Fishing reports
15021 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Striper push builds up the coast as Eastern Shore holds warm
Water along Virginia's Eastern Shore is holding in the low-to-mid 70s this week, with NOAA CO-OPS stations reading 73.8°F and 72.3°F as of midday today. That's still comfortable late-summer water for early October, and it's keeping things in a holding pattern while the fall run builds to the north. The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast reports the season's first 50-inch-class striped bass along the north coast after last weekend's nor'easter, with black sea bass action picking back up alongside them. Further up, The Fisherman's Long Island forecast has bluefish and striped bass chasing bait through the back bays as conditions improve post-storm, and Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island notes striper schools starting to raft up as nights turn colder.
Stripers show after the storm as Delaware Bay shakes off the nor'easter
Delaware Bay tackle shops are back in business after last week's nor'easter pinned boats to the dock, and the fall bite is resuming fast. Big Dave's Tackle, in this week's Southern New Jersey report from The Fisherman, has anglers working sandfleas and green crabs on tog jigs for a strong tautog bite, with baitfish pushing into the back bays ahead of what should be a striped bass push. Hands Too Bait and Tackle, reporting to The Fisherman's NJ/DE Surf feed out of Cape May, had striped bass, bluefish and weakfish keeping rods bent right up until the storm hit. The same shop's Southern New Jersey report said local wrecks and reefs were stacked with black sea bass ahead of the blow, with quick limits expected on the Cape May Reef Site once winds ease. The Fisherman's regional forecast flags the season's first striped bass over 50 inches showing to the north, an early signal the fall migration is building. Fluke season is closing out: Waterfront Marine had keeper fluke earlier in the week before the closure. Bay water read 68°F this afternoon via NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121.
Fall run building as sea bass holds strong off Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station is reading 66.7°F this afternoon, a comfortable transition temperature as Raritan Bay shifts from summer species into the fall pattern. The weekend's nor'easter has cleared, per OTW Northern New Jersey's October 1 report, which noted the storm had put all fishing on hold along the Jersey Shore. Before the blow, Capt Ron out of Atlantic Highlands was running solid bottom-fishing trips in around 55 feet of water, mixing keeper and short black sea bass with everyone going home with dinner, and he flagged his recent outing as possibly the last strong day of fluke fishing for the 2026 season. Grumpys Tackle is already running a bucktail sale timed to the fall run and reporting bluefish showing up in numbers. That lines up with OTW Northern New Jersey's prior report noting improving fall-run striped bass action alongside lingering bluefish and false albacore as the season turns over.
Delaware River smallmouth hold decent ahead of nor'easter reset
Delaware River smallmouth bass fishing was decent through late September, per Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, with improved water levels giving both boat anglers and waders good access alongside catfish action. The shop also noted decent crappie fishing nearby at Nockamixon. Down in the Pine Barrens, Allen's Dock on Bass River reported anglers pulling boats ahead of this week's nor'easter, which brought heavy wind and rain through the watershed and put most freshwater trips on hold.
Striped bass push builds along the Jersey Shore after the nor'easter
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station is reading 67.1°F this afternoon, with Cape May a touch warmer at 68.4°F, as Jersey Shore docks reopen after the nor'easter that kept boats tied up most of last week. The Fisherman — New Jersey edition's regional forecast already has the first fall reports of striped bass over 50 inches along the north coast now that the storm has cleared. Before the blow hit, The Fisherman — Southern NJ had striper action on the sod banks "very good" at night on the flood tide, per Pier 47 Marina, with fish mostly 16 to 29 inches and a few past 31, and sea bass "stacked" on the wrecks and reefs per Hands Too Bait and Tackle. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf adds that blackfish, weakfish, stripers, blues, croakers and kingfish were all keeping Cape May anglers busy on most tides right up until the storm. Grumpys Tackle says blues are in and has bucktails on sale for the fall run, and sea bass charters are producing well — Blue Chip Sportfishing reports most trips getting limits for everyone aboard, while Capt. Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands called one of the last days of 2026 fluke season "awesome," with all-day action in deeper water.
Walleye and smallmouth key in as Northwoods lakes cool down
Water temperatures are dropping across Wisconsin's Northwoods lakes as the fall transition sets in, Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop reports from its home water in Oneida and Vilas Counties, exactly the cooling anglers wait for before walleye and smallmouth bass wake up. Fishing the Midwest's standby cool-water walleye rig is a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and a nightcrawler, built for the cooler water periods of spring and fall rather than summer's deep-structure grind. Smallmouth are shifting too: Field & Stream points fall anglers toward current and wind-blown stretches where baitfish congregate, covering water with crankbaits and jerkbaits until schooling fish are located, then slowing down to work the area thoroughly. Recreational boat traffic is also thinning out as the season turns, a seasonal quieting Rollie & Helen's Musky Shop notes typically brings calmer water and less pressured fish into early fall. Both patterns line up with where Northwoods water sits right now.
