Fishing reports
14989 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
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.
Big Hole Section 5 reopens as FWP lifts angling closure
FWP lifted the angling closure on Section 5 of the Big Hole River, which runs from Tony Schoonen Fishing Access Site (Notch) to the Beaverhead River confluence, after weekend rain improved flows, according to MT FWP Fishing News. Section 1 stays closed, so check the section boundaries before you go. The same release says spawning closures on some rivers begin October 1. Montana waters remain invasive mussel free, but six of seventeen AIS inspection stations are still running through October in high-risk corridors, and anglers with watercraft must stop at every station they pass.
Warm water and a morning tide set the window for Hawaiian anglers
Warm water is the headline across the Hawaiian Islands: NOAA buoys 51001, 51002 and 51004 read 79 to 82°F in the latest set, with air temperatures near 25 to 27°C. Trade winds at those buoys run roughly 14 to 17 knots, which keeps exposed shorelines choppy and makes sheltered water the better bet. Both NOAA CO-OPS tide stations put the morning low near 4 to 5 a.m. local time and a midday high around 11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., so the moving-water window sits in the first hours of daylight.
Lake trout bite turns steady on Lake Superior's North Shore
Lake trout are the bite to watch on Lake Superior's North Shore. Per MN DNR Lake Superior Summer Fishing, the October 1 report describes a steady bite for 18-29 inch lake trout from Duluth to Two Harbors, a clear step up from the late-September reports, which called fishing slow. The same report logged good numbers of 15-19 inch walleye near Duluth. Chinook salmon were only occasionally reported, a few 20-23 inch fish, and the report calls them rare. Surface water has cooled noticeably since early September, and that cooling trend lines up with the improvement.
Catawba and Roanoke fall shift: cooling water, fish moving to structure
Early October is a fall-transition week, and the most useful current guidance comes from Wired 2 Fish, which describes working a pressured reservoir in the fall by following the bait and keying on shade, docks, points and creek channels.
Fall turnover reshuffles bass and crappie in Delaware ponds
Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports that the lakes and ponds had just turned over and were starting to give up good numbers of fish before last week's nor'easter shut the bite down, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE freshwater roundup. Fall turnover mixes the water column, so fish that were holding on predictable structure typically spread out and take a few days to resettle after a blow like this.
Fall cooldown settles in as the afternoon ebb sets the pace
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 read 51.1°F at 10:42 AM PDT, and the next predicted low lands at 1:33 PM PDT, so the falling tide into early afternoon is the window to plan around. That temperature is consistent with the region moving out of its summer warmth. WA Sea Grant marked 20 years of its SoundToxins program this year, a reminder to check shellfish advisories before you dig or harvest.
Post-nor'easter fluke and sea bass bite returns on the Jersey Shore
NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reads 65.8°F and station 8536110 reads 67.1°F as the surf settles after the nor'easter that hit the shore over the weekend. Fishermans HQ LBI reports good inshore and offshore fishing on live peanut bunker for false albacore and fluke. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands boat is posting sea bass keepers and fluke up to 4 pounds, and Blue Chip Sportfishing says fluke and sea bass are biting on half-day and full-day trips.
Oregon Coast fall cooldown sets up an early-afternoon low tide window
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 read 54.5°F at 10:42 AM PDT, and the next predicted low at that station lands at 1:14 PM local. Station 9439040 follows at 2:27 PM, so the early-afternoon stretch is the tide window to plan around. Early-October water on the Oregon Coast is settling into the cooler end of the summer range, which is the seasonal shift that matters most this week for timing a trip.
Fall fluke and sea bass rebound after the nor'easter
Fall fishing is coming back after the nor'easter that hit the Jersey Shore over the weekend. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) calls post-storm fall fishing good on Long Beach Island, and Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says bluefish are still around in decent force, tautog are chewing and bass fishing is picking up. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports keeper sea bass and fluke up to 4 pounds in its recent posts. NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 reads 68°F today.
Sea bass and fluke keep biting as post-storm water settles
NOAA station 8531680 reads 66.2°F this afternoon, with the next predicted high tide due near 3:00 PM local. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ runs a 7:00am to 2:30pm open-boat schedule and reports bottom fishing with black sea bass and fluke, including fluke up to 4 pounds on a recent trip. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says sea bass charters are getting enough for everyone on board. OTW Northern New Jersey reports the nor'easter put all fishing on hold after early fall action had already slowed.
Striped bass fall run waits on the surf to settle after the nor'easter
A nor'easter that hammered the Jersey Shore over the last weekend of September put fishing on hold, and the coast is only now settling. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) reports the big surf, flooding and beach erosion are easing, with good post-storm fall fishing back on Long Beach Island. OTW Northern New Jersey reports the storm put all fishing on hold. Striped bass is the one species the reports name, and it is slow for now.
