porgy also improving at North Sea. On The Water also flagged two tiger sharks landed on back-to-back nights, a reminder of the variety moving through under this full moon.
Catskills and Adirondack trout hold to dawn and dusk windows
No fresh buoy or gauge readings are available this week for Adirondack and Catskill trout water, so today's outlook leans on late-August fundamentals rather than a specific on-the-water report. With a Full Moon overhead and the calendar deep into summer, freestone streams across the region are typically running low and warm by midday, which pushes trout into shaded runs and riffles early and late in the day. Elsewhere in trout country, Hatch Magazine's terrestrial countdown flags exactly this seasonal window — hoppers, ants, and beetles becoming a primary food source as aquatic hatches thin out — a pattern that applies just as well to Catskill freestoners and Adirondack brook-trout water. Anglers working these systems should expect the same late-summer discipline: fish first and last light, carry a thermometer, and give fish a break once water climbs into the stress zone regardless of the exact reading on any given stream.
Deep mackinaw and kokanee patterns hold on Tahoe and Truckee waters
Late August has settled Lake Tahoe and the Truckee-area lakes into their typical deep-water pattern, with mackinaw and kokanee salmon holding well below the thermocline during daylight hours and rainbow and brown trout sliding into low-light windows along shoreline structure and river runs. No buoy or gauge readings came back for this region on today's pull, and none of the angler-intel feeds fetched for this update covered Nevada, Tahoe, or Truckee specifically, so this report leans on general seasonal knowledge rather than fresh instrument data or a local source this time. A full moon overnight typically brightens the surface and can push feeding activity toward the very early morning and after-dark hours, especially for kokanee and mackinaw suspended over deep structure. Anglers running deep troll spreads or vertical jigging known humps and drop-offs should still find willing fish, while river and shoreline trout anglers will likely do best working the first and last hour of light. Always check current Nevada and California regulations before keeping any species, since limits and seasons vary by water body and can change year to year.
Topwater windows tighten as Georgia reservoirs hold in late-summer heat
Water on Bartletts Ferry is running high-80s to low-90s and "typically very tough" for late August, per Tyler Morgan's report at GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News — largemouth are keying on a short window before sunup, hitting frogs and buzzbaits in the grass, then sliding to shaded docks on a weightless Senko once the sun climbs. Up on the Savannah system, Lake Hartwell guide Cole Wilson (Spot Chaser Guide Service, via GA Sportsman) reports an 88-degree surface but a livelier spotted-bass bite up-river around brush, points and bream beds, with a Whopper Plopper drawing strikes near bedding bream. Lake Russell tells a slower story — Kerry Partain calls it the hottest water of the year there, with drop-shot finesse worms the most consistent producer when generation isn't pushing current. On the gauge, Chattahoochee flow is running elevated at 4,300 cfs, a sign of active generation worth timing trips around.
Low flows sharpen bass and catfish patterns at Eufaula, Red River
USGS gauge 07247500 logged a bare 1.86 cfs late Tuesday night, a reminder that the tributaries feeding the Eufaula/Red River system are running about as thin as they get in late August heat. Water temperature wasn't directly measured at this gauge, so anglers should expect the typical late-summer thermal stack for this region — warm surface layers pushing bass deeper by midday and catfish into low-light feeding windows. No shop or charter report specific to Lake Eufaula or the Red River came through this week, so this outlook leans on regional technique notes rather than local on-the-water intel. Largemouth are likely following the classic late-summer script Tactical Bassin describes this month — shallow points at first light sliding to finesse presentations as the sun climbs. Catfish, going by the heat-driven bite Wired 2 Fish reported elsewhere this month, should favor a post-dark window that lines up well with this week's full moon.
Terrestrial Bite Carries the Green River Tailwater Into Late August
The Green River tailwater below Flaming Gorge Dam is holding a cool, stable 59°F with releases running near 1,730 cfs as of Wednesday night (USGS gauge 09234500) — textbook late-August conditions for this dam-controlled fishery. No fresh on-the-water reports came in from this exact stretch this week, but the pattern anglers have leaned on here for years still holds: Trout Unlimited's own account of floating the river's "B" section with cicada patterns underscores how reliable the terrestrial game gets on the Green once summer heat pushes hoppers and cicadas onto the water. With a full moon overhead, look for stronger overnight and low-light feeding, with the brightest midday hours likely slower. Rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout should all still respond to terrestrial patterns and subsurface nymphs, with mountain whitefish rounding out the typical bycatch on this water.
