Fishing reports
18472 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Tailwater midges hold steady as Colorado's drought squeezes freestones
USGS gauge 06701900 is holding a steady 139 cfs as of Wednesday morning, and Colorado's dam-controlled trout water is settling into a classic August pattern: cool, stable releases while everything else in the state bakes. Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls the 2026 drought among the worst on record for Colorado, and Cutthroat Anglers is reinforcing hoot-owl discipline on freestone rivers, urging anglers to carry a thermometer and quit once water hits 68°F. Tailwaters like the South Platte and Arkansas are the beneficiaries of that stress right now, staying colder and clearer than freestones taking voluntary afternoon closures elsewhere in the state. AvidMax Blog's latest tying features, the Chocolate Foam Back and Titan Tube Midge, point straight at the bread-and-butter approach here: small midge patterns fished deep and slow. Anglers Covey Blog notes the "dog days" pace has settled over Colorado Springs-area water, so expect a technical, workmanlike bite rather than blow-up action. Fish early, fish small, and fish deep.
North Shore trollers lean on lake trout as tributaries run low
The only hard number we have this morning comes from USGS gauge 04015330, reading a scant 5.16 cfs — a clear sign that North Shore tributaries have dropped well down after a dry stretch, with no water-temp reading available from the gauge or any buoy today. With flows this thin, river-mouth fish have little incentive to push upstream, so the open-water bite stays the play: lake trout holding deep and salmon working the mid-lake thermal structure typical for late August on Lake Superior. Direct "what's biting" reports for the Minnesota North Shore specifically were thin in today's feeds — the closest regional signal is WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing's note on the growing Chequamegon Bay whitefish fishery across the lake in Wisconsin, both through the ice and from a boat. We're leaning on typical late-summer patterns for species status until better on-the-water reports come in for this stretch of shoreline.
Snook Bite Roars on Florida's Atlantic Coast Ahead of September Reopener
Snook fishing remains excellent along Florida's Treasure Coast this week, with anglers landing steady numbers of quality fish — including many in the 40-inch-plus range — around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins, per Snook Nook's August report. When the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom can still produce, though it may draw bycatch. Note that Atlantic-region snook season typically stays closed through August, reopening around September 1, so plan on catch-and-release until then and confirm current regs before keeping fish. Farther up the coast, an angler landed a 25-pound tripletail near Port Canaveral, per Coastal Angler Magazine, a reminder that structure-oriented species are still firing in the summer heat. Offshore, the region's red snapper fishery stays clouded: a federal court injunction halted the 2026 South Atlantic EFP pilot season just before it opened, per CCA Florida, and states are now pushing for a fall Oct. 1-31 window.
Late-Summer Heat Shapes the Bite Across LA's Mississippi & Atchafalaya Waters
Louisiana Sportsman reports LDWF has scheduled a drawdown on Vernon Lake for aquatic vegetation control and fish-habitat improvement, a reminder that state fisheries managers are actively working lake conditions across Louisiana this month. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for the Mississippi River or Atchafalaya Basin systems today, so treat this as a general-pattern outlook rather than a real-time readout, and check current river stage locally before launching. Deep in late-summer heat, the typical pattern for basin and river-adjacent lakes holds: catfish stay aggressive after dark and through low-light hours when water sits at its warmest, while largemouth bass and crappie usually slide onto deeper structure, timber, and channel edges to escape the sun, feeding hardest at dawn and dusk. Panfish remain a steadier target around shoreline cover and matted vegetation. Expect slower, more finesse-driven presentations through midday until a cooler front starts nudging water temps down heading toward fall.
August Heat Pushes Okeechobee Bass Deep, Panfish Stay Steady
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns River stretch this cycle, so this report leans on seasonal technique intel rather than a hard number. Tactical Bassin's late-summer roundup this week points anglers toward smaller-baitfish imitations and covering water quickly rather than grinding one spot, exactly the kind of adjustment late-August heat typically forces on largemouth bass. Expect fish to hold tighter to shade, grass edges, and deeper cover through the hottest midday hours, with the best bite windows at first and last light. Panfish and catfish tend to stay more forgiving through summer heat than bass do, and that pattern typically holds on Okeechobee and the St. Johns as well. Treat today's picture as a seasonal baseline rather than a live read: with no buoy or gauge data on file for this stretch, confirmed water temp and flow aren't available, so check a local forecast and current conditions before you head out.
