Fishing reports
18750 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Dawn topwater bass and cats step up as MD closes striper season
Maryland's move to close striped bass fishing through the end of August — DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz frames it as protection for young fish, per On The Water — is nudging anglers on the tidal Potomac and Patapsco toward freshwater targets instead this month. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for this stretch, so treat water temp and flow as unconfirmed and check a real-time gauge before you launch. Typical for mid-August, largemouth bass activity concentrates around dawn and dusk, when Wired 2 Fish notes summer heat pushes baitfish-driven feeding frenzies to the surface — a pattern worth applying on Potomac and Patapsco backwaters and grass edges. Blue catfish and channel catfish remain a dependable, heat-tolerant option typical for this stretch of river through August, and snakehead continue to show in the same shallow, vegetated water. With no direct shop or captain reports in this cycle, treat species activity below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed bites.
San Juan tailwater trout hold steady as Rio Grande warms into August
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the San Juan or Rio Grande this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds filed a direct report from either river, so we're leaning on regional trout-season fundamentals for mid-August rather than a fresh bite report. Trout Unlimited's latest "cat days of summer" note is a useful general marker for this stretch of the calendar: as trout water pushes into uncomfortable temperatures during peak summer heat, experienced anglers broadly shift some effort toward warmwater species like smallmouth bass and panfish rather than stressing trout in marginal conditions, an ethic that applies as much to New Mexico's Rio Grande corridor as anywhere else. The San Juan's cold, dam-regulated flow below Navajo Dam typically keeps its tailwater fishable and trout-active through summer heat that shuts down freestone water elsewhere in the state, while Rio Grande stretches away from that cold-water influence run warmer and favor early and late light. Tonight's New Moon means darker skies and often a stronger low-light bite window at both ends of the day.
Lake Ontario kings staging up as tributary anglers wait on the run
Salmon are showing up in numbers on the open lake, with browns and lake trout mixed into the catch, per Strike Zone Charters (Lake Ontario) this week. Boats are finding fish in 100 to 160 feet of water, though the preferred depth has been shifting day to day as wind pushes the thermocline around. Mag Dipsey Divers are producing when fish sit deep, and green, white, and chartreuse e-chip spoons paired with Atomic-style attractors have been the go-to color combo. For Salmon River and Oswego anglers, this staging activity out on the lake is the leading indicator to watch: as summer closes out, these same fish begin filtering toward river mouths ahead of the fall run. No fresh buoy or river-gauge readings were available for this update, so treat flow and temperature as unknowns until conditions are checked locally before heading out.
Taneycomo Trout Turn Aggressive as Generation Settles Down
Trout on Lake Taneycomo are hitting hard with no pecking around, per Lilleys Landing's August 1 report, a sharp turnaround after a fickle June defined by inconsistent dam generation. Guides are finding their best afternoon action on the Provo rig, while a simple drift rig, a weight on bottom with a drop shot loop set about 18 inches up, tied with Vanish fluorocarbon tippet (a trick credited to guide Blake Wilson), has also been producing. The shop also reports its trophy release program has picked back up after a slow spring, a good sign for anglers working the dam-area trophy stretch for bigger browns and rainbows. July brought more mornings with little to no generation after June's heavy rain-driven flows, and that calmer water appears to be paying off now. No live buoy or gauge readings came through today, so check Table Rock Dam's generation schedule before you head out.
Delta anglers lean on new-moon low-light windows amid a quiet report week
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep didn't surface a specific Delta report either — NorCal Fish Reports maintains a dedicated Delta section as part of its regular coverage, but nothing beyond the section header came through in this pull, so we're not going to guess at what's actually biting. Better to say that plainly than paper over it. What we do know for certain: it's August 12, squarely in the peak-summer pattern, with a new moon overnight — conditions that typically compress striper and largemouth feeding into tighter dawn, dusk, and dark-tide-change windows. Sturgeon and catfish tend to hold up better through the heat since both are less light-sensitive. Treat today's species notes as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed on-the-water account, and check current CDFW regulations before targeting or keeping anything.
