Fishing reports
19070 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Lake Trout Bite Holds Steady on the North Shore
Lake Trout anglers are finding steady action on Lake Superior's North Shore this week, landing 18 to 30 inch fish, according to the MN DNR Lake Superior Summer Fishing report for July 23. Windy conditions pushed cold water up near shore, dropping surface temps as low as 41°F even as offshore pockets warmed into the 60s, a pattern that's kept trollers working bright spoons, stick baits, and flasher flies near the thermocline in 100 to 150 feet of water for much of the month. Coho and Chinook Salmon have been mixed in with the trout on the same trolling spreads, per the same report series. Inland, MN DNR's North Shore Streams updates noted the spring steelhead run had wound down by late May, with anglers shifting toward lake fishing since. On Twin Cities-area lakes, Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch and Bob Jensen describe walleye and bass anglers leaning on forward-facing sonar and weedline presentations now that open-water season is in full swing.
Triggerfish Season Reopens in Mississippi Sound Waters
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources confirmed this week that recreational Gray Triggerfish season reopens in state waters at 12:01 a.m. local time on August 1, per MS DMR's official notice issued July 27. That's the headline heading into the final days of July for Sound anglers, with tonight's full moon pushing stronger tidal movement through the passes and marsh drains. Direct water-temperature and flow readings weren't available for this report, so treat conditions as typical for late-July Gulf Coast summer: warm surface water, high humidity, and the usual afternoon thunderstorm risk. Inshore, speckled trout and redfish remain the steady producers this time of year, working structure, drop-offs, and moving current during the cooler low-light hours before the midday heat shuts the bite down. Flounder tend to be a slower, incidental catch through peak summer before the fall run builds. No MS-specific charter or shop reports came through this cycle, so treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed on-the-water intel.
Summer heat puts Finger Lakes trout on notice, walleye holds strong
The NY DEC's Fishing Line newsletter (July 17th issue) is flagging summer heat stress on trout and salmon statewide, a signal Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes stream anglers should take seriously heading into late July, since thermal refuges are getting tighter and careful catch-and-release matters more than ever. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water temps as elevated typical-for-late-July until fresh data lands. Walleye anglers have reason for optimism: DEC held public meetings this month on walleye research at Irondequoit Bay and Sodus Bay, part of ongoing tracking tied to waters feeding the Finger Lakes corridor, and Finger Lakes walleye fisheries remain a reliable summer staple. Smallmouth and largemouth bass, now well into DEC's tracked tournament season, are typically active on moving baits through late July. Fish early mornings around tonight's full moon to beat the heat and work the bite before the sun climbs.
Georgia bass and hybrids slide deep as summer heat clamps down
Summer heat has put a lid on daytime action across Georgia's inland waters, and the Hartwell/Russell chain is following the same script anglers are reporting elsewhere in the state. Joshua Barber's Southern Waters report for GA Sportsman/Georgia Outdoor News (July 25) notes the bite has slowed under the heat this week, though quality fish are still coming to the boat for anglers willing to work for them. On a deep, clear reservoir system like Hartwell and Russell, that pattern typically means bass and hybrid stripers sliding off the banks onto river-channel ledges and main-lake humps as surface temps climb, with the shallow bite compressing into a short dawn window. Crappie generally ease into a summer lull on this system too, scattering off brush into deeper cover. Tonight's full moon should help keep some nocturnal feeding active for catfish and stripers working shad after dark. No live buoy or gauge readings were available for this stretch of the Savannah chain today, so treat depth/temperature specifics below as seasonal expectation rather than measured fact.
Puget Sound summer Chinook hold steady as Salish Sea crab season firms up
This cycle's feed carries no buoy readings or fresh WDFW creel counts, so the clearest Washington signal comes from Washington Sea Grant's Crab Team: a European green crab was confirmed for the first time on Orcas Island's Crescent Beach in May, and the annual Salish Sea-wide Molt Blitz volunteer count ran June 26 to track crab shell molts across the region. Neither is a bite report, but both point to an active recreational crab season heading into late July, with Dungeness typically carrying firmer, hardened shells by now after the spring molt. WA WDFW Fishing Reports remains the standard source for real-time salmon, halibut, and bottomfish counts via its creel and catch-interview program, though no specific counts came through in this feed. Expect summer Chinook to stay the headline draw across Puget Sound and the outer coast this time of year, with lingcod and rockfish holding on nearshore structure. Confirm current counts on WDFW's site before heading out.