Drop-shot tactics eyed for deep summer bass on SML, Kerr Lake
With no fresh buoy or gauge readings in hand for Smith Mountain Lake or Buggs Island (John H. Kerr Reservoir) this cycle, the clearest actionable signal comes from the Virginia DWR Wildlife Blog, which is pushing anglers toward the drop shot rig this month — a finesse presentation the agency notes works on largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass by suspending a bait naturally just off bottom or over deeper structure. That lines up with the standard late-August pattern on both reservoirs, where largemouth and striped bass typically pull off the banks and hold near thermoclines, ledges, and river-channel drops as surface water warms. Crappie and catfish stay catchable through the heat, generally biting best in low light or after dark. We don't have direct on-the-water reports from either lake this week, so treat the drop shot note as a solid technique to try rather than confirmation of an active bite — check current conditions before you launch.
Bull reds and cobia keep VA Chesapeake mouth busy into late summer
With no fresh buoy or gauge readings in this cycle, this report leans on typical late-August patterns for the Chesapeake mouth rather than a fresh instrument snapshot. Locally, the fishery is normally holding in its classic summer alignment this time of year: bull red drum working the pilings and rubble around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, cobia fishing beginning to taper as the traditional season winds toward its close, and Spanish mackerel and spadefish still active around nearshore structure. Striped bass stay the quiet species through August, as warm water typically pushes anglers toward catch-and-release caution rather than a hot bite. Farther north, The Fisherman (Northeast) is already flagging early signs of the fall striper run organizing in New England waters as of mid-August, a coastwide cue that the migratory fish Chesapeake anglers depend on each fall are starting to stage. First-quarter moon this week means moderate tidal swings, not the extremes of a full or new moon.
Puget Sound eyes peak salmon push as Dungeness season looms
Specific Puget Sound and Pacific coast catch reports were thin in this week's angler intel, so this report leans on what regional sources did confirm. WA Sea Grant flagged Dungeness crab as one of Washington's largest commercial fisheries, tied to a Skills and Drills training course scheduled for September 28-29 in South Bend, a reminder that crab remains a backbone species for the state heading into fall. The WA WDFW Fishing Reports portal remains the most reliable real-time source for creel counts and stocking updates around the Sound, and anglers should check it directly before heading out this week. Late August typically sits inside Washington's summer Chinook and Coho window, with fish staging near river mouths and along tide lines, though we don't have a fresh bite report confirming that pattern is firing yet this cycle. Check WDFW's regional pages before planning a trip.
Snapper bite stays strong in the Keys as fall season debate unfolds
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have driven the bite in the Lower Keys this season, with ALL IN Key West reporting some of the best action in 16 years of running trips, including easy limits of big yellowtails and mutton snapper crashing baits during the spring spawn. Offshore, Bud n' Mary's early-summer report pointed anglers toward tarpon on the bridges, mahi in the blue water, and yellowtail stacked on the reef, a mix that typically holds through the dog days before shifting toward fall patterns. On the regulatory side, Saltwater Sportsman and Anglers Journal note Florida is pushing a state-managed Atlantic red snapper season, with a proposed Oct. 1-31 window still needing public comment before an Aug. 25 deadline, worth watching if you fish snapper grounds offshore. Expect grouper, cobia, and kingfish to keep showing up in the mix per ALL IN Key West's recent Gulf-side trips, with snapper remaining the most reliable target through late summer.
