Fishing reports
14939 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Night stripers and early tog on the Delaware Bay shore after the nor'easter
Delaware Bay water is 68°F at NOAA station 8537121, and the shore is rebuilding after the late-September nor'easter. Striped bass are the bite to plan around. Pier 47 Marina reports stripers feeding on most nights in the back bays, even in creeks with three feet of water, mostly 18 to 22 inches, and the fish aren't picky: 3-inch Berkley J-Wakers, paddle tails and Mag Darters all worked. Fin-Atics reports the same night pattern from the sod banks and bridges. Tautog are steady too. Big Dave's Tackle put plenty on deck in the bay on green crabs and sand fleas, and Hands Too Bait and Tackle says blackfishing is good, though keepers are hard to find. Bluefish are running in the 1 to 3 pound range, and quality weakfish were hitting at Wildwood on pink Zooms and bucktails.
Tog and stripers keep the Delaware Bay fall run building
Water is 67°F at NOAA station 8557380, and the fall run is building. Big Dave's Tackle reports tautog from the Cape May Jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, stripers mixed into bay catches, and only scattered weakfish in the greater bay. Pier 47 Marina says stripers fed most nights in the back bays, even in creeks with 3 feet of water, on minnows, mullet and peanut bunker.
Offshore action holds up as early-October water stays warm
San Diego's NOAA tide station (9410170) read 76.8°F at 10:24 p.m. PDT Monday, and La Jolla (9410230) read 72°F a few minutes later. Western Outdoor News reports offshore action across the Southern California Bight over the past several weeks. Its recent reports include three California fish over 400 pounds landed in the past two weeks, one weighing 449 pounds at Tunaville Market in San Diego, and a Santa Barbara fisherman who saw large game fish near the Northern Channel Islands. These are individual boat reports, so read them as signs of where fish are holding, not a guaranteed bite.
Albacore runs and cooling water mark the early October coast
The water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9416841 read 55.4°F at 10:24 p.m. PDT on October 5. Western Outdoor News reports that Eureka's recent albacore run was about size more than numbers: most fish were 25 pounds or better, some pushing 40, spread along the 125-line from the 46-line down to the 38-line, along a hard break. The same outlet's Santa Cruz report calls nearshore fishing very good and says big bluefin are a real possibility once the weather calms.
Mullet run is bringing oversize redfish to the beach in early October
Water at the Pensacola NOAA CO-OPS station (8729840) read 81.5°F in its latest observation, and Panama City (8729108) ran warmer at 82.6°F, so Panhandle water is still holding summer heat. The sharpest redfish signal this week comes from Coastal Angler Magazine, which logged a redfish caught at Vilano Beach, where a mullet run brought a bunch of oversize bulls to the beach. That report is from the Atlantic side rather than the Gulf, but the pattern it describes, redfish following mullet onto the sand, is the one to watch. Salt Strong (articles) adds that redfish hit a dark Black Ice soft plastic hard on inshore water.
Tog and night stripers lead the Jersey Shore bite this week
NOAA station 8534720 reads 65.1°F and station 8536110 reads 66.4°F, right where early October should sit. Tautog are the most dependable bite this week. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, One Stop Bait and Tackle reports tog to keepers of 4 pounds on the Atlantic City jetties, caught on green crabs and sand fleas, and stripers running to 33 inches on plastics, mostly after dark. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, Fin-Atics has 2 to 3 pound bluefish hitting metals at Corson's Inlet, and the same surf reports have quality weakfish in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails and bloodworms. On the bottom, Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports fluke up to 4 pounds and a sea bass bite where everyone is going home with dinner.
Puget Sound tide timing sets the early-October window
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 read 51.1°F in the 10:24 p.m. Pacific observation on October 5, and the tide schedule sets the rhythm for the next day. The next low falls at 4:16 a.m. Pacific and the next high at 10:58 a.m., so the flood tide between them is the stretch to plan around. Early October is when Puget Sound and Pacific water starts its seasonal cooldown, which makes tide timing the most useful number right now.