Summer deep bite settles in on Smith Mountain Lake, Buggs Island
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Smith Mountain Lake or Buggs Island (Kerr Lake) this cycle, so we're leaning on seasonal patterns and the current national bite trend under this week's full moon. Late-July heat has both reservoirs in a classic summer setup: bass pushed off the bank and onto secondary structure, stripers holding near the thermocline, and crappie suspended deeper than they've been in weeks. Anglers nationally are leaning hard on forward-facing sonar to locate offshore schools rather than blind-casting the bank, per Wired 2 Fish's look at the technology this week, and Fishing the Midwest's Bob Jensen is pushing anglers to work weedlines as a reliable summer producer when structure bites get tough. No direct on-the-water reports for either Virginia reservoir came through this cycle, so treat species status below as seasonal-typical rather than confirmed local intel until a shop or charter report lands.
Panhandle anglers eye peak summer bite under a full moon
A full moon lands over the Panhandle this week right at the height of Gulf summer season, though direct on-the-water reports out of Destin and Pensacola were thin in this data cycle. Salt Strong's weekly Regional Weekend Game Plan continues to track a dedicated "Florida Panhandle & Big Bend" zone as one of its active regional briefings, a sign the area remains a watched pattern even when specific bite details stayed behind their insider link this week. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available for Destin/Pensacola either, this report leans on typical late-July Gulf patterns: red snapper and king mackerel working structure and bait schools offshore, mahi showing on weed lines further out, and speckled trout and redfish holding on inshore grass flats during the cooler low-light hours. Treat species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local bite until we get fresh regional intel in. Check local forecasts and structure reports before committing to a run this week.
Northwoods Muskies Fire Up as Cooler Water Rolls Back In
Water temperatures across Oneida and Vilas counties spiked into the mid-to-high 80s during last week's heat wave, according to Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop's late-July Northwoods report, pushing well past the 80-degree mark many anglers use as a cutoff for safely targeting muskies. A cold front has since moved through, dropping overnight lows into the 40s and pulling surface temps on mid-sized lakes back into the 70s, which the shop says is stabilizing conditions and making muskies a viable target again. The same shop's write-up on summer thunderstorms notes that rapid barometric shifts around frontal passages tend to trigger aggressive musky feeding windows just before and after a squall line rolls through. Walleye, smallmouth bass, and panfish remain in their typical late-July patterns on Northwoods lakes, with no specific bite reports surfacing in this cycle, so we're leaning on seasonal norms for those species. Tonight's full moon adds another variable worth watching for low-light activity.
Summer Chinook and steelhead season builds on Columbia, Puget Sound rivers
Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains ongoing creel and stocking reports for river systems across the Columbia and Puget Sound basins, but this cycle's angler-intel sweep didn't turn up a fresh WA-specific river report, and no buoy or gauge readings came through either — so this update leans on typical late-July patterns rather than a confirmed bite report. Late summer on these systems is prime season for summer Chinook and summer-run steelhead pushing into tributaries, with resident rainbow trout holding in cooler, oxygenated runs during the heat. Coho typically don't show in numbers until fall, so expect a slower bite there for now. With no confirmed on-the-water reports in hand, treat species status below as a seasonal baseline — check WDFW's creel and stocking reports and local shops before heading out, especially with the full moon likely pushing feeding windows toward dawn and dusk.