Late-Summer Salmon, Smallmouth Patterns Take Shape on Lake Michigan
No fresh buoy readings or on-the-water bite reports came through for the Chicago stretch of Lake Michigan this cycle, so this update leans on seasonal patterns and the broader lake picture. The WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report notes that 2024 delivered a standout salmon season lakewide, with a record coho harvest topping 210,000 fish and Chinook numbers over 160,000, the best since 2012, credited to strong alewife survival feeding the stocked salmon classes. That bodes well for the fishery anglers are working this August, when Chinook and coho typically hold in deeper, cooler water and smallmouth bass activity picks up around nearshore structure. Anglers fishing out of Chicago should expect typical late-summer conditions: warm surface temps pushing salmon toward the thermocline and steady, if unspectacular, smallmouth action close to shore. Check local shops and captains for the latest bite specifics before heading out, since no direct current-week reports were available for this stretch of the lake.
Georgia Bass Keep Biting Through the Late-Summer Scorch
No buoy or gauge readings came back for Lanier or Allatoona this cycle, but the broader Georgia freshwater signal is consistent: it's been brutally hot, and the fish are still cooperating for anglers willing to work around it. Georgia Outdoor News's Southern Waters Fishing Report (Aug. 15) notes it's "been scorching hot again this week" statewide, with "the bass bite pretty good this week" for anglers who got out despite the heat. That pattern typically holds for Lanier and Allatoona too — spotted bass and largemouth sliding to deeper structure and suspended baitfish schools as surface temps climb. Tactical Bassin's late-summer guidance points anglers toward smaller baitfish-mimicking presentations right now, a good starting point on both lakes. Stripers on Lanier are the wildcard this time of year, typically pushed deep and stressed by warm, oxygen-thin surface water — fish them cautiously and early.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays hot as tarpon push inshore
A 27-inch spotted seatrout came aboard a CB's Saltwater Outfitters trip this week, and Capt. Brandon Naeve says it's no fluke — Sarasota Bay's peak summer trout bite is in full swing, with inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes producing consistent action, best worked around sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress reports fish stacked up on a rising morning tide, with a popping cork and live shrimp drawing steady strikes, plus incidental snook mixed in on the same drift. Tarpon remain part of the picture — Capt. Rick Grassett's August outlook has a few silver kings still cruising the coastal Gulf early in the month on flies, DOA Baitbusters, and DOA Shrimp, with juveniles showing in the shallows. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so confirm tide timing and water temp locally before you launch.
Mixed striper bite gives way to steady mackerel, squid action
A 49-inch striper came off the sand this week at Surfland, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, headlining an otherwise mixed striped bass bite along the Gulf of Maine corridor. Capt. Tom Lukegord of Beauport Fishing Adventures reports big stripers holding off Rockport's dry salvages and gorging on pogies, while mackerel remain plentiful east of Cape Ann with squid thick in the same water. Belsan's Bait & Tackle calls the bass bite "hit or miss," with fish keyed on bait rather than structure, forcing anglers to cover ground to find cooperative schools. Bluefish are largely absent from Scituate to Provincetown. Groundfishing stays a bright spot: pollock fishing has been solid, though haddock is spotty. No live buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat exact water temp and tide timing as unconfirmed until local sources verify.
Trout and red drum keep the SC coast producing this August
Summertime spotted seatrout are still coming steady on a slip-cork-and-live-shrimp rig up at Little River, per Fisherman's Post's August Carolinas saltwater report, with red drum holding in the same water — good word for the northern SC coast, even though no live buoy or gauge reading came back for Charleston Harbor this cycle. That intel is roughly 150 miles up the coast rather than the harbor itself, but it tracks with what's typical for the Lowcountry in late August: seatrout and red drum working structure and moving water as midday heat pushes fish off the flats, while flounder and sheepshead stack up around docks, jetties, and oyster rakes this time of year. Separately, Saltwater Sportsman reports Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are pushing NOAA for a limited October red snapper season in the South Atlantic — worth tracking if you fish offshore structure, though nothing is finalized.