South Fork Snake settles into a late-summer early/late bite
Direct gauge and buoy readings for the Snake River and South Fork are unavailable this cycle, so anglers should lean on standard August cues: cool early mornings, warming flows by midday, and fish sliding into shade and deeper runs once the sun gets high. Trout Unlimited's seasonal notes this week point to a broader pattern across trout fisheries running warm under sustained summer heat, with many anglers pivoting toward smallmouth bass and other warmwater species during the hottest stretch of the day to keep trout release-mortality low. That logic applies here: work the South Fork's classic cutthroat and rainbow water at first and last light, then downshift expectations as temperatures climb. Whitefish and the occasional brown should stay catchable through midday in deeper bends. Statewide, Idaho trout and coldwater fisheries are drawing real attention this month, per Wired 2 Fish's report of a state-record arctic grayling caught in a Custer County alpine lake, a sign backcountry and river water alike are still producing well into August under this new moon.
Door County trollers eye salmon push as DNR tracks record Lake Michigan runs
The Wisconsin DNR's Lake Michigan Fishing Report doesn't carry a fresh Door County or Sheboygan bite update this cycle, but it flags a lake still riding momentum: 2024 anglers hauled in a record 210,000-plus coho salmon and the most Chinook since 2012, over 160,000 fish, per the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report. That run has DNR biologists watching related management questions closely, including a proposed new lake whitefish total allowable catch for Lake Michigan and Green Bay and a fresh look at smallmouth bass management in Green Bay and northern Lake Michigan, both per WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report. No buoy or gauge readings came through for Door County or Sheboygan today, and no charter or shop reports landed either, so treat salmon and smallmouth activity as seasonally typical rather than confirmed hot. Rowley's Bay boat launch near Newport State Park, closed for concrete work into late May, should be back open for the rest of the season.
Champlain smallmouth hold deep as summer heat settles in
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for Lake Champlain this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep turned up nothing Vermont-specific on smallmouth bass or landlocked salmon — the available blog and forum feeds skewed toward bass-gear reviews, Northeast saltwater stories, and Midwest walleye columns, with no direct testimony tied to Champlain water. Absent fresh reports, what follows leans on general seasonal knowledge rather than confirmed bites. Mid-August on Champlain typically has smallmouth bass holding tight to main-lake rock piles, humps, and steep drop-offs, with deep drop-shot and tube presentations usually outproducing moving baits once surface temperatures climb. Landlocked salmon typically push deeper and feed more sluggishly through peak summer heat, with anglers usually switching to downrigger trolling near the thermocline to stay in the strike zone. We're not able to verify either pattern against this week's feeds, so treat this as a seasonal baseline rather than an active-bite report until better intel comes through.
Mille Lacs walleye anglers mix forward-facing sonar with classic tactics
Fishing the Midwest columnist Mike Frisch is fielding a question that cuts right to Mille Lacs this month: do traditional walleye tactics like jigging live bait, pulling crawler harnesses, and trolling crankbaits still produce now that Forward-Facing Sonar has changed how anglers locate fish? Frisch's answer, echoed by fellow Fishing the Midwest writer Bob Jensen's notes on walleye location, is that both approaches have a place. FFS is revealing walleye suspended well off bottom and away from classic structure like points and weedlines, overturning assumptions anglers held for years. No fresh on-the-water reports specifically from Mille Lacs came through this week, so treat the bite itself as unconfirmed. Early-to-mid August on this lake typically means walleye splitting time between deeper mud-flat basins during the day and shallower rock and gravel at dusk. We'd start blending both looks: livebait rigs on classic structure plus scanning suspended fish with electronics before committing.
