Fishing reports
15313 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall walleye tighten to green weeds as water cools
Cooling water is the trigger to watch this week, and Fishing the Midwest ties the fall walleye bite to it: as weed beds die back, fish relocate to the green, living weeds that hold on longer. Mike Frisch calls the plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and a nightcrawler, his go-to for the cooler-water periods of spring and fall. Tactical Bassin's October videos report bass chasing baitfish, and they frame fall as topwater time.
Cooler weather firming up largemouth and crappie bites in New England ponds
Cooler weather has largemouth bass producing at Fearing Pond and Long Pond in Plymouth, and Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay says Senkos have been a productive bait, per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater. Jerry's Bait and Tackle reports slab crappies on worms at Mashpee-Wakeby Pond and yellow perch on shiners from shore at Milford Pond. The freshwater reports in hand come from southern New England, not Vermont, so read them as a seasonal signal for the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain rather than a local count.
Early October cooldown shifts Lake Cumberland toward fall patterns
Early October is when the Cumberland system typically turns from summer patterns toward fall, and that transition is the thing to plan around right now. This is a timing guide rather than a catch report, so it stays with the calendar and the moon. Expect the next few weeks to feel different from late summer, with fish responding to cooler water and shorter days.
Fall shift is on: bass chase bait into green weed and open water
Fall is moving bass, and the cue to watch is green weed. Per Fishing the Midwest, as water cools the weeds die back, oxygen thins, and baitfish and gamefish relocate to whatever living weed is still standing. Tactical Bassin's October breakdown has bass chasing baitfish in open water, with topwater, swimbaits and crankbaits as the producing options.
Find the green weeds as fall cooling sets up Mille Lacs walleye
Fishing the Midwest's fall guidance gives the clearest starting point this week: find the green weeds. As water cools, weeds die back, oxygen drops, and baitfish and gamefish relocate to whatever living vegetation is left, so those remaining beds are the first places to check. Mike Frisch, writing for the same outlet, calls the plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and nightcrawler, his go-to for fall walleyes during the cooler-water periods of spring and fall.
Fall bass feed on weedlines as cooling water turns the bite
Cooling water is moving largemouth bass toward a fall feeding pattern, and this week's most useful intel comes from southeastern Massachusetts ponds. Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay says cooler weather has improved largemouth fishing, with Senkos the hot bait, per The Fisherman New England Freshwater report. Jerry's Bait and Tackle reports big yellow perch taken from shore on shiners at Milford Pond in the same report. Read these as a seasonal signal for New England freshwater, not a Winnipesaukee report.
East Texas anglers shift to fall patterns as cooler weather arrives
Cooler weather is turning East Texas toward fall, and Lake Fork Trophy Bass says the drop should put quality fish within reach. Their September report expected fish to start autumn feeding patterns, and the October report confirms the cooling trend has arrived. Hunting seasons are opening, so the same source notes the lake is often quieter this month. An October tournament is also on the calendar. Lake Fork is our only local source here, so read this as a fall pattern read for East Texas rather than a report on Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn.
Fall walleye favor the last green weeds as pools cool
As water cools and weeds die back, fish are moving toward whatever is still green. Mike Frisch of Fishing the Midwest makes that the starting point this season: as cover fades, baitfish and gamefish relocate to weeds that stay alive, so look for living vegetation first. For the walleye he targets in fall, his go-to is a plain rig, a bottom bouncer with a plain snell and a nightcrawler, which he says works through the cooler water periods of spring and fall. The same cover-first logic should hold on the pools this week.
Early fall shift sets up smallmouth and walleye plans
B.A.S.S. News reports that fall is one of the best times of year for trophy smallmouth, especially on northern lakes, and that bass begin moving off warm-season patterns as temperature, photoperiod and baitfish availability change. Fishing the Midwest's walleye reporting points the same way: as water cools and weeds die back, baitfish and gamefish relocate to the green cover still standing.
Saturday's morning tide sets the early window on the Pacific side
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 read 51.3°F at 4:24 AM Pacific, and the tide sets the shape of the day. High water arrives at 7:55 AM and the ebb runs to the 11:34 AM low, so the moving water between now and late morning is the stretch to plan around. Slack at each turn is the lull, and the first hours of the ebb are where to start.
Eastern Shore water is still warm; plan trips around the tide
Early October water is still summer-warm on the Eastern Shore, with 71.8°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8632200 and 74.7°F at station 8631044 in the latest readings. The clearest timing lever this week is the tide. Low water falls around 8:10 a.m. EDT and high water around 2:45 p.m. EDT at both stations, so the hours either side of those times are the windows to plan around.
Post-storm fall stripers and sea bass wake up on the Jersey Shore
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reads 67°F this morning, and the fall bite is picking up after last weekend's nor'easter kept most boats at the dock for about a week. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ had a strong fluke day and said it may be the last of the 2026 season, with fish pushed into deeper water once the shallow spots were worked out. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) reports sea bass charters doing very well, with most trips putting enough fish in the box for everyone aboard. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, Pier 47 Marina had very good striper action on the sod banks during flood tides before the storm, mostly 16 to 29 inches. Hands Too Bait and Tackle says anglers are eager to get offshore for sea bass as soon as the wind lays down.