Redfish push deep as Gulf Coast summer heat holds
Redfish are sliding into deeper, current-swept water as Gulf Coast heat holds through late August — a pattern Salt Strong ties directly to surface temps pushing into the 90s, with reds, snook, trout, and flounder all shifting when that happens rather than shutting down. Salt Strong's Aug 14-16 Regional Weekend Game Plan specifically flags the Florida Gulf Coast as one of the regions working through this exact adjustment right now. Earlier in the season, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reported a strong spring run of permit and tarpon inshore paired with kingfish, cobia, and amberjack offshore, but that action has largely tapered as summer set in and tarpon push out of the area. Gag grouper remains off the table for now — Sport Fishing Mag's trolling primer notes it's a short September fishery on Florida's west coast. Expect a slower midday bite with the best windows bracketing sunrise and sunset.
Outer Banks surf bite turns a corner with bluefish, mullet in the mix
Hugh, of TW's Bait and Tackle, reports anglers working the Outer Banks surf zone are into sea mullet, bluefish, and plenty of croakers on bottom rigs, per Fisherman's Post (NC), and notes the inshore action has finally picked up after a slower stretch. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so bring a handheld thermometer and check tide tables before heading out. Elsewhere on the NC coast, the same feed flagged spanish mackerel and bluefish on casting jigs and Gotcha plugs around Swansboro/Emerald Isle, and red drum mixing with flounder and croaker in the Carolina Beach surf, a reminder the whole coastline is holding fish right now. On the Outer Banks specifically, bottom rigs baited for mullet and croaker remain the most consistent producer this week, with bluefish adding some run-and-gun excitement along the beach for anglers willing to keep moving.
Georgia Atlantic anglers await fall snapper call as heat holds
Georgia's recreational red snapper season remains closed as August winds down, with Georgia, Florida and South Carolina pushing NOAA Fisheries for a month-long Oct. 1-31 recreational window after a lawsuit halted the original 2026 season, per Saltwater Sportsman — anglers who want the fall season have until Aug. 25 to file public comment in support. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Georgia coast with this update, so treat the water as running the typical late-summer pattern: warm and holding. Per Salt Strong, redfish don't shut down when surface temps push into the 90s, they just relocate to deeper, moving water, and blue crab presentations fished on the move keep drawing strikes. Inshore, expect the standard dog-days shuffle — reds and trout working current edges rather than shallow flats at midday, with the bite improving as light fades. Snapper anglers, meanwhile, are in a holding pattern until the fall-season decision lands.
Bonito blitz and jumbo bass light up Cape Cod Bay
Anglers working the Provincetown side of Cape Cod Bay are into a strong stretch, with Goose Hummock Shop (per The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands) reporting bonito finally showing up inside the bay around P-Town and Wood End, alongside four-pound bluefish working from the Brewster Flats into Wellfleet Harbor. A decent striped bass bite is holding along the bay shore, and big schools of jumbo bass are stacked up around Provincetown, where anglers live-lining mackerel are connecting with some noticeably larger fish, per the same report. The Fisherman's New England Video Fishing Forecast (Aug 13) corroborates the trend, noting bonito numbers surging from the Canal to Chatham to Wood End alongside building striper blitzes region-wide. Shark sightings are also up along Cape beaches, including a tiger shark landed right off the sand per On The Water's surfcasting desk. Moon is First Quarter this week; check local tide tables before heading out, since no live buoy or gauge data is available for this report.
Louisiana marsh reds slide to deeper water as Gulf heat holds
Redfish are sliding into deeper, current-swept water as Gulf temperatures push into the 90s this week, according to Salt Strong's breakdown of summer heat behavior — blue crab worked along moving-water troughs is the go-to setup right now, a pattern the same source's summer-slump advice extends to snook, trout, and flounder pulling off skinny flats. We don't have live NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings for the Delta at the moment, so check a local forecast before running out. Speckled trout typically follow redfish off the shallows this time of year, holding tighter to passes and deeper structure once surface temps climb. Flounder should still work channel edges and drain mouths on the falling tide. With the moon at First Quarter, tidal swings are moderate rather than peak — good for methodical structure fishing rather than a big current blowout.