Panfish, bass carry the Finger Lakes summer bite
New York's DEC flagged panfish as the summer's easy button in its July 31 Fishing Line, noting bluegill and pumpkinseed biting steadily across the state as bigger predators slow down in the heat — a pattern that holds for Hudson Valley ponds and Finger Lakes coves too, with shallow weed edges producing steady action on worms, small jigs, and bobber rigs, especially early and late in the day. Black bass season, open since DEC's June 12 issue, continues into August, with smallmouth and largemouth still catchable around structure and drop-offs, though the bite typically softens as water warms. DEC's July 17 issue also flagged trout and salmon needing help beating summer heat, a reminder that Finger Lakes tributaries and cold feeder streams are under thermal stress this time of year, so stream trout fishing should stay a cautious, dawn-and-dusk affair. No live buoy or gauge data was available for this update.
Wind River, North Platte trout dial in early as summer heat lingers
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Wind River or North Platte this cycle, so this update leans on broader Rocky Mountain trout patterns rather than a local temp or flow reading. Caddis Fly (OR) reports trout on the McKenzie turning sporadic and shade-seeking as dog-days heat sets in, with fish grouping in cooler, shadier holding water during peak sun. Trout Unlimited is flagging the same trend across Western trout water this summer, noting hot, drought-stressed streams push feeding windows to the margins of the day and make it worth easing off trout entirely on the hottest afternoons in favor of warmwater panfish. Reno Fly Shop's Truckee reports echo it: fish feeding earlier, going quiet by midday as air temps climb. Expect Wind River and North Platte trout to be following the same script under a New Moon this week, favoring low light over the heat of the day.
Chequamegon Bay whitefish bite grows as WI walleye tactics shift
A popular lake whitefish fishery keeps building in Wisconsin's Chequamegon Bay region, per WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing, with anglers working the bay by boat now and typically returning through the ice later in the season. On the walleye side, Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch notes that forward-facing sonar has shifted how many Wisconsin anglers locate fish, moving away from the old assumption that walleye sit tight to bottom structure and toward suspended fish found with electronics. General inland season has been open since the May 2 opener, per WI DNR Wisconsin Fishing News, with several regulation changes in effect for 2026-27 that anglers should confirm before keeping fish. No direct buoy or gauge readings are available for the Wisconsin River or Lake Superior corridor this cycle, so treat these notes as seasonal-pattern guidance rather than an on-the-water snapshot. Smallmouth bass remain a solid summer target working emerging weed edges with moving baits.
Low water pushes South Platte, Arkansas trout into early windows
Cutthroat Anglers is urging Colorado tailwater anglers to carry a thermometer and stop fishing once water hits 68°F, a direct response to what Pat Dorsey Fly Fishing calls one of the driest years on record for the state, with snowpack among the lowest ever measured. On the South Platte and Arkansas systems, that translates to low, clear flows and trout pulled into deeper, cooler pockets rather than spread across the usual runs and riffles. Cutthroat Anglers' low-water notes point anglers toward the fish that remain, which are grouped up and still willing to eat for those willing to hike a little farther or fish a little lighter. Midges remain the bread-and-butter pattern this time of year per AvidMax's ongoing tying series, and Colorado Trout Hunters' Dream Stream stretch of the South Platte sits quiet between its spring and fall runs of migratory browns. Early mornings and late evenings are the play right now.
Dog-days heat pushes ND river walleye off the bottom
Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch opens this week's "Blending Old & New" with a question a lot of Red and Missouri River regulars are asking: do the traditional walleye methods still hold up now that forward-facing sonar has changed where anglers look? His answer, echoed in his companion piece "Up & Away!", is that walleye are turning up suspended off bottom and away from classic points, turns, and weedlines far more than the old rulebook predicted. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Red or Missouri corridors today, so treat this as a seasonal read: expect typical dog-days August behavior, with walleye and sauger sliding to current breaks and deeper channel edges as surface water warms, while channel catfish stay reliably active on cut bait in slack pockets. Smallmouth bass around riprap and wing dams should hold on the new moon's low-light bite. Check a current gauge reading before you launch.