Toledo Bend anglers set up for a full-moon night bite
Toledo Bend and the Sabine River border reservoirs are deep into their late-July summer pattern this week, with no fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings available to pin down current water temperature. Absent a same-day local report in today's intel sweep, the safe bet for this stretch of the calendar is offshore: largemouth bass holding on river-channel ledges, humps, and deep brush as surface temps push into the mid-80s, with the bite concentrated at dawn, dusk, and after dark. Crappie should be stacked on deep brush piles and standing timber, while white bass and catfish stay active around current breaks near the Sabine's flow. Nationally, forward-facing sonar continues reshaping how anglers find suspended fish this season — Wired 2 Fish and Fishing the Midwest both note FFS users are locating crappie and bass off traditional structure entirely, a trend worth trying if fish seem to vanish from the usual spots. Tonight's full moon favors a stronger overnight bite.
Olympic Peninsula rivers settle into a quiet stretch between salmon runs
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's ongoing creel-check and stocking program remains the backbone of how conditions on Olympic Peninsula salmon rivers get tracked, per WA WDFW Fishing Reports, but today's data pull came up light on hard numbers: no fresh buoy or streamflow gauge readings surfaced, and no shop, captain, or state report specifically covered Peninsula rivers this cycle. That's not unusual for a routine late-July check between run windows. This week's WA Sea Grant dispatches focused on bull kelp research and the first green crab detection on Orcas Island rather than angling conditions, so we're leaning on general seasonal knowledge rather than fresh intel for this update. Late July on the Peninsula typically sits in a lull between the tail of summer steelhead and the leading edge of fall Chinook and coho pushes. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger low-light and night bite behavior if you're fishing dawn or dusk this week.
Deep trolling season holds for Indiana's Lake Michigan salmon
No fresh buoy or gauge readings are available for the Indiana Lake Michigan shoreline in this update, so this report leans on seasonal patterns and the latest state-level context rather than a live number. Late July on southern Lake Michigan typically means Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, and lake trout have pushed into deeper, cooler water as the summer thermocline sets up, with trollers running spoons and flasher-fly combos well offshore while yellow perch and smallmouth stay the more consistent nearshore options. Per the WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report, 2024 was a standout year for the shared fishery, with anglers boating a record 210,000-plus coho salmon and more than 160,000 Chinook, the best Chinook numbers since 2012, credited to stronger alewife survival feeding the stocked classes. The IL/IN Sea Grant program is also funding new 2026 southern Lake Michigan research, a sign this stretch of water keeps drawing scientific attention. Check current conditions before heading out.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep Keys anglers busy through summer
Yellowtail snapper are "practically jumping in the boat" and mutton snapper are "chewing like crazy," according to ALL IN Key West, whose captain calls the recent stretch some of the best fishing he's seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina echoes the same pattern for early summer into July, pointing to warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait as the drivers, with tarpon holding under the bridges and mahi mahi showing up offshore along the Gulf Stream edge. Sport Fishing Mag notes mutton snapper around Biscayne Bay respond well to live chumming with pilchards and block chum when conditions line up. On the Gulf side, ALL IN Key West also reported a strong mixed bag of grouper, snapper, cobia, and kingfish. On the regulatory front, CCA Florida reports a federal court just issued a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program hours before Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, so anglers targeting that species on the Atlantic side should confirm current status before heading out.
Georgia bass still biting despite summer heat slowdown
Georgia anglers are grinding through peak-summer conditions this week. Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News, July 25) notes the bite has slowed statewide as heat keeps boats off the water, though quality fish are still coming in, including a heavyweight bass taken on an urchin-style bait elsewhere in the state. That same report's river gauge readings show the Savannah River at Clyo running around 3.4 feet and falling, typical of late-July low-flow conditions across both the Savannah and Chattahoochee drainages. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division's weekly fishing blog echoes the heat theme, steering anglers who are getting rained out or sun-weary toward the state's Public Fishing Areas as an easier alternative. With a full moon overhead, look for bream and panfish activity to tick up around shallow structure even as bass and crappie settle into the low-light, early/late hot-weather pattern typical of this stretch of summer.
