Fishing reports
14989 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall striper push builds up the coast; plan around the morning ebb
Water is holding warm at 71°F on the Eastern Shore, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8631044 and 8632200, and the fall migration is moving up the coast to the north. The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the first 50-inch-plus striped bass of the fall on the NJ/DE north coast and anglers back into black sea bass, while its Long Island report has better stripers showing on the eastern beaches and bluefish chasing bait. Anglers Journal calls the late-season striper blitz packed with action. These are northern reports, so read them as a migration signal rather than a local catch report.
Sea bass and fluke leading Jersey Shore charter reports after the storm
Water at Atlantic City reads 66.4°F and Cape May reads 67.5°F on NOAA CO-OPS, and Fisherman's Headquarters says the storm pulled water temperatures down. Sea bass are the most consistent bite in the reports. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ describes a very good all-day bottom bite with keepers for everyone aboard, and Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says sea bass trips are filling the boat, with fluke coming over the rail on half and full-day charters. Capt Ron's also landed fluke up to 4 pounds on its quick-response trip. Before the blow, stripers and bluefish were the story. Pier 47 Marina reported striper action on the sod banks during flood tides, and stripers and blues were caught on mullet-style plugs.
Fall tide windows set the pace at the Chesapeake mouth
Water at the mouth of the Chesapeake is holding near 72°F at NOAA station 8638610, and station 8637689 reads 71°F, so the water is still summer-warm. Regional reports show the seasonal turn arriving: The Fisherman (Northeast) says the first nor'easter of the season has kicked the fall run into gear, with 50-inch-plus striped bass reported from the north coast of the NJ/DE Bay region. Our readings line up with that timing, and the tide windows below are where this week's fishing will be decided.
Stripers start showing on Long Island beaches after the nor'easter
Striped bass are starting to show on Long Island's beaches after last week's nor'easter, with NOAA station 8510560 reading 65.3°F. Tight Lines Tackle on the South Fork reports stripers caught off Montauk Point on bucktails before the storm, and expects the storm-damaged beaches to fish well as conditions settle. Ebb Tide in East End says stripers have already started showing along the beaches. The Fisherman's Long Island video forecast has better striped bass along the eastern beaches, and back bays are producing fish as conditions improve. On The Water says the bass have woken up, though the storm scattered the false albacore. Fluke are still around: Captain Dave III runs daily fluke trips from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On the North Shore, Shamrock Charterboat in New Rochelle reported big weakfish aboard on a windy Monday trip.
Hardtails and tog hold the fall run in Narragansett Bay
Water is holding near 65°F at both NOAA CO-OPS stations, and the fall run is back on the feed after last weekend's nor'easter. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), hardtails are still around in decent force, striped bass fishing is booming, and tog are chewing. The Fisherman — Rhode Island reports bass and bluefish working the salt ponds and breachways from shore while boaters sat tied up for most of the week.
Blues and early fall stripers turn up as the storm clears
Blues and early fall stripers are turning up as the storm clears. The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the first fall-run striped bass of 50 inches and over on the north coast and says the fall striper is starting to show. Off Delaware, The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake column logged 11 blues boxed near Indian River Inlet on the few days boats could clear it, and Old Inlet Bait and Tackle caught blues on metal lures during the incoming tide. Water at the NOAA tide station reads 67°F.
Oregon Coast ocean cools into October as tide windows line up
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9435380 read 57.7°F at 5:54 UTC today, while station 9439040 read 62.4°F at the same timestamp, a 4.7-degree split between the two stations. That spread is the number to plan around. The angler intel this week comes mostly from other coasts, so the instrument readings and tide timing below are what we can stand behind for the Oregon Coast this morning.
Early fall striper signs and tog bite on Delaware Bay's sod banks
Delaware Bay is reading 68°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, and the first fall striper signs are showing. Per Pier 47 Marina in The Fisherman — Southern NJ, the sod banks produced very good nighttime striper action on the flood before the storm, mostly 16 to 29 inches with the occasional slot keeper. Hands Too Bait and Tackle expects that sod-bank bite to continue once the winds lay down. Tautog were working too: Big Dave's Tackle reports a good bite on the back-bay bridges and bay lighthouses using sandfleas or green crabs on tog jigs. Before the storm, The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reported blackfish (tautog), weakfish, stripers and blues keeping Cape May anglers busy on most tides.