Tennessee River bass settle into typical August deep-summer pattern
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Chickamauga-Watts Bar stretch of the Tennessee River this cycle, so today's outlook leans on established late-summer reservoir behavior rather than a fresh regional catch report. Water levels through this chain typically run stable in mid-August, with largemouth and smallmouth sliding to deeper ledges and channel breaks as surface temperatures hold in the upper 80s. Tactical Bassin's recent summer-bass breakdown notes that heat-stressed bass become predictable once anglers key on a few core variables like forage location and thermocline depth, a pattern that generally fits reservoir summer behavior. Wired 2 Fish also flagged dawn and dusk "jump" windows, when baitfish get pushed to the surface by feeding predators, as the most exciting summer bite nationally, and that timing logic carries over to TN's striper and hybrid population. Expect a slower midday bite with better action clustered around first and last light.
White River tailwaters keep trout dialed in through August heat
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came back for the Arkansas and White Rivers system today, and none of this cycle's angler-intel feeds filed a report specific to this region, so this update leans on general seasonal knowledge rather than fresh testimony. The White River below Bull Shoals and Norfork stays a cold tailwater fishery through summer, with dam-release flows typically holding water temperatures well below the surrounding air, which is what keeps rainbow and brown trout feeding actively even during August's peak heat. Reservoir and river smallmouth and largemouth bass, by contrast, typically slide into a slower, deeper summer pattern this time of year as surface water warms. With a New Moon overhead, early and late low-light windows are generally the higher-percentage stretches for moving fish in warm-water sections. Check current generation schedules and local forecasts before heading out, since flow timing drives everything on this system.
Alabama river bass settle into dawn-and-dusk summer rhythm
Wired2Fish's rundown on "the most exciting bite of the summer" frames this week's action well: as August heat sets in, gamefish push baitfish to the surface in short dawn-and-dusk feeding windows, or "jumps," rather than biting steadily through the day. On the Tennessee and Coosa Rivers, that pattern typically holds for largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass alike, with midday action sliding toward deeper structure. Tactical Bassin's recent breakdown of where bass go when it's hot backs that up, pointing to variables like current, shade, and forage driving position once surface temperatures climb. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this stretch, so check local flow before launching. Catfish remain a dependable, less heat-sensitive option through the middle of the day. Typical for mid-August in this region: a short, sharp early bite, a quiet midday lull, and another window as the sun drops.
Low-light windows the play for Lake Mead-area stripers as summer heat holds
No live buoy or gauge readings came in for the lower Colorado corridor this cycle, and none of this week's regional feeds filed a report from Lake Mead or the river below Hoover Dam, so this update leans on typical August patterns rather than a specific on-the-water account. That's normal for this stretch in mid-August: surface temps typically sit deep into the 80s, pushing striped bass and their shad forage down toward the thermocline through the heat of the day. A recent Wired 2 Fish piece on summer bite windows notes that gamefish push baitfish to the surface in short, frenzied 'jumps' at dawn and dusk, the same pattern Mead anglers chase for topwater striper boils before the sun gets high. Largemouth and smallmouth bass on the lake typically follow the same deep-by-day, shallow-at-dawn timing. With a New Moon overhead, low-light feeding should run a little longer on both ends of the day. Check current state regs before harvesting.
Heat squeeze pushes Yellowstone trout to dawn, dusk, and mouse flies
With no fresh buoy or gauge readings in hand for the Yellowstone and Snake River (Tetons) country this week, we're leaning on the regional intel column, and it points toward classic high-summer trout patterns. Hatch Magazine's guide notes on leading a rising trout, drawn from time on the Henry's Fork, the Yellowstone, and the Madison, are a timely reminder that presentation and lead distance matter more than fly choice as flows thin out. Trout Unlimited's seasonal notes flag the familiar late-summer caution: as water temps climb through the afternoon, anglers shift effort to early morning and evening or slide over to warmwater species until things cool. Gink and Gasoline's mouse-pattern piece is a good nod to the low-light, big-brown game that turns on for exactly this stretch of the calendar. Expect a dawn/dusk bite, careful handling on warm afternoons, and hopper-dropper rigs carrying the middle of the day.