Full moon bream bite heats up as Okeechobee bass go deep
No buoy or gauge readings came back for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds filed a direct report from either fishery, so this update leans on the seasonal pattern anglers count on every late July: a full moon typically triggers a fresh round of bluegill and shellcracker bedding in the shallows, drawing bank and cane-pole anglers out at first light before the sun pushes temperatures up. Largemouth bass tend to follow the same summer script, sliding onto deeper grass edges and structure as the day warms, with the best window right at dawn. Field & Stream's roundup of top bass lures points to walk-the-dog topwater (Zara Spook-style retrieve) for explosive low-light strikes and slow-wobbling minnow patterns when fish get finicky. Black crappie typically go quiet in the heat while catfish pick up after dark. Treat this as general seasonal guidance until a fresh state or charter report comes in for either fishery.
Saginaw Bay walleye action settles into summer rhythm
No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay this cycle, so this update leans on typical late-July patterns rather than fresh numbers. Saginaw Bay's walleye and yellow perch fishery is usually settling into a deeper-structure, weed-edge pattern by now as surface water warms, while smallmouth bass work rock and gravel transitions along the open Lake Huron shoreline. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch and Bob Jensen both write this week that Midwest walleye are turning up suspended off traditional bottom areas, with more anglers leaning on forward-facing sonar to find them rather than fishing bottom structure and weedlines exclusively - worth trying if a weedline bite slows midday. No Saginaw Bay or Lake Huron-specific catch reports came through our feeds this cycle; check the Michigan DNR's weekly fishing report directly before heading out. The full moon overhead should favor low-light bite windows at dawn and dusk.
Kennebec and Penobscot smallmouth settle into summer pattern
No live buoy or gauge telemetry came back for the Kennebec or Penobscot this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds didn't carry any Maine-specific freshwater reports, so we're leaning on typical late-July patterns for these rivers rather than a fresh catch report. Water levels on both systems are typically settling into a stable summer flow by this point in the season, with surface temperatures warm enough to push smallmouth bass into classic structure-and-current feeding behavior. Landlocked salmon and brook trout, by contrast, usually start sliding toward deeper, cooler pockets and tributary mouths as shallow water warms through late July. We'll flag conditions as soon as region-specific reports or fresh gauge readings come back into the feed. In the meantime, treat this as a seasonal-pattern outlook rather than a real-time bite report, and check current state guidance before planning a trip.
Eastern WA trout and bass settle into typical late-July rhythm
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's statewide creel and stocking report program remains the go-to read on Eastern Washington's rivers and lakes, and this cycle brought no fresh buoy or gauge readings and no region-specific shop or captain reports for the Yakima and Spokane-area fisheries to sharpen that picture. With no logged flow or temperature data and no direct "what's biting" intel surfacing for this region this week, we're leaning on typical late-July patterns for interior Washington trout and warmwater fisheries: rainbow and redband trout holding in deeper, cooler runs through the heat of the day, smallmouth bass and walleye staying active around structure in low light, and kokanee sliding deeper as surface layers warm. Anglers should check WDFW's current fishing and stocking reports directly before heading out, since specific water-by-water conditions weren't available in this cycle. A full moon this week may nudge feeding windows toward dawn, dusk, and overnight rather than midday.
Mississippi & Atchafalaya bass keying on bream-style creature baits
Bass anglers working Louisiana's Mississippi and Atchafalaya basin waters are getting bit consistently on bream-imitating creature baits, per Louisiana Sportsman — Fishing, which reported this week (July 25) that many anglers are finding steady action on the NetBait BaitFuel HexTek Bull Bream Creature Bait. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this basin on this cycle, so treat current water levels, clarity, and temperature as typical for deep-summer conditions until you check them on the water yourself. With a full moon overhead, expect a bump in low-light and after-dark feeding activity, a pattern that's typical for warm-season freshwater fisheries generally rather than something reported specifically for this basin right now. Bream, crappie, and catfish should still be workable around cover and structure through the heat, though we don't have LA-specific intel on those species this cycle. Bass are the clear headline bite: fish slow around bream-holding cover with a creature-bait profile if largemouth are the target.
