Fishing reports
14939 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Redfish and snook stay active as warm Panhandle water holds
Water at the Pensacola tide station reads 82°F, with Panama City at 82.4°F and Apalachicola at 81.1°F, so all three Panhandle stations are still running warm. Coastal Angler Magazine recently posted reader catches of a 28-inch redfish from Pine Island Sound and a snook from Naples. Both are southwest Florida reports, so read them as evidence of how these two species are behaving this fall, not as Panhandle catches. Redfish and snook are the only species the intel names for this region, and both are reported Active. Tides are the most useful planning tool today: the next predicted low is at Pensacola at 7:06 PM ET, Panama City at 5:32 PM ET and Apalachicola at 7:50 PM ET.
Late-day low tides set the timing on the Texas Gulf Coast
NOAA CO-OPS station 8771450 read 84.2°F at 12:24 p.m. CDT, with station 8771341 at 82.0°F and station 8772471 at 82.2°F, so the water is still summer-warm across all three. Low tide lands late in the day: 5:39 p.m. at 8772471, 6:18 p.m. at 8771341 and 6:56 p.m. at 8771450, all CDT. That falling water is the window to plan around. All three readings were taken this afternoon, so they describe current conditions. Salt Strong (articles) reports that its color testing found dark plugs and soft plastics drawing redfish this fall, though that is a lure test, not a Texas conditions report.
Fall pattern settles in on Potomac and Shenandoah waters
Fall is setting the pattern on Potomac and Shenandoah waters, and the most useful intel this week is seasonal. Fishing the Midwest notes that as waters cool and weeds die back, fish often relocate to green, living weeds, and that shift is typical for early October in Virginia's freshwater too. Target cover and transitional edges before open water until the trend firms up.
Slot redfish running along NC's coast, bluefish joining in
Water is holding around 77°F at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8658163 and 8656483, and anglers on the central and southern North Carolina coast are reporting redfish. Nathan of East Coast Sports says surf and pier anglers around Topsail/Sneads Ferry have landed a run of slot-sized redfish, with some over-slots mixed in (per Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater). Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication calls redfish the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse River, with fish spread through the river and a lot of bait in it. At Swansboro/Emerald Isle, Morgan of The Reel Outdoors has scattered redfish on the beachfront and bluefish around too (per Fisherman's Post (NC)). These are regional reads from the central and southern coast, not Outer Banks reports, so treat them as a starting point for your own scouting.
Midday tide window stands out in warm Hawaiian saltwater
Warm water is the headline on Hawaiian saltwater this morning. NOAA CO-OPS station 1612340 read 83.8°F and station 1615680 read 80.4°F, both at 7:18 AM local time. Predicted high tides follow at 11:42 AM at station 1615680 and 12:29 PM at station 1612340, which makes the late-morning to early-afternoon stretch the timing to plan around.
Striper night bite and fall tautog run lead the Jersey Shore this week
The water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reads 66°F, and the fall run is building after the late-September nor'easter. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, Pier 47 Marina has stripers on the feed most nights in back bay creeks, on minnows and peanut bunker, and One Stop Bait and Tackle has tautog to 4 pounds on the AC jetties, taken on green crabs and sand fleas. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, stripers have been hitting mainly after dark, and 2 to 3 pound bluefish are running Corson's Inlet on metal lures. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports sea bass keepers for everyone aboard and several fluke up to 4 pounds, and Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says most sea bass trips are getting enough for the whole boat. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) has albies and bonito taking live peanut bunker.
Red drum spread from the Pamlico to the Topsail surf this week
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8652587 read 72.9°F at 1:12 p.m. EDT, and redfish are the main story this week. Per Fisherman's Post (NC), Nathan of East Coast Sports is seeing a run of slot-sized red drum in the surf and off the piers around Topsail and Sneads Ferry, with some over-slot fish mixed in. Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication says red drum are the main focus on the Pamlico/Neuse, with fish spread through the river and plenty of bait up in the system. Morgan of The Reel Outdoors reports scattered redfish on the Swansboro and Emerald Isle beachfront, with bluefish also around. Three local shops and guides pointing at the same fish is the kind of consistency worth acting on, so we'd lead with redfish and treat bluefish as a bonus.
