Fishing reports
14884 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Bodega and SF Bay anglers eye tide swings as fall sets in
Water off Arena Cove, just north of Bodega Bay, read 55°F Tuesday evening per the NOAA CO-OPS gauge stationed there, a solid mid-50s mark for this point in October. Both regional tide stations, Arena Cove and Port Chicago inside San Francisco Bay, show a similar rhythm through midweek: lows settling in the pre-dawn hours and highs building by mid-morning. The moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means tidal exchange is moderating after the last full push, smoothing out some of the stronger swings the coast saw a week or two ago.
Striped bass push hard across Long Island after the storm
Montauk's NOAA CO-OPS station (8510560) is reading 63°F this morning, and the striped bass bite across Long Island turned on hard in the wake of last week's nor'easter. Miller Place Bait and Tackle reports big striped bass holding at Cedar through the storm, with one customer landing and releasing nine fish over 30 pounds. White Water Outfitters calls the surf fishing at Shinnecock Inlet excellent, with striped bass over 40 pounds coming on bucktails and soft plastics after dark and poppers by day. Tight Lines Tackle on the South Fork saw striped bass running into the upper 40-inch range in the inlet, with fish to 51 inches around the Ponquogue Bridge. On the North Shore, Tyalure Professional Tackle & Gear says striped bass regained energy after the storm on live bait, trolling and swim shads, with bluefish improving alongside. Fluke remain in the mix too: Bob's Bait and Tackle says the fall fluke run is on at Fire Island Inlet, and JIB VI is seeing larger fluke to 6 pounds, though the season closes October 15.
Striped bass hold strong along RI's south county breachways
Water temps read 63°F at the lower bay entrance and 62.4°F further up the bay this week, still mild for early October. Striped bass fishing remains strong per Saltwater Edge, with surf and boat anglers doing well around the islands as fish feed tight to structure. Quonnie Bait and Tackle and Snug Harbor Marina both report good striper action along the south county beaches and breachways, with fish also showing around the Watch Hill Reefs for boat anglers. Black sea bass has picked up since the recent nor'easter pushed smaller fish out of the mix — Frances Fleet logged a full boat limit, and Booked Off Charters reports easier keeper counts with fewer shorts to sort through. Tautog are improving too, though Quonnie and Snug Harbor both flag plenty of short fish still in the catch as the bite builds. False albacore have moved off for now, per Saltwater Edge.
Maine stripers hang on as Gulf of Maine water cools
Water temperatures across the Gulf of Maine are easing into the high 50s and lower as you move north and east: the Portland station reads 57.9°F, Bar Harbor sits at 55.4°F, and Eastport has dropped to 54.5°F as of early this morning. Striped bass are still working the Maine coast — per Surfland Bait and Tackle (The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME), bass reports keep coming out of Maine even as some of the state's own striper anglers make the drive south for eels, a sign fish are holding on before the fall push moves them along.
Central Coast fishing eases into its fall tide rhythm
Water conditions along the Central Coast are settling into a classic fall pattern. NOAA CO-OPS station 9413450 logged a water temperature of 64.4°F overnight, while station 9412110 read a milder 67.8°F, continuing the seasonal cool-down that typically defines this stretch of coast through October. Both stations show the overnight low giving way to a morning flood: 9413450's tide bottoms out near 2:42 a.m. and builds to a high around 9:14 a.m., while 9412110 tracks a similar push about 25 minutes earlier.
False Albacore Arrive Late as Stripers Hold Strong in Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is reading 61°F this week at NOAA's Chatham-area tide station, still warm enough to keep the fall bite rolling. Falmouth Bait and Tackle reports schoolie stripers working the Falmouth shoreline, with blues and a few slot bass mixing in around Nobska on topwater and metals. Sports Port has bass back in the Monomoy rips and in the canal, plus blues stacked up at Craigville Beach and along both sides of Hyannis. Goose Hummock Shop finally connected with false albacore over the last two days of the week, some running into the mid-teens, while Black Rose Fishing Charters out of Bass River is mixing tautog with stripers and the occasional pod of albies.