Summer bass bite favors dawn weed edges as heat holds on Santee, Murray
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Santee/Lake Murray corridor this cycle, so today's outlook leans on what the freshwater community is reporting nationally this week and applies it to a typical late-July pattern here. Fishing the Midwest's Bob Jensen is telling anglers to 'work the weedline' right now, noting that versatile anglers willing to probe emerging grass edges are getting more bites than those parked on classic structure. Wired 2 Fish's ongoing forward-facing sonar coverage also underscores how many anglers are now targeting suspended fish rather than bottom-hugging bank fish in summer heat. Locally, expect largemouth to be shallow at first light and pushed to shade, weed edges, or deeper cover once the sun gets up, with catfish the more dependable summer producer after dark. No source in today's feed specifically reports from Santee Cooper or Lake Murray, so treat species status below as seasonal-typical rather than confirmed local intel.
Long Island Sound bite holds steady as summer heat keeps stripers wary
Offshore action is stealing headlines for late July: OTW Saltwater's Northeast Offshore Report (July 22) describes a school bluefin bonanza working New York and New Jersey waters, with canyon fishing "lock and load" and giants still biting in New England. Inshore in Long Island Sound, no fresh buoy or gauge readings came through today, but the regional signal from On The Water's Buzzards Bay report is a caution flag: peak summer water temps are pushing stripers into "slim pickings" territory to our north, and the same heat stress likely applies to the Sound's linesiders. Bluefish and fluke should stay the more dependable summer targets. OTW Surfcasting notes sand fleas (mole crabs) working well for stripers still cruising close to the beach lip, worth trying early and late in the day. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger tides and better low-light bite windows through the week.
Red drum bite holds steady across NC sounds as summer surf mix fills in
Red drum fishing has been steady across North Carolina's inshore waters this week, with Custom Marine Fabrication reporting drum of all sizes — some big — working flats and structure along the main river shorelines on the Pamlico/Neuse, per Fisherman's Post (NC). Further south at Topsail/Sneads Ferry, East Coast Sports notes an early-morning topwater bite on red drum before anglers shift to bottom fishing later in the day. Inshore reports from Swansboro/Emerald Isle (The Reel Outdoors) describe a steady red drum bite on live bait alongside bluefish, spots, and sea mullet in the sounds. On the surf, Island Tackle and Hardware in Carolina Beach and Dutchman Creek Bait and Tackle in Southport/Oak Island both describe a mixed bag of whiting, croaker, pompano, and bluefish, with Southport anglers contending with dirty water and drifting seaweed. Direct buoy and gauge readings for the coast were unavailable this cycle, so treat conditions as a synthesis of shop reports rather than instrument data. Full moon tides this week should keep current and bait movement active inshore.
Full moon tides set the pace for Charleston Harbor's midsummer bite
Direct buoy and gauge readings weren't available for Charleston Harbor this cycle, and shop or captain reports specific to the harbor were thin as well. The clearest angler intel this week comes from up the coast: Fisherman's Post — Carolinas saltwater reports surf anglers at Carolina Beach, NC finding a mix of sharks, croakers, pompano, whiting, and pinfish, with live bait working well inshore, while Southport/Oak Island anglers are seeing a similar mixed bag of whiting, croaker, and bluefish despite dirty water and seaweed. Those are North Carolina reports, but the surf and inshore species mix they describe is typical of what moves along the South Carolina coast into Charleston Harbor through midsummer. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger tidal swings than normal this week, which tends to push redfish onto flooding-tide flats and shifts seatrout toward low-light feeding windows.
Speckled trout bite peaks in Sarasota Bay as summer tarpon linger
Spotted seatrout are aggressively biting across Sarasota Bay, with CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting a peak summer bite on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes — Capt. Brandon Naeve's crew released a 27-inch trout this past week, with another quality fish boated in the same waters days later. Best action is coming on sunrise and sunset feeding windows as water stays warm through the heart of summer. Tarpon remain a solid target too: per Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast, silver kings are still around and more aggressive than earlier in the season, though numbers should start thinning as summer wears on. Shark activity — bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks — is also running strong in Sarasota Bay and nearby Gulf waters, a pattern typical from late spring through fall, with occasional larger migratory sharks mixed in. Under this week's full moon, expect stronger tidal movement to sharpen bites in the passes.