Trout keep biting through Galveston's summer wind and heat
Anglers working Galveston Bay are still finding speckled trout on soft plastics despite stubborn southwest winds, according to the Galveston Daily News' Reel Report — those working the lower bay are having to slow down and grind through the wind but are coming back with limits. Earlier in the week, Ed Lantz and Armando Huereca launched out of Eagle Point Fishing Camp and worked a gas well in choppy water for a decent trout bite. The Reel Report also notes the Texas coast remains locked into a hot, dry pattern with rain chances under 15 percent all week, so expect continued heat and wind through the Full Moon. Meanwhile the CCA-Texas STAR Tournament, per Texas Fish & Game Magazine, is in full swing coastwide through September 7, and Texas City Dike remains a hotspot for both anglers and, unfortunately, illegal gill-netters the magazine flagged this week. No fresh buoy or gauge data came in for this update.
Northwoods Muskies Turn On as Fall Transition Begins
Water temps across the Northwoods have slipped into the low 70s as summer gives way to fall, with the region also experiencing a severe drought this month, per Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop (WI) in their late-August report. That cooling trend is triggering an excellent topwater bite on muskies, with the shop noting increasingly vicious strikes as fish key on the seasonal shift — the classic "September Transition" musky anglers watch for every year. Walleye anglers should note that as weeds begin dying back with cooling water, per Fishing the Midwest, baitfish and gamefish typically abandon struggling weed beds for healthier, still-green cover nearby, a pattern worth tracking on area lakes over the next couple weeks. With a Full Moon overhead and no fresh flow or temperature readings from local gauges this cycle, plan around low-light windows and don't abandon summer structure just because the calendar flipped.
Chinook Talk Heats Up at Buoy 10 Ahead of Oregon's Fall Run
Out of Garibaldi this week, one angler summed up the mixed bite simply: salmon weren't very cooperative, but the rockfish more than made up for it, per a report on the IFish.net Fishing Reports forum. Further north at the mouth of the Columbia, another angler flagged hot chinook action trolling solo near Buoy 10, though that's a single, uncorroborated forum note worth treating as anecdote rather than a confirmed pattern until agency or charter reports catch up. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat sea state and water temp as unconfirmed and check a live source before running offshore. With Oregon's fall chinook and coho runs typically building through late August into September, and a full moon overhead pushing tides, this is a reasonable window to watch estuary mouths and nearshore reefs for the push to solidify.
Redfish and trout stay busy on Lower Laguna Madre flats
Redfish tailing on the skinny grass flats around South Padre and the Lower Laguna Madre remain the headline bite this week, and Salt Strong's latest coverage stresses that picky, tailing fish in clear or pressured water respond to matching lure profile, color, and action rather than reaching for one go-to bait. Spotted seatrout are holding in typical late-August form, and Salt Strong's summer advisory says to slow the retrieve as water temps peak, since fish won't burn energy chasing fast-moving prey in the heat. Flounder are still catchable around inshore channels using patient presentations, per the same source's shipping-channel flounder report. No fresh buoy or gauge telemetry came through for this stretch of coast, so treat water temp and tide numbers as unconfirmed until you check a local source. The CCA-Texas STAR Tournament remains underway coastwide through September 7, adding extra incentive to target tagged redfish and trout this week.
Gag Grouper Season Opens as Redfish Bite Holds on Gulf Flats
Sport Fishing Mag's trolling breakdown for Gulf gag grouper season describes captains working close-to-shore rock piles as the short September season opens — a pattern echoed Gulf-wide as fall approaches. Mobile Bay and the Alabama Gulf don't have fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings in this cycle, so this report leans on regional angler intel over live numbers. Inshore, Sport Fishing Mag's Louisiana coast guide notes big trout want a big meal — mullet, pogies, or live croakers typically outfish small plugs when trophy specks are the target. Salt Strong's piece on tailing redfish breaks lure choice down to water clarity and pressure, worth applying with the full moon pushing extra tidal flow through Mobile Bay's marsh edges. Salt Strong also flags flounder and mangrove snapper as easy shipping-channel targets through late summer. Expect grouper, trout, redfish, and flounder to be the go-to Gulf targets this week, typical for late August in the northern Gulf, though local Mobile Bay specifics weren't in today's feeds.
Shark gear rules tighten as tuna surge pushes up the coast
Western Outdoor News — Saltwater is calling it plainly: Northern California bluefin action is "exploding to unheard of levels," with Half Moon Bay boats posting six-fish days on tuna running 130 to 170 pounds — a sign warm water has pelagics ranging further up the coast than typical for late August. That kind of ocean warmth tends to keep structure fisheries humming too, so expect rockfish and lingcod to stay dependable over reefs and kelp beds, with resident halibut holding through the shift. Shore and pier anglers should also note a change flagged on AllCoast Forum this week: an emergency regulation now limits shark gear from Pigeon Point south to hooks no larger than 1.5 inches with no wire or metallic leaders — confirm specifics with the state before rigging up. Direct buoy and gauge readings weren't available for the Central Coast this cycle, so treat the species outlook below as seasonal expectation pending local confirmation.