Bonito surge and a Wareham striper mark peak Buzzards Bay action
A 32-inch striper landed on a popper right in Wareham, per Coastal Angler Magazine, opens this week's Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound report on a strong note. Vineyard Sound is holding small bluefish from West Chop across to Nobska Point, per Falmouth Bait & Tackle, with the daylight bass bite running mostly jigs and trolling. Sports Port reports blues have moved onto the sound shoreline and are being caught alongside 4-pound-class bonito, and bonito are surging across Cape Cod more broadly this week, per The Fisherman's regional video forecast, from the Canal to Chatham to Wood End. Offshore, Falmouth Bait & Tackle notes the canyon yellowfin bite (30 to 60-plus pounds) held up until recent storms rolled through, with bluefin now pushing in closer as weather moderates. Black Rose Fishing Charters worked Nantucket Sound rips this weekend, finding good fluke and bottom fishing alongside the tuna hunt.
Redfish and Trout Keep Firing in Pensacola's Back Bays
An angler fishing Blackwater Bay near Pensacola landed a 31-inch redfish, speckled trout up to 19 inches, and a run of ladyfish on August 18, per a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum — a solid showing of inshore action as the region heads into the back half of August. Offshore, gag grouper stays a going target on Florida's Gulf coast this time of year, with Sport Fishing Mag detailing troll patterns over nearshore rock piles as anglers prep for the short fall grouper window. Kingfish and other pelagics typically hold around Panhandle nearshore structure through late summer, though we don't have a direct Panhandle report confirming that pattern this week. Federal and state red snapper management remains unsettled this season, so anglers targeting reef fish should verify current state regulations before keeping anything. Inshore, moving water and bay structure continue to be the play for reds and trout as late-summer heat holds across Destin and Pensacola.
Porgies stack up as CT stripers favor dawn tides and night eels
Bottom fishing is carrying Connecticut's Long Island Sound shore right now. Scup are 'lights out' at Tartan II, with anglers boating limits of porgies most trips, and Black Hawk reports the same steady porgy action alongside sea bass, triggerfish, and a scattering of fluke. Per J&B Tackle, fluke and sea bass remain productive around Black Point, Niantic Bay, and Two Tree Channel, with bigger fluke reported from the Montauk-adjacent grounds. Striped bass fishing is more of a dawn-and-dusk game right now — J&B Tackle notes live-lining eels at night is producing the biggest bass — though AW Marina reported blitzes pushing into the river mouth near Fort Trumbull Pier this week. Bluefish are around but selective, per Tartan II, biting best on certain tides. J&B Tackle also notes bonito continuing to move down the coast, and the wider Northeast fall-run buildup described by The Fisherman (Northeast) suggests migratory species should keep showing up through Sound approaches in the coming weeks.
Salmon Season Builds Along Indiana's Lake Michigan Shoreline
Lake Michigan's salmon fishery is riding real momentum into late summer: the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report notes anglers boated a record 210,000-plus coho and over 160,000 Chinook salmon lakewide in 2024, the best Chinook return since 2012, a sign the alewife forage base that supports Indiana's shoreline waters remains healthy. No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Indiana shoreline this cycle, and no captain, shop, or agency filed a direct report from these specific waters, so today's picture leans on typical late-August patterns rather than confirmed local bites. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is actively funding new seed-grant research focused on southern Lake Michigan this year, underscoring continued attention on the basin. Expect salmon and trout to be holding deeper as surface water stays warm, perch fishing to improve in low light, and smallmouth to stay tucked to structure. Treat species notes below as seasonal defaults until fresher shoreline-specific reports come in.
Lake Superior whitefish buzz builds as U.P. trout keep to dawn and dusk
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for this region today, so this report leans on angler intel and typical late-August patterns for Upper Peninsula trout streams and Lake Superior. Interest in lake whitefish continues to build on the Chequamegon Bay stretch of Lake Superior, with WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing noting a "popular fishery has emerged" for the species both through the ice and from a boat, backed by an open angler questionnaire that ran through this spring. On the Michigan side, U.P. trout streams are typically running warm by mid-to-late August, which tends to push brook and brown trout activity into the cooler early-morning and evening windows rather than midday. Lake Superior itself remains the steadier bet this time of year, with lake trout holding on deep structure and salmon beginning to stage near tributary mouths ahead of the fall run. Check current Michigan regs before harvesting.