Gulf fall migration cues are starting, but the water is still summer warm
Gulf-side water is still summer warm. NOAA CO-OPS station 8735180 read 82.2°F at 12:36 PM local time, and station 8736897 read 83.3°F at the same observation time. Sport Fishing Mag's fall-migration piece says the turn starts as water temperatures drop, when fish move from warm-water haunts toward cold-water hideouts, and that the migration moves fast once it starts. Saltwater Sportsman's Gulf-coast fall notes describe a similar setup: fish ride the incoming tide into back-bay drains and wait at the mouths as the water turns to go out. We're at the front edge of that transition, not the middle, so the first real change will likely show up as a tide-driven bite rather than a sudden switch.
Red snapper season shuts in Mississippi as the Sound stays warm
Mississippi's state recreational red snapper season closed at 11:59 p.m. on September 27, and MS DMR says no red snapper may be landed or possessed in state waters for the rest of the year. The October 1 release also references landings reported through the state's mandatory Tails n' Scales reporting program. Anglers should treat red snapper as off limits in state waters from here. The Sound itself is still summer-warm: NOAA CO-OPS station 8747437 read 82.4°F and station 8741533 read 82.8°F, both observed at 12:24 p.m. local time. We're seeing a fall-plan shift more than a water-temperature shift, so target planning around species that remain open under current state rules.
Snook and tarpon chasing the fall mullet run inshore
Water is reading 86°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670, and Snook Nook (FL) reports that the fall mullet run has put snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks onto bait schools around Stuart over the past few weeks. Their October report says the full moon and higher king tides made the end of September harder, but anglers fishing early morning and evening stayed productive.
Fall window opens for Smokies trout as the season turns
Early October is the seasonal turn for Western NC trout water, and this week's most useful intel is technique. Trout Unlimited's recent mending tip makes the case that a drag-free drift is what gets a trout to take, so work on line control before you change flies. Cooler mornings are the time to fish the slower water first.
Upper Lake Taneycomo trout improving as fall browns move in
Lilleys Landing says trout fishing on the upper end of Lake Taneycomo has improved noticeably over the past month, with good numbers of fish spread through the water and trophy-size trout still turning up. In its October 1 report the shop admits it can't pin down why the numbers came up, but calls the change a positive one. It also says brown trout are making their appearance in the upper lake for the fall spawning run. The weather has been beautiful, too, which helps.
Fall topwater and baitfish patterns take shape for CT inland anglers
Fall is setting up the surface bite. Tactical Bassin (blog)'s October posts report fish chasing baitfish and taking topwater, and its latest outing describes fish working open water under heavy morning fog. Fishing the Midwest adds that cooling water sends baitfish and gamefish into weeds that are still green. Neither post is a Connecticut report, so treat them as the seasonal pattern rather than local catch counts.
Bull Shoals tournament weighs in as the fall shift begins
Phoenix Bass Fishing League's Super Tournament weighed in Day 1 on Bull Shoals Lake on October 3, per MLF News, so the lake is carrying tournament traffic into the first full week of October. That timing lines up with the transition B.A.S.S. News describes, where fish move off warm-season patterns to new areas as temperature, photoperiod and baitfish availability shift. Early October is when that movement starts to show.
Fall trout feeding picks up on Wyoming's Yellowstone and Snake
Early October is the seasonal turn on Wyoming's Yellowstone and Snake (Tetons) waters, and that shift is what matters for planning this week. As nights cool, trout typically feed most actively in the warmest hours of the afternoon, so mid-day to late-afternoon windows are the ones worth building a trip around.
Fall cooldown sets up Green River and Uinta Lakes for the autumn feed
Early October is the fall transition on the Green River and Uinta Lakes, and the seasonal shift is the main thing to plan around this week. As the water cools, fish typically move toward food and the edges of cover, and feeding becomes more purposeful as the month goes on. Anglers who slow their pace and adjust presentations to that change tend to do best.
Fall shift settles in on the Green River tailwater
Early October marks the turn on the Green River tailwater, and the calendar is the most useful thing to plan around this week. With the moon at last quarter, expect the cooling-season shift that anglers below Flaming Gorge usually notice first in the mornings and in shorter afternoon windows.
Green weed cover is the fall play as Kansas rivers cool
Fall cooling is the shift to plan around this week. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch calls the plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and a nightcrawler, a go-to for fall walleyes, and says the cooler water periods of spring and fall are when it earns its keep. His fall advice starts with green, living weeds, since weeds die back as water cools, oxygen thins, and baitfish and gamefish relocate to whatever cover stays green.