Winnipesaukee bass slide deep as dog days settle over Merrimack waters
Tactical Bassin's midsummer breakdown of "Where Do Bass Go When It's Hot" frames what smallmouth and largemouth are likely doing across Winnipesaukee and the Merrimack watershed right now: once surface temperatures peak, bass split into groups relative to depth and shade, and locating them becomes the whole game. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came back for this region this cycle, so we're leaning on seasonal pattern rather than a fresh reading. Wired 2 Fish's recent piece on summer bite windows backs the same idea from another angle — dawn and dusk "jumps," when baitfish get pushed to the surface by feeding predators, are the highest-percentage windows through the hottest stretch of August. Lake trout and landlocked salmon, the region's cold-water standbys, are typically deep and relating to the thermocline by mid-August, with dawn trolling a more consistent bet than a daytime surface bite. New Moon skies should favor extended low-light feeding activity.
Sacramento-Delta anglers lean on typical August patterns
No live buoy or gauge readings came back for the Sacramento-Delta system this cycle, and today's angler-intel sweep didn't turn up a dated, Delta-specific catch report we can attribute with confidence — NorCal Fish Reports carries a dedicated Delta section in its site index, but this pull only surfaced that navigation structure, not a filed write-up. Absent fresh reports, the region is running on typical late-summer patterns: striped bass holding deeper in the main channels and humps through the heat, largemouth bass working tule edges and dock shade in low light, and sturgeon anglers timing the bigger tide swings that come with the new moon. Flow and clarity through the Delta shift week to week with upstream reservoir releases, so check current outflow before planning a trip. We'll push a fuller, source-attributed update as soon as a dated regional report comes through the feed.
Arizona bass dig deep as Salt, Colorado rivers peak in summer heat
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Salt or Colorado River corridor this cycle, so this update leans on typical mid-August patterns for Arizona's desert-river fisheries rather than fresh field reports. With daytime surface temps typically running into the mid-80s this time of year, largemouth and smallmouth bass are following the heat-driven pattern Tactical Bassin describes for summer conditions generally: fish push to deeper breaks and shaded structure through the heat of the day, then move shallow to feed in the low-light hours around dawn and dusk. Striped bass on the lower Colorado (Havasu, Mohave, the Parker Strip) typically hold deep over structure and shadow bait schools once surface temps climb this high, while catfish stay reliably active after dark. Expect a slow, tough midday bite with a noticeably better window early and late. Always check current Arizona Game and Fish regulations before keeping fish.
Fall Chinook Push Building on the Columbia as Summer Run Fades
No buoy or gauge readings came through for the Columbia system this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep turned up nothing specific to Oregon salmon or sturgeon action - the sourced blogs and forums centered on Midwest bass, Northeast stripers, and fly-fishing destinations well outside the Pacific Northwest. Absent direct reports, here's what typically holds for mid-August on the Columbia: the summer Chinook run is tailing off while the fall Chinook push (upriver brights) starts to build through the lower river and estuary, with numbers usually climbing into September. White sturgeon fishing stays catch-and-release across most stretches outside scheduled retention openers, so check current ODFW and WDFW regulations before keeping a fish. Coho typically remain a few weeks out from showing in numbers. With a new moon driving stronger tidal exchange in the lower river, trolling windows around the tide changes are usually the better bet from Astoria down through the Buoy 10 stretch.
Truckee-area trout bite early as Sierra summer heat clamps down
Trout are keying on an early-morning window on the Truckee River as high-summer heat pushes the peak feeding period into the coolest hours of the day, per Reno Fly Shop's late-July report. Flows were holding near 350 cfs on the Reno gauge, close to the river's natural summer channel, which the shop says is making both wading and locating fish easier for anglers willing to be streamside before the sun climbs. Their advice: work upstream onto the California side of the drainage, where elevation keeps water a few degrees cooler, and expect the bite to fade noticeably by midday as air temps spike. Reno Fly Shop also noted anglers sight-casting to carp on the fly during the slow midday stretch, a solid backup target when trout shut down. With a new moon overhead this week, the low-light dawn and dusk windows should fish especially well over the next several days.