Red drum push into the surf as DE/MD waters settle after the blow
NOAA's Ocean City Inlet station (8570283) reads 65.3°F this morning, and the week's story along the DE/MD/Chesapeake coast has been more about wind than fish. The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake reports red drum up to 40 inches showing in the surf, caught and released, before weekend rain and wind cut the window short. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, writing in the same report, logged blues taking metal lures on the incoming tide — the only bite noted in winds reported at 40 to 50 knots. Offshore structure fared better, with black sea bass still coming over the rail.
Florida Keys anglers eye the turning season as heat breaks
NOAA's Key West tide station is reading 85.5°F and the Vaca Key gauge 87.6°F this week, still deep summer water for the first week of October. Per ALL IN Key West, the punishing late-summer heat is finally starting to break, with the captain back on the water after taking September off for boat upgrades, calling the cooler stretch a welcome turn heading into the fall and winter trip season.
Striped bass feeding heavy on NJ's Delaware Bay side after the storm
Striped bass are the headline story on the Delaware Bay side of South Jersey this week. Big Dave's Tackle reports stripers active in the bay alongside a renewed tautog bite from the Cape May jetties, and near Wildwood, Hands Too Bait and Tackle says striped bass 'really got on a good feed' along the back-bay sod banks, with quality weakfish also hitting off the rocks on pink Zooms, bucktails, and bloodworms. Up in Atlantic City, One Stop Bait and Tackle says stripers are feeding heavily on baitfish migrating past the inlet, with schoolies to 33 inches coming on hard and soft plastics after dark, and the tautog chew on the AC jetty rocks has picked back up on green crabs and sand fleas, with keepers to 4 pounds. Bluefish are mixed in too, with a wave of 2- to 3-pound fish rolling through Corson's Inlet on metal lures. The Delaware Bay's CO-OPS tide station reads 67°F this morning, still mild enough to keep the fall bite building rather than shutting down.
Yellowtail bite holds strong off San Diego as fall warmth lingers
Water temperatures across the LA Bight are holding warm for early October, with NOAA CO-OPS buoys reading 76.6°F off Los Angeles and 72.9°F in Santa Monica Bay. That warmth is keeping the fall yellowtail pattern alive: Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports the Daily Double, running out of Point Loma Sportfishing in San Diego, took a dedicated crew trip to celebrate a season that kept producing solid yellowtail. The same outlet describes strong offshore action continuing throughout the SoCal Bight this week, a sign the warm late-season window for Southern California anglers hasn't closed yet.
Washington anglers eye morning tide swings as fall cool-down deepens
Water off Washington has cooled to 51.1°F this morning, per NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090, confirming the fall shift settling over Puget Sound and the outer Pacific coast. Today's tide swings from a low around 5:06 a.m. to a high near 11:33 a.m. Pacific time, a clean morning window for working structure and current lines before the afternoon slack. For specific bite reports, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's creel and catch program remains the state's running record of what's hitting and where fish have been stocked.
Eastern Shore waters ease into the fall transition
Water held in the mid-to-upper 60s this week on Virginia's Eastern Shore, with NOAA's Wachapreague tide station (8631044) reading 66.2°F and the Kiptopeke station (8632200) to the south at 69.4°F. Both readings still sit in the range that keeps summer species comfortable a little longer. Further north, The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the fall striped bass run is already in gear, with fish topping 50 inches off the New Jersey coast and blitzes building on Long Island in the wake of last week's nor'easter, plus black sea bass showing well in the NJ/DE Bay region. That's the leading edge of a migration that typically works its way down the coast toward Virginia's barrier islands as the season progresses.