Striper push and a strong offshore bite keep the SoCal Bight moving
Stripers are swarming throughout the Southern California Bight, and Western Outdoor News — Saltwater describes the offshore bite around the Northern Channel Islands as the best in years. Our readings this morning put water at 76.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 in San Diego and 70.5°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 9410230 in La Jolla, a six-degree split on the same coast. The same report says at least three fish over 400 pounds were landed in the past two weeks, including a 449-pound catch weighed in San Diego, so the heavier offshore fish are biting too.
Morning falling tide sets up the shoreline window this week
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9416841 read 55°F at 4:12 a.m. Pacific, and Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports a shoreline striper highlight at Santa Cruz this week, with nearshore fishing described as very good. That is one catch and one report, so read it as a signal worth testing on the shoreline rather than a confirmed bite.
Warm fall water at the Chesapeake mouth keeps tide timing in charge
Water at the Chesapeake mouth is reading 72°F at NOAA station 8638610, which is warm for the first days of October and suggests the fall cooldown has not yet arrived. The most dependable planning tool this week is the tide, so build your windows around the schedule below.
Stripers wake up on Long Island as the fall run gets started
Our Montauk station reads 66°F (NOAA CO-OPS station 8510560), and the striped bass are where the action is. On The Water's Long Island and NYC report for October 1 says a weeklong nor'easter scattered the early fall action, but the bass have woken up and the fall run is just getting started. That fits the September 24 report, where anglers expected the nor'easter to kickstart the fall run and stripers were becoming more active in Long Island Sound. Anglers Journal's Between Fish column calls the late-season striper blitz packed with action. Striped bass is the species with clear New York support this week. The NY DEC Saltwater Fishing and Boating program is asking boaters to monitor the weather before and during trips and to get off the water before a storm arrives.
Afternoon low tides and warm water set the pace on the Gulf Coast
NOAA CO-OPS station 8760922 read 84.7°F and station 8761724 read 84.6°F in the early morning, a warm reading for early October. Both stations show their next low tide in the early afternoon, at 2:06 PM and 3:02 PM local, so falling water is the window to plan around. Bays this warm keep baitfish and predators active, and the tidal swing sets the pace of the bite.
Fall run builds on Narragansett Bay as striper action waits on cooler nights
Narragansett Bay water sat at 65.7°F and 66.6°F at two NOAA CO-OPS stations as of 6:54 AM ET, so the bay is still holding summer warmth. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) called striped bass 'pretty lackluster for most' in its September forecast, but expected the bite to improve with chilly nights and northerly winds. Plan around the afternoon high tides, roughly 1:56 PM and 2:10 PM ET.
Delaware Bay blues and stripers wait on storm water to settle
NOAA CO-OPS station 8557380 reads 68°F as the fall run gets going behind last week's nor'easter. Per Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May, stripers and blues kept surf anglers busy on most tides before the storm. Old Inlet Bait and Tackle had blues on metal lures during incoming water, and Hook 'em and Cook 'em reports the kids boxed 11 blues at Indian River Inlet.
Cooling water and a Saturday morning high frame WA saltwater
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 9443090 reads 52.7°F, and the next high tide lands near 7:55 a.m. PDT Saturday, so that morning is the window to plan around. Water is cooling into October, and the tide is the clearest timing signal in today's data. Build the outing around the early-morning push rather than the afternoon.
Interior and Kenai rivers settle into the fall shoulder season
Early October is the turn of the season on Kenai and interior rivers. Days are shortening, nights are running cold, and the water is steadily giving up the warmth it held through summer. Fish that spent the warm months in deep runs and slow pools typically tighten up and feed in shorter, more predictable windows, most often the warmest hours of the afternoon on sunny days. Plan around those windows rather than a full day on the water.
Columbia migration counts hit record low as fall turn begins
Hatch Magazine reports that this year's Columbia River migration count at Bonneville Dam is the smallest ever recorded, with counting running since July 1. Plan trips around fewer fish than usual and treat a solid bite as a bonus. Early October is the seasonal turn from summer to fall, and the next few days are when that shift starts to show on the water.
Oregon Coast anglers eye shifting tides as fall settles in
Water off Newport reads 55.4°F this week at the South Beach tide station, a solid nine degrees cooler than the 64.4°F recorded at the Columbia River mouth in Astoria, a split that tracks the usual fall separation between open coast and estuary. A Last Quarter moon has the tide curve running toward neap, with swings at both ends of the coast softer than they'll be once the moon fills back toward new. South Beach is dropping to a low near midnight tonight ahead of a high just after 7 a.m., while Astoria's cycle runs several hours out of phase, cresting this evening before bottoming out near 1 a.m.
Fall striper push nears Virginia's Eastern Shore
Water temperatures off Chincoteague remain summer-warm, with NOAA's Wachapreague station (8631044) reading 77.5°F in the latest check — a sign the seasonal cool-down hasn't fully reached the seaside Eastern Shore. The tide turns to low near 8:10 PM and back to high around 1:57 AM, a late-night window worth planning around. The fall striper run that The Fisherman (Northeast) reports pushing into New Jersey's bay beaches and mixing with bluefish in Long Island's back bays this week is the leading signal for what should arrive here as water continues to cool.