Sea bass and fluke bite returns as fall stripers stir
NOAA station 8531680 reads 67°F this morning, and the bottom bite is coming back after the nor'easter. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports good all-day sea bass fishing on its open-boat trips, with keepers and small fish mixed in, and several fluke up to 4 pounds on a recent Quick Response charter. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) says fluke and sea bass are being caught on its half-day and full-day trips. Hands Too Bait and Tackle reported sea bass stacked on the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites before the storm. The fall striper push has not fully arrived. The Fisherman's New Jersey edition logged the first 50-inch-plus fish of the fall along the north coast, and Fin-Atics expects stripers to feed hard once the wind lays down. Before the storm, Fisherman's Headquarters had stripers and bluefish on mullet-style plugs.
Smallmouth bite holds as ponds turn over after the nor'easter
Freshwater anglers are getting back on the water after a nor'easter shut most of the week down. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, Dave's Sport Shop reports decent smallmouth fishing in the Delaware, and better water levels had given boaters and waders good access. Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Charters says smallmouth have been very good on Lake Wallenpaupack, with a few crappies mixed in, and the storm never reached that lake. Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May had bass and crappies on the bite in local lakes and ponds before the storm, and says the cedar waters were the first to show the fall change.
Redfish run the NC surf and river as bluefish move in
Water is still warm for early October, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8652587 reading 75.2°F and station 8654467 reading 79.7°F. Local reports point to redfish as the main target. Nathan of East Coast Sports says anglers working the surf and piers around Topsail and Sneads Ferry are catching a run of slot-sized red drum, with some over-slot fish mixed in, per Fisherman's Post (NC). Donald of Custom Marine Fabrication reports redfish spread through the Pamlico/Neuse River, with a lot of bait up in the river. Down the coast, Morgan of The Reel Outdoors reports scattered redfish and bluefish for anglers working the Swansboro and Emerald Isle beachfront. The redfish picture is consistent across three separate local reports, which is the strongest signal in this week's intel. Bluefish is the secondary story, showing up alongside the redfish on the beach.
Stripers in the harbors and tog biting as the fall run takes hold
Water reads 59.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8418150, and 56.7°F and 55°F at stations 8413320 and 8410140. Those temperatures are what bait and the fish chasing it respond to in October. South of us, Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says the October run is underway, with bass fishing picking up and the tog chewing after the weekend nor'easter. Per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME, peanut bunker has moved into the harbors and stripers have followed it in around slot size.
Shoreline striper bite leads Central Coast nearshore action this week
NOAA's latest Monterey reading (station 9413450) is 62.8°F, with Port San Luis (9412110) at 65.5°F, a 2.7°F gap with the southern station warmer. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports nearshore fishing out of Santa Cruz has been very good, with a shoreline striper leading the week's catches. Shoreline striped bass are the lead bite in these reports, so start there. The tide gives you a clear morning window, with Port San Luis peaking near 7:10 a.m. and Monterey near 7:30 a.m.
Fall run reloads after the nor'easter, with bass and blues on the move
The first nor'easter of the season finally kicked the fall run into gear. The Fisherman (Northeast)'s September 30 video forecast put the hot zones on South County beaches, breachways and the mouth of the Connecticut River, and Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says fish are back on the feed as the water cleans up. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI)'s October outlook, hardtails are still around in decent force and tautog are chewing.
Snook and redfish active inshore around docks, bridges and flats
NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520 reads 83.8°F, and the inshore bite is active. CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) reports snook, redfish, spotted seatrout and mangrove snapper all biting in Sarasota Bay, and Capt. Kelly Kurtz found snook and redfish on his recent trips out of Siesta Key. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast for the shop has snook moving off the passes and along the beach toward inside water, where they're staging around docks and bridges in the ICW and on shallow flats. He recommends live shrimp around docks and bridges, and he favors smaller lures and flies. A reader on Coastal Angler Magazine also logged a 28-inch redfish in Pine Island Sound. Tarpon are the exception. Grassett's September outlook had migratory fish thinning out of the coastal Gulf, and the October outlook doesn't name them.