Sea bass and tautog hold the bite as the striper fall run builds
Sandy Hook water is reading 65°F at NOAA station 8531680, and the bottom bite is carrying early October after the late-September nor'easter. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports fluke up to 4 pounds and all-day black sea bass keepers, while Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says sea bass charters are doing very well. Striped bass are the one to watch. Fishermans HQ LBI saw bass showing promise just before the storm, and The Fisherman's Northern NJ reporters say live eels have been the top striper producer as fish move in and out of the inlet on the tides.
Spillway crappie and Delaware River smallmouth lead early October
Smith Bait and Tackle in Leipsic says good water conditions have brought anglers back to fall fishing. Crappies are producing decent numbers in Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond, with much of the action in the dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics, Gulp or minnows. Dave's Sporting Goods in Doylestown reports a decent evening crappie bite just before dark, and says the Delaware River from Lambertville north is giving up good smallmouth. Up in Pennsylvania, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Charters reports smallmouth as the top catch on Lake Wallenpaupack, where cooler water has turned the fish on. All of these come from The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater coverage.
Warm early-October water holds Gulf fish in the shallows
Mobile Bay water is still summer-warm. NOAA CO-OPS station 8735180 reads 81°F in its latest observation and station 8736897 reads 82.8°F, and that heat keeps warm-water species feeding into early October. Coastal Angler Magazine's newest posts show the same pattern on the Florida Gulf side: a Redfish caught at Vilano Beach and a Snook caught in Naples. Those are the only two species anglers reported this week, and both reports come from Florida, so read them as a sign of warm water rather than a local bite report.
Kenai and interior rivers settle into the late-season slowdown
Early October is a cooling, slowing phase on the Kenai and interior rivers. Most summer movements have typically wound down, flows are settling toward autumn lows, and fish tend to hold in deeper, slower water and feed less aggressively as the nights lengthen. The window worth planning around is the warmest part of the afternoon, when any surface warming can draw fish up into feeding lanes. Clear water is often the first thing anglers notice at this stage of the year. This is a seasonal read, not a catch report.
Historically small Columbia run changes the fall plan
Hatch Magazine reports this year's Columbia River run is the smallest ever recorded, with fish counts at Bonneville Dam running far behind the normal pace since counting began July 1. That makes this a season to plan around the fish you can actually find rather than the numbers you expected. WA WDFW Fishing Reports is the place to check current access and any fishing changes before you commit to a trip.
Gulf of Alaska tides set early-morning windows as fall water cools
NOAA CO-OPS station 9455500 logged 48°F at 9 pm local on October 5, with station 9452210 close behind at 47.3°F. Both readings are in the range typical for early October as water cools toward fall, so the tide schedule is the main thing to plan around. At 9455500 the next high falls near 11:22 pm AKDT and the low near 6:00 am. At 9452210 the high is near 9:55 pm and the low near 4:26 am. The early-morning lows are the first window worth working.
Redfish respond to dark plugs as warm Gulf water holds the bite
NOAA CO-OPS station 8725520 reads 86.7°F and station 8727520 reads 83.7°F, so Gulf water is still holding summer heat. Redfish carry the most specific angler intel this week. Salt Strong's lure-color testing reports redfish "absolutely crush it" on Black Ice, a dark color its testers found beat the bright colors most anglers reach for first. A Coastal Angler Magazine post features a snook caught in Naples, and another shows a redfish caught at Vilano Beach. The three-degree gap between the two stations is a reminder that water temperature changes from one stretch of coastline to the next, so read the station closest to your water.
Cooling water and dark nights set up Maine's fall freshwater bite
Early October is when Maine's freshwater starts its slide into fall, and the bite changes with it. The moon is a waning crescent heading toward the new moon, so the coming nights will be darker than usual. Low light tends to pull fish up into shallow feeding water and along edges, which makes dawn and dusk the windows to plan around.
Cooler mornings bring Georgia anglers back to fall water
Cooler mornings and changing leaves are pulling Georgia anglers back to the water, according to Georgia Wildlife's fishing blog, which is pitching fall outings this week. The clearest on-the-water report comes from Lake Hartwell, not our two lakes: Dawsonville angler Reed Rooke won a Phoenix Bass Fishing League event there with 10 bass weighing 34 pounds over two days, per MLF News. Rooke said he started shallow in the morning looking for a big bite that never came, then adjusted from there. Read it as regional context for Lanier and Allatoona rather than a bite report.