Fall striper action building as Sound water settles
Fall striper action is building as water settles after last weekend's nor'easter. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) reports the bass bite is blowing up and says the water needs a few more days to clean up in most spots. Our three NOAA tide-station readings run 65.7 to 67.5°F, so the Sound is cooling into its fall pattern. Anglers Journal's fall striper blitz write-up describes late-season action as packed, which fits the timing.
Fall shift underway in Northwoods walleye country
Fall is officially underway in the Northwoods. Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop's late-September update reports that the transition to fall fishing is in full swing around Oneida and Vilas counties, and that a rotating group of local guides shared their latest on-the-water notes at the shop. It's the most direct local read on the bite we have this week, and the general fall pattern below is what that transition typically looks like.
Fall patterns take hold on Smith Mountain Lake and Buggs Island
Early October is when Virginia reservoirs begin trading summer structure for fall patterns, and this week's angle is following that move rather than chasing one bite. Per Fishing the Midwest, as water cools and weeds die back, oxygen thins and cover shrinks, so baitfish and gamefish relocate to whatever green, living vegetation is still standing. Tactical Bassin's October bass content points the same direction from the bank: fish set up on hard cover like docks, laydown trees and rocks, and they respond to moving baits when they commit. Both are general fall patterns rather than local reports, so test them on the water and let your own marks settle which shoreline is working.
Mid-morning high tide sets the window for early-October plans
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 read 53.4°F at 4:30 a.m. Pacific time, and the tide calendar sets the shape of the day: high at 10:17 a.m. PDT, low at 3:31 p.m. PDT. Per the WDFW fishing reports page, the agency tracks fishing activity by interviewing anglers at access sites and stocks lakes and streams, so its creel counts are the best ground-truth check before committing to a trip. Water in the low 50s is where fall feeding typically picks up, so the tide change is the window to plan around.
Cooling water and tide swings set up fall windows on the Oregon Coast
The water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 reads 59°F, and the tide sets the schedule today. The next high comes in near 9:30 AM Pacific and the next low near 2:44 PM, so the moving water between those stages is the window to plan around. Station 9439040 runs about an hour behind on the same cycle and did not return a temperature this run.
Post-nor'easter bite rebounds: fluke, sea bass and fall stripers
Sandy Hook water read 65.1°F at 7:30 AM per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, and the bite is coming back after last weekend's nor'easter. Fishermans HQ LBI reports the surf has settled and post-storm fall fishing is good again. Blue Chip Sportfishing is catching fluke and sea bass on its half-day and full-day trips, and says most trips are getting enough for everyone on board. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports a nice bottom bite at 55 feet, with keeper and small sea bass plus fluke up to 4 pounds. For stripers, OTW Northern New Jersey tracked improving fall-run action once conditions settle, and Anglers Journal calls the late-season blitz packed with action.
Fall bite returns as the NJ coast settles after the storm
Coastal New Jersey is settling after the weekend nor'easter, and the fall bite is picking back up. Fishermans HQ LBI reports the surf calming down with good post-storm fall fishing underway. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands is back to open-boat trips on a 7:00am to 2:30pm schedule, and its recent bottom trips have put keepers in the boat, with fluke up to 4 pounds on one sail. OTW Northern New Jersey's late-September report expected fall-run striped bass to improve once conditions settle, with bluefish and false albacore still running. Those are shore and ocean reports, so read them as the direction of the season rather than a Delaware River bite report. Freshwater anglers on the Delaware can use the same seasonal shift as a guide to timing.
Warm Alabama water holds as fall tides set the afternoon window
Both NOAA CO-OPS stations on the Alabama coast read 81.5°F at 6:24 a.m. local time, and our readings show water still summer-warm for early October. Station 8736897 turns high at 6:46 a.m. and low at 6:54 p.m., while station 8735180 turns low at 5:43 p.m. The angler intel in this batch is mostly out of region. TexasFishingTips' Port Aransas report from 10/2 sits on the Texas coast, and Coastal Angler Magazine's Snook in Naples and Redfish in Pine Island Sound are Florida catches. None of it describes Mobile Bay directly, so the local story this week is the water and the tide.