Fall Cooldown Settles Over Gulf of Alaska Waters
Water temperature reads 47.1°F at both NOAA CO-OPS station 9455500 and station 9452210, readings taken six minutes apart and essentially identical across the region this afternoon. That agreement points to a broad, settled cooldown moving through Gulf of Alaska waters rather than a localized dip. The moon is in its Last Quarter phase, which typically brings more moderate tidal exchange than the swings around new and full moon, with the outgoing tide bottoming out near 11:21 AM local at station 9452210 and 12:46 PM local at station 9455500.
Fall transition dials in smallmouth and walleye at the Ozarks
Fall's seasonal turnover is setting the pattern for Lake of the Ozarks and the Osage River this week. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth primer calls for targeting current and wind-blown banks where baitfish bunch up, covering water fast with crankbaits or jerkbaits before slowing down once fish are located, a pattern that fits a reservoir like this one as wind pushes shad around. For walleye, Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch leans on a bottom-bouncer rig with a plain snell and nightcrawler through the cooler water of spring and fall, a simple setup worth having tied on as flows cool further on the Osage.
Fall turnover sets up walleye and smallmouth on the Upper Mississippi
The Upper Mississippi pools between Prescott and La Crosse are deep into the fall turnover window, and regional technique reports back it up. Fishing the Midwest's Mike Frisch points to a simple bottom-bouncer-and-nightcrawler setup, the "plain rig," as a proven producer once walleyes shift out of summer structure and into the cooler water periods of fall. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth bass guidance lines up with the same shift: target current and wind-blown banks where baitfish are stacking, working crankbaits and jerkbaits to cover water before slowing down once fish group up. No validated water temperature or flow readings are in from local gauges this week, but the seasonal cues these sources describe match where this stretch of river sits on the calendar.
Fall Transition Pushes Potomac Smallmouth, Walleye Onto Structure
Cooling water is reshaping where Potomac and Patapsco fish feed this week. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth bass guidance fits the moment: target current and wind-blown points where baitfish are bunching, cover water with crankbaits and jerkbaits until you locate a school, then slow down and work it thoroughly. Walleye anglers can lean on the same seasonal shift. Fishing the Midwest notes a simple bottom-bouncer rig with a plain snell and nightcrawler, originally a summer staple, becomes the go-to presentation once water cools into fall.
Ozark Trout Parks Ease Into October's Cooling Rhythm
Missouri's Current and Niangua trout parks are moving into their classic early-fall rhythm as the Last Quarter moon settles in and mornings turn crisp across the Ozarks. Statewide, Wired2Fish flagged a notable development worth any Ozark angler's attention: the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed a northern snakehead in a tributary of the Eleven Point River in Oregon County, marking the species' first confirmed presence in that stretch, and MDC is asking anglers to report similar catches. On the trout-park water itself, October typically marks a shift away from summer's heat-stressed conditions toward the cooler, more stable flows that define fall fishing on these tailwaters.
Fall Turnover Puts Smallmouth and Walleye on the Feed in NH
Early October has Merrimack River and Lake Winnipesaukee settling into the heart of fall turnover, the stretch when smallmouth bass and walleye switch into aggressive pre-winter feeding. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth playbook this week points anglers toward current seams and wind-blown banks where baitfish stack up, while Fishing the Midwest's plain-rig approach — a bottom bouncer, snell, and crawler — remains a go-to as walleye settle into the cooling-water pattern typical of this stretch of the calendar.
Lake Mead smallmouth key shallow push as fall cooling begins
Early October marks the seasonal turn on Lake Mead and the lower Colorado stretch below it, the point in the year when cooling surface water starts breaking down the summer thermocline and scattering baitfish out of deep holding areas. That shift resets feeding patterns for smallmouth bass in reservoirs like this one, pushing fish that spent summer deep on main-lake structure toward shallower points, rockpiles and wind-blown banks as forage disperses. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth coverage this week highlights exactly that behavior — fish grouping tightly around current and wind-concentrated baitfish rather than spreading out.
Eastern Sierra trout shift to small flies as fall sets in
The Eastern Sierra's trout waters are moving into their fall rhythm. Reno Fly Shop's late-September report on the Truckee River points to cooler water, with trout keying on small offerings: Blue-Winged Olives, midges, and the last of the season's caddis, rather than bigger summer patterns. It's the typical early-October turnover for this drainage, as surface temperatures ease, fish tighten their feeding windows and reward anglers who downsize tippet and fly size. This week's Last Quarter moon keeps nighttime light modest, which tends to concentrate activity around dawn and dusk rather than spreading it across the full day.
Fall Cooldown Arrives for Arkansas' White River Smallmouth and Walleye
Early October marks the start of fall turnover on Arkansas' White and Norfork river systems, the cooling stretch anglers wait for after a long summer. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth primer this week points anglers toward current seams and wind-blown baitfish concentrations, the kind of structure smallmouth key on once surface temperatures start to drop. Fishing the Midwest's look at fall walleye patterns backs a similar approach — slow-presentation rigs like a plain bottom bouncer and nightcrawler snell, worked over classic holding structure as water cools toward typical fall staging depths.