Red Drum Run Builds Through Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout
NOAA CO-OPS tide stations in the Pamlico Sound region are reading 70.2°F and 72°F this week, textbook early-fall water for the push now underway. Donald, of Custom Marine Fabrication, reports red drum as the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse, with fish showing throughout the river and bait staging up around New Bern. Down the coast, Nathan of East Coast Sports in Topsail/Sneads Ferry has anglers into a run of slot-sized red drum, with some over-slot fish mixed in from the surf and piers. In Swansboro/Emerald Isle, Morgan of The Reel Outdoors notes scattered red drum working the beachfront alongside bluefish, part of a broader mix moving with the bait.
Red drum make a run in Delaware surf as fall patterns shift
Delaware Bay sits at 65.7°F per NOAA's Lewes tide station, holding the fall transition in a slow, steady gear. The standout report this week comes from Eric Burnley: big red drum have arrived in the surf, with fish to 40 inches caught and released before weekend rain and wind shut most anglers out. Inside the bay, Big Dave's Tackle logged a mixed bag — striped bass, tautog off the Cape May jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, and scattered weakfish farther from structure. Offshore, Hook 'em and Cook 'em noted black sea bass coming off ocean structure, while Old Inlet Bait and Tackle's single bluefish report came out of 40- to 50-knot winds that kept nearly everyone else at the dock.
Jersey Shore stripers and tog turn on as fall run gains steam
Water temps are holding in the mid-60s at the Jersey Shore this week, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 off Atlantic City reading 64.4°F and station 8536110 off Cape May at 64.9°F, and that warmth is still backing a strong post-nor'easter bite. Striped bass are the headline: the Fisherman's Den, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, reports bass moving in and out of the inlet with the tides, with live eels taking fish off the jetties, while Pier 47 Marina (The Fisherman — Southern NJ) says stripers have fed most nights in the back bays on spook lures and paddle tails, and One Stop Bait and Tackle notes stripers from schoolies to 33 inches hitting hard and soft plastics after dark. Tautog have turned on as well, with Surf City Bait and Tackle saying the tog bite "continues to produce" on green crab, and One Stop Bait and Tackle reporting keepers to 4 pounds off the AC Jetties. Fluke and black sea bass remain productive too: Blue Chip Sportfishing is putting anglers on both species on half- and full-day trips, and Fishermans HQ LBI notes fluke mixing with bonita and albies on live peanut bunker. Bluefish are scattered but present, per Fin-Atics' report of 2- to 3-pound blues hitting metals. Weakfish of quality size are also showing in Wildwood, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, hitting pink Zooms, bucktails, and even bloodworms.
Tautog, sea bass heat up as stripers push through Jersey inlets
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station read 63.9°F before dawn today, still mild water for early October and holding the fall bite together along the Northern Jersey Shore. Tautog are the standout: The Fisherman — Central NJ has keeper tog coming off green crabs at Barnegat Light, and The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports tog "chewing again" on the AC jetties after last weekend's nor'easter, with fish running to 4 pounds on green crabs and sand fleas. Black sea bass are just as strong — Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) calls its sea bass charters "very good" with full-boat limits, and The Fisherman — Central NJ's Mary M IV put together a 20-fish haul of sea bass and porgies, with bait outperforming jigs. Striped bass are moving with the tide: The Fisherman — Northern NJ has bass working the jetties on live eels, and The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf notes a strong back-bay feed on sod banks further south. Bluefish slammers are mixed in per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, fluke are still coming over the rail on half-day and full-day trips per Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ), and quality weakfish are showing on pink Zooms and bucktails per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf.
Delaware River smallmouth hold steady as Pine Barrens crappie turns on
The Delaware River is holding its early-fall pattern for smallmouth bass. Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, cited in The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, reports continued smallmouth fishing on the river from Lambertville north, with bass suspended in 10 to 20 feet of water at Lake Nockamixon and a decent evening crappie bite showing just before dark. Recent rain has put local ponds and lakes in better shape, and that's translating into steadier catches. Further south at Leipsic, Smith's Bait Shop says crappie and panfish numbers are improving in Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake, and Lums Pond, with the better crappie action coming out of dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics or Gulp. Down in the Pine Barrens, Allen's Dock reports a few striped bass working above the tide line in the Mullica River, an early sign the fall push is reaching the cedar-water systems.