Red snapper is closed in Mississippi state waters for the rest of 2026
Water in the Sound reads 81°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8747437 and 82°F at station 8741533. The major item this week is regulatory: per MS DMR, the state recreational Red Snapper season closed at 11:59 p.m. on September 27, and no Red Snapper may be landed or possessed in Mississippi state waters for the rest of the year.
Snook and tarpon chasing fall mullet schools around Stuart
Water at NOAA station 8722670 reads 85.6°F, and the fall mullet run is pulling fish inshore around Stuart. Snook Nook's October report says snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks are all feeding on the schools of bait, and the anglers staying productive were fishing early in the morning and in the evening. The full moon and higher king tides made the close of September harder, but the shop expects the bite to keep picking back up.
Warm October water keeps Eastern Shore tide windows key
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8631044 read 69.1°F at 7:18 AM EDT, and station 8632200 read 70.9°F minutes later, so the water is still warm for early October. The tide schedule is the most dependable planning tool this week. At 8631044 the next low lands at 10:17 AM EDT and the next high at 5:02 PM EDT, with 8632200 running 15 to 30 minutes later.
Warm water keeps the Chesapeake mouth fall window open
Both NOAA CO-OPS stations at the Chesapeake mouth read about 71°F, with 8638610 at 71.6°F and 8637689 at 71.2°F as of 07:18 EDT. That is warm for early October and favors a late fall bite. Saltwater Edge, a Rhode Island shop, calls the fall run in full swing up north, with the bass fishing 'blowing up as you'd expect.' That is New England data, so treat it as the seasonal pattern rather than a Chesapeake bite report. Today's moon is Last Quarter, so tidal swings should be moderate.
Panhandle water stays summer-warm as tides set the early October pace
The Pensacola station (NOAA CO-OPS station 8729840) read 82°F at 7:12 a.m. Eastern, with the water sitting near an 8:02 a.m. high. Coastal Angler Magazine posted a redfish from Pine Island Sound and a snook from Naples this week, both on the southwest coast and a long run from this shoreline. Most of the other posts in today's intel come from other coasts, so the tide is the most reliable tool for planning on Panhandle water, and today's tide gives a clear schedule to build around.
Galveston jetty reports and moving tides lead this week's bite
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8771450 reads 84°F, and this week's Galveston-area reports point to the jetties. Capt. Shannon LaBauve of Galveston Offshore told the Galveston Daily News Reel Report that fishing around the Galveston jetties has been good. Lower-coast results are mixed: Capt. Cliff Fleming, guiding out of Port Isabel, and Capt. Jim Leavelle, reporting from Baffin Bay, both described uneven catches. Capt. Billy Howell of Galveston Bait and Tackle sent an extensive report covering lower and west Galveston Bay. A recent trip with Capt. Juan Cruz described a non-stop bite that started once the tide began to move, after an early wait for the water to turn. That is the one report with timing detail, and it points the same way as the jetty reports: moving water is where the action is.
Western NY walleye bite holds as fall cools the water
Walleye are the bite to watch this fall. Brookdog Fishing Co. said the walleyes "continue to cooperate" in its September 6 report, called the walleye bite "strong" on September 13, and described "excellent walleye" action on September 20, when smallmouth fishing was also good. The captain's October 4 report says he is getting a feel for the changes from Lake Erie's temperature drop. Brookdog fishes western New York, so treat these as a regional signal rather than a read on Hudson Valley or Finger Lakes water.
Potomac and Shenandoah shift toward fall patterns as days shorten
Shortening days and cooler nights are moving freshwater fish on the Potomac and Shenandoah into their fall feeding pattern, and that shift is the one to plan around this week.
Red drum running the Topsail surf and Neuse as bait stacks up
Water is still summer-warm at 76°F on NOAA buoy 41025, and the redfish bite is holding. Fisherman's Post reports slot-sized red drum on the Topsail surf and piers, with some over-slot fish mixed in, per Nathan at East Coast Sports. Donald at Custom Marine Fabrication, fishing the Pamlico and Neuse, says red drum are the main focus, with fish spread throughout the river and a lot of bait up. Morgan at The Reel Outdoors reports scattered redfish on the Swansboro beachfront with bluefish also around. That Swansboro report appears under both Fisherman's Post feeds, so treat it as one reporter. Across three regions the picture is consistent: redfish are the target and bluefish are mixing in.