Smokies tailwaters settle into fall rhythm on Hiwassee, Caney Fork
October marks the start of the fall transition for Tennessee's Smokies tailwaters, and the Hiwassee and Caney Fork are built for exactly this stretch of the calendar. Both rivers run on dam-regulated releases from upstream reservoirs, which means the water column holds steadier through the day than nearby freestone creeks that are already swinging with the season. That stability is the whole appeal here: trout respond to generation schedules more than to a single day's air temperature, so anglers who plan around release timing typically outfish anyone just showing up at midday.
Fall smallmouth bite dials in as Columbia tributaries run low and clear
Two Columbia-system tributary gauges are running low and clear this week: 12.8 cfs at site 14211542 and 16.4 cfs at site 14211550, with water in the upper 50s (57 to 58°F). At the Willamette's confluence with the Columbia, gauge 14211720 logged a negative flow reading, a sign the incoming tide is pushing upstream past the station, a typical early-October signature on that stretch. Field & Stream's fall smallmouth primer this week points anglers toward current seams and wind-blown banks where baitfish are stacking, and Fishing the Midwest highlights the bottom-bouncer "plain rig" working for walleye as water temperatures ease into the fall range.
Rio Grande eases into its fall flow transition
The Rio Grande is running 1,530 cfs and 68°F at one monitored gauge this morning, with a second reach downstream reading 787 cfs. Both figures sit in the range typical for early October, when Rio Grande flows ease back from summer irrigation-season highs and the water starts trending toward the cooler conditions the fishery sees heading into fall.
Strong near-shore run keeps SoCal Bight anglers dialed in
San Pedro's offshore water held at 76°F this week (NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170), while Santa Monica Bay ran noticeably cooler at 72°F (station 9410230), a split that's kept bait and current patterns concentrated closer to the Channel Islands. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports a strong near-shore run pushing through the Bight, with captains describing multi-species action from the Northern Channel Islands down the coast as some of the best in recent memory.
Early tides set the pace along the Oregon Coast this week
NOAA CO-OPS readings this morning show a sharp split along the Oregon Coast: station 9435380 reads 55.4°F while station 9439040 reads 65.3°F, a reminder of how much water temperature can vary between sites along this stretch. Both stations point to a similar tide rhythm today, with high tide arriving in the early morning (roughly 5:45–6:45 a.m. local) and low tide following by late morning (10:30–11:40 a.m.). With the moon at Last Quarter, tidal swings are moderate rather than extreme, spreading potential bite windows out rather than concentrating them around one big push.
Morning Tide Swing Frames Early Fall Window on Puget Sound
Water temperature at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 reads 51.3°F this morning, right in line with Puget Sound's steady fall cooldown. The station's predictions put the next high tide at 6:22 a.m. and the next low around 10:29 a.m. local time, a tight morning swing worth building a trip around. WDFW continues its creel and catch interviews at access sites around the state, the backbone of how conditions and activity get tracked region-wide.
Fall striper push creeps south toward Chincoteague waters
Water readings from NOAA CO-OPS stations 8631044 and 8632200 put Eastern Shore water temps at 72.3°F and 70.5°F this morning, still mild enough to keep the seasonal shift gradual rather than abrupt. Both stations show high tide rolling through early this afternoon, near 1:44pm and 1:36pm ET. Up the coast, the fall run is accelerating: The Fisherman (Northeast) reports the season's first 50-inch-plus striped bass along the north Jersey coast following last weekend's nor'easter, with anglers back on black sea bass in the surf and bluefish working bait alongside bass in the back bays on Long Island.
Fall Turnover Sets Up Smallmouth and Walleye at Smith Mountain Lake
The fall turnover is taking hold across Smith Mountain Lake and Buggs Island, and it's the shift anglers wait for all season. Field & Stream and On The Water both flag wind-blown points and current breaks as the defining fall smallmouth bass pattern right now, with fish grouping tight around baitfish as the shallows cool. Walleye are tracking a parallel shift: Fishing the Midwest notes bottom-bouncer rigs and slow, bottom-contact presentations producing as water temperatures ease down into autumn.
Snook Lead the Bite as Sarasota Flats Shift to Fall Pattern
Water temperatures are holding at 83°F and 82°F across Tampa Bay's two NOAA tide stations, keeping the Gulf's fall snook pattern locked in through early October. Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) says the fall snook season, which opened September 1 on the Gulf Coast, is in full swing, calling the stretch south to Fort Myers some of the best snook water anywhere right now. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, also out of CB's, reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay this week for snook and redfish, landing a solid redfish for a visiting angler before release. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast for the area has snook pulling off the passes and beaches, staging toward docks, bridges, and shallow ICW flats as they begin their move to wintertime grounds.