Long Island Sound's Fall Cool-Down Opens a Dawn Tide Window
NOAA's Long Island Sound tide stations are showing a clear east-to-west temperature split heading into this week: New London (station 8461490) logged 62.6°F before dawn, while New Haven (8465705) and Bridgeport (8467150) held at 65.3°F and 65.7°F. That gap is typical for early October, when the more open eastern basin cools faster than the enclosed western Sound. Tonight's low tide arrives first at the eastern end, around 1:22 a.m., with New Haven and Bridgeport following near 3 a.m.; all three stations then build toward high water between roughly 7:15 and 9:15 a.m. That lines up an outgoing-to-incoming turn right around first light, the kind of window that typically concentrates bait and current activity tight to structure before most boats are even on the water.
Cooling VT water shifts the bite toward fall patterns
Water is cooling across VT, and the gauges show it. USGS gauge 01129500 reads 51°F at 340 cfs, and gauge 01135100 reads 45°F. That is a clear step down from summer, the kind of drop that moves fish off summer haunts toward the cover and current seams they hold in fall. Fishing the Midwest describes the cooler water periods of fall as productive for traditional rigs, and this is the window to plan around.
Red drum running the southern NC surf and rivers this October
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8656483 reads 75.2°F, and red drum are the story along the southern North Carolina coast this week. Per Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater, Nathan of East Coast Sports reports a run of slot-sized red drum in the Topsail/Sneads Ferry surf and piers, with some over-slot fish mixed in. Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication says red drum are the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse, with anglers seeing fish throughout the river and plenty of bait in the water. Per Fisherman's Post (NC), Morgan of The Reel Outdoors reports scattered red drum on the Swansboro/Emerald Isle beachfront, with bluefish mixed in. These reports come from the southern coast rather than the Outer Banks itself, so read them as a picture of the regional pattern.
Mississippi red snapper season closed; Sound water still runs warm
Mississippi Sound water is still summer-warm. The latest NOAA CO-OPS readings are 80.8°F at station 8747437 and 82°F at station 8741533. The biggest news is regulatory. Per MS DMR, the state recreational Red Snapper season closed at 11:59 p.m. on September 27, 2026, and it stays closed for the rest of the year. No Red Snapper may be landed or possessed in Mississippi state waters while the season is closed.
Warm Gulf water holds the fall pattern as redfish tag rules shift
Gulf water is still summer-warm for early October: NOAA CO-OPS station 8771450 reads 83.7°F, station 8771341 reads 83.5°F, and station 8772471 reads 81.9°F. The only angler-facing item in this week's intel is from Texas Fish & Game Magazine, which reports that TPWD's proposed rule package changes redfish tags and that the usual November closure is not expected to disappear. Treat it as a regulations heads-up rather than a bite report.
Eureka's offshore fleet reported heavy fish on a recent run
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9416841 read 54.7°F in the latest pull, a cool-water reading for early October. Western Outdoor News reports that a small fleet out of Eureka made a 30 to 35 mile run south on a recent Saturday and found the fish bigger than the count: most landed were 25 pounds or better, with some pushing 40. The fish were spread along the 125-line, from the 46-line down to the 38-line, and the report says the day is one anglers won't soon forget. Eureka's offshore grounds are the Northern California lead to watch this week.
Oregon Coast early-October tide windows worth planning around
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 read 53°F at 10:24 a.m. local time, and the tide there bottoms out at 3:55 p.m. local, making the late-afternoon ebb the window to plan around. Station 9439040 peaks at 11:14 a.m. local, so the morning high and afternoon low bracket the day's moving water. A 53°F reading this early in October fits the steady cool-down coastal water usually makes through the month, and the tide swing sets the timing for anyone heading out this week.