Hartwell tournament finale points to the fall shift on the Savannah chain
The most concrete local signal in this week's intel is a tournament result. MLF News reports that Reed Rooke of Dawsonville, Georgia, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division finale on Lake Hartwell with a two-day total of 10 fish weighing 34 pounds. Rooke said his shallow morning pattern did not produce on day one, so he changed approach. That is a finished event, not a current bite report, so read it as a pattern hint rather than a status update.
Georgia coast stays warm as fall settles in on the water
Georgia's coastal water is still summer-warm. NOAA CO-OPS station 8670870 read 79.7°F at 12:54 a.m. local time. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's October 2 fishing report features Georgia Angler Award recipient Jerry Wilson, age 79, who landed a 14-plus pound, 46-inch fish from the Satilla River. GA Sea Grant is pointing coastal anglers to Seafood Month events this October, including tastings, volunteer opportunities and boat trips, and to a free Skidaway Marine Science Day on Saturday, October 10. Use the tide times and water reading below to plan an outing around the morning.
Georgia anglers land trophy catches as fall settles in
Georgia Wildlife Blog — Fishing led its latest report with a trophy: Georgia Angler Award recipient Jerry Wilson, 79, landed a 46-inch fish weighing more than 14 pounds from the Satilla River, and the state is collecting age and genetics data from the catch. Savannah River tournament action also made news. Reed Rooke of Dawsonville, Georgia, won the Phoenix Bass Fishing League event on Lake Hartwell with 10 fish weighing 34 pounds over two days, per MLF News, and that stop closed out the Savannah River Division season. Together the two reports point to a fall season with big fish being caught, and the sections below cover what to expect next.
Maine trout shift toward fall as spawning colors appear
Mainely Fly Fishing (ME) reports trout already showing spawning colors and calls fall fishing right around the corner. That same blog recorded dusk rises on Kennebago Lake in early August, so dusk is the one timing window the intel actually supports. Start the day on the last hour of light and let what you see on the water set the rest of the plan.
Fall cooldown reshapes Moosehead and upper Penobscot angling
Early October marks the seasonal turn on Moosehead Lake and the upper Penobscot. Surface water is cooling, the water column is beginning to mix, and fish that spent summer in deep, cold water start moving toward feeding areas ahead of winter. This is a window to plan around rather than a bite report: the first cold mornings and the shift in water clarity should set your approach.
Fall rivers settle in: watch for the first rain pulse on the Peninsula
USGS gauge 12042800 read 231 cfs and 58°F on the evening of October 5, the only instrument reading in this update. Water in the high 50s is typical for early October on the Olympic Peninsula, so temperature is not pushing anglers off their usual timing. WDFW's fishing reports page describes its creel interviews and statewide stocking program, and it is the place to check current listings before you launch.
Fall topwater and jig season is the bite to plan around
Fall is the bite to plan around, and Tactical Bassin's October coverage says bass are feeding up again, chasing baitfish and taking topwater as the days shorten. The blog calls this the fall bite happening now, and the fishing press leans hardest on topwater, jigs and structure at this time of year. This is a national blog rather than a local report, so treat it as a pattern to test on your own water. Smallmouth are the fish to start with.
Redfish run the surf, piers and Pamlico this October
Redfish are the lead story on the North Carolina coast this week. Nathan of East Coast Sports reports anglers working the surf and piers around Topsail/Sneads Ferry have seen a run of slot-sized redfish, with some over-slots mixed in, per Fisherman's Post (NC). Down the coast, Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication says redfish are the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse, with fish spread throughout the river and a lot of bait in the mix. Bluefish are also around the Swansboro and Emerald Isle beachfront, where Morgan of The Reel Outdoors reports scattered catches. Kevin of Island Tackle and Hardware says anglers had a lot of success over the recent keeper season at Carolina Beach. The water is still warm: our reading at NOAA CO-OPS station 8658163 is 77°F.