Falmouth schoolies and early bluefish as the fall run takes hold
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8449130 read 65°F this morning, and the nor'easter that just passed has cleared enough for the fall run to show. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), bluefish are still in force and tautog are chewing after the October new moon. The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands reports that Falmouth Bait and Tackle is seeing bass and bluefish moving down the Falmouth shore and into the harbors, with schoolies to slot-sized fish and the occasional albie within reach of the jetties.
Post-nor'easter window opens for Bay blues and sea bass
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8570283 reads 66.7°F as the first week of October opens behind last weekend's nor'easter. Per The Fisherman — DE/MD/Chesapeake, Old Inlet Bait and Tackle had the only fish the reporter heard of all week: blues taken on metal lures during incoming water. Hook 'em and Cook 'em reported flounder and sea bass on the few days boats could clear Indian River Inlet, and kids there boxed 11 blues. The storm kept most boats in, so the first clean days back on the water are the ones to plan around.
Fall bass and blues settling back in after the nor'easter
The three NOAA CO-OPS stations read 66.9 to 67.3°F, and the fall run is re-forming after the weekend nor'easter. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), fish are back on the feed: striped bass are blowing up, bluefish are still around in decent numbers, and tautog are chewing. Connecticut reports point the same way. The Fisherman's Black Hawk report logged keeper stripers and blues before the storm, and Tartan II called its scup and sea bass bite 'fantastic.'
Keys charter back on the water as the summer heat finally breaks
Water at NOAA's Key West station (8724580) read 82.9°F on the latest pull, still summer-warm for the Keys. ALL IN Key West says the weather is finally starting to break after a September break, and the captain is taking fall and winter bookings again, which is the clearest on-water signal in this week's intel. Their summer reports, from June and July, were the strongest bite reports in the intel, but they predate this week.
Late-summer heat holds on the Gulf as fall migration builds
Both NOAA CO-OPS stations are still reading summer-warm: 8735180 at 83.1°F and 8736897 at 83.8°F in the latest pass, and the two agree within a degree. Our readings put the water in the low 80s, which keeps the fall shift a timing question rather than a temperature one. Sport Fishing Mag's fall roundup makes the general point that cooling water sends fish from warm-water haunts to cold-water hideouts, and that the migration moves fast and fish do not linger long. Anglers who want to be in position should watch the readings closely, because a move can start and finish within a few days.
Charleston harbor still warm; Carolina red drum keep biting
Charleston Harbor is still running warm for early October, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530 reading 79.9°F at 1:30 AM EDT this morning. Warm water and active red drum reports point the same way this week. Fisherman's Post says red drum, the fish most anglers call redfish, are the main focus, with a run of slot-sized fish on the surf and piers near Topsail and Sneads Ferry and fish spread throughout the Pamlico/Neuse River. Those are North Carolina reports, so read them as the regional picture rather than a count from the harbor itself.
Lake trout quota talks in Ashland set Superior's fall agenda
Lake trout are the lead story on the Wisconsin side of Lake Superior this week. In a Sept. 30 release, WI DNR Lake Superior fisheries biologist Dray Carl announced an informational public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Vaughn Public Library Community Room at 502 Main St. W in Ashland, to discuss the recommended lake trout quota for WI-2. The state is putting the quota in front of anglers before it is set, which makes Oct. 15 the date to watch if you fish lake trout on Superior. The intel behind this report comes from Wisconsin's side of the lake, so read it as a regional picture rather than a North Shore ground report.
Lake Superior lake trout quota goes to public meeting Oct. 15
The Wisconsin DNR's Lake Superior fisheries team has scheduled a public meeting for Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. in Ashland to discuss the recommended lake trout quota for WI-2 (WI DNR Lake Superior Fishing). It is the one dated item in this week's Lake Superior intel, and it is a management story, not a bite report. The quota applies to Wisconsin waters, so Michigan anglers should check state regulations before harvesting.
Fall walleyes favor the plain rig as Superior trout quota talks near
Mike Frisch at Fishing the Midwest says the plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and a nightcrawler, is a dependable fall walleye producer because it keeps working in the cooler water of spring and fall. His fall note is that fish move to green, living weeds as the others die back. The WI DNR is also taking public input on the recommended lake trout quota for WI-2 on Lake Superior.