Fishing reports
15529 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Norfork Lake Bass Bite Peaks as White River Eyes Fall Transition
Bass fishing on the White River system is showing well this week: B.A.S.S. News reported that Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, N.C. went wire-to-wire to win the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Norfork Lake, closing out a three-day, 42-pound, 7-ounce total after setting the pace on Day 1. B.A.S.S. News also detailed competitor Colby Bryant's turnaround, who followed a sub-10-pound opening day with a 19-pound, 11-ounce comeback on a deep-diving crankbait fished around 25 feet. That kind of mid-event pattern shift is typical as White River system reservoirs head into the early-fall transition, when baitfish start pulling toward creek backs and bass follow.
Fall Chill Signals Prime Window on Smokies Tailwaters
Late September marks the seasonal pivot on Tennessee's Smokies tailwaters, where dam-regulated releases on rivers like the Hiwassee and Caney Fork begin shifting away from peak-summer generation patterns and into the steadier fall schedule tailwater anglers plan around. Cooling overnight air temperatures are starting to pull surface conditions down from summer highs, which typically reinvigorates feeding activity in these cold, spring-fed release fisheries after months of warm, high-generation flows.
Pamlico Sound eases into fall transition on a long outgoing tide
Water conditions across Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout are holding in the low 70s, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8652587 at Oregon Inlet reading 71.6°F and station 8654467 off Hatteras at 73°F as of this morning. That's squarely fall-transition territory for this stretch of coast. Along the Rodanthe-area beaches, Eric of Hatteras Jack tells Fisherman's Post that bottom fishing has stayed steady, with a good run of sight-casting opportunity showing up in the shallows this week, a pattern typical as water cools and fish push onto skinnier water to feed.
Oregon Coast waters split as fall tide swings take hold
NOAA's South Beach gauge on the central Oregon Coast is reading 56.5°F this morning, while the Astoria station near the Columbia River mouth sits at a notably warmer 63°F. That six-and-a-half-degree spread is typical of the difference between open-coast water and a river-mouth estuary as the region moves deeper into fall.
Outer Banks Waters Stay Warm as Fall Albacore Push Approaches
Water temperatures along the Outer Banks corridor are holding in the mid-70s as September closes out, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8658163 reading 76.8°F and station 8656483 at 73.9°F this morning. That's still summer-range warmth this late in the month, a sign the seasonal cooldown that usually kicks off the fall push hasn't fully arrived. The northern station's next high tide lands at 9:41 a.m. Eastern with the low at 4:11 p.m.; the southern station runs slightly later, high at 10:16 a.m. and low at 4:36 p.m. On the beach, Eric of Hatteras Jack, via Fisherman's Post (NC), reports steady bottom-fishing action off the Rodanthe-area beaches along with sight-casting windows opening in the surf. Sport Fishing Mag's fall migration roundup flags surface activity building as baitfish push closer to shore, an early signal for the false albacore run this stretch of coast typically sees this time of year.
Delaware Bay tog and blues turn on as nor'easter clears out
NOAA's Delaware Bay station (8537121) read 66.7°F this morning, with high tide at 12:13 PM and low at 7:05 PM local time. That reading comes after a soaking, wind-driven nor'easter — Eric Burnley reported over three inches of rain and gusts near 50 knots that shut down fishing across the Delaware, Maryland and Chesapeake region for most of last week, and Smith's Bait Shop said boats couldn't clear the bay in the rough seas. Where anglers did get out, Old Inlet Bait and Tackle reported bluefish on metal lures during incoming water despite the blow, and Big Dave's Tackle noted a good tautog bite on sandfleas and green crabs at the back-bay bridges and lighthouses, with baitfish pushed into the inlets ahead of the storm. Hands Too Bait and Tackle, working the Cape May side of the bay, had striped bass, weakfish and bluefish mixed in with tautog before conditions turned.
Black sea bass surges as fluke season closes in Raritan Bay
Water temps at Sandy Hook read 62.4°F this morning, holding onto late-summer numbers even as the fall run tries to get going. NJ's fluke season closed Friday, September 25, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ describes the final days of the season going out "with a bang," full-boat limits of fluke and black sea bass before the shutdown. That boat is shifting to straight bottom fishing for black sea bass this week. Black sea bass itself has been a bright spot regionally: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) calls the bite "very good," with most trips filling out, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reports "Blues Are In" for bluefish and is stocking bucktails ahead of the fall striper run. OTW Northern New Jersey's report from September 24 says the nor'easter that soaked the coast this past week slowed early fall action, but points to improving striped bass fishing plus lingering bluefish and false albacore as conditions settle.
Charleston Harbor warmth lingers as fall transition lags behind
Charleston Harbor's CO-OPS gauge read 77.5°F this morning, still carrying late-summer warmth into the final days of September. A nearby South Carolina coastal station logged a very similar 76.8°F, keeping water temperatures consistent along this stretch of coast. Today's tide sets up a late-morning high near 10:11 AM and an afternoon low around 4:44 PM local time.
Cooling water marks the fall transition along the NorCal coast
Water at the Bay-area tide station reads 53.6°F this morning, a seasonally cool mark that fits the fall transition now settling over the Northern California coast. To the north, Eureka boats found the fall albacore run still firing over the weekend, working fish 25 to 40 pounds along the tuna grounds from the 46-line down to the 38-line, per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater. Closer to the Bay, the same outlet reports a shoreline striper landed near Santa Cruz, a sign linesiders are still working the nearshore structure as the water cools.
Crappie bite paused by nor'easter, poised to rebound on the Delaware
This week's nor'easter reshaped freshwater fishing across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens, but not before crappie put in a solid showing. Ahead of the storm, Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May reported crappie biting well in local lakes and ponds, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater report. That action stalled once the blow arrived, with the shop noting it was 'like someone threw the switch' on the bite. Steve at Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic described a similar setup: local lakes and ponds had just turned over and were starting to give up good numbers of fish right as the storm rolled in, per the same report. Elsewhere in the watershed, Dave's Sporting Goods in Doylestown is already seeing renewed activity. Better water levels on the Delaware River are giving boat anglers and waders improved access, with decent crappie fishing continuing at Lake Nockamixon.
Sea bass and albies stay hot as nor'easter clears the Shore
Water temps are holding at 64-65°F at the NOAA CO-OPS stations off Sandy Hook and the Shark River area, still mild for late September, and the nor'easter that flooded tackle shops from Beach Haven to Ocean City has finally cleared the coast. The Fisherman's Southern NJ report has Pier 47 Marina describing strong nighttime striper action on the sod banks ahead of the storm, with fish mostly 16 to 29 inches and some over 31, and Fin-Atics in the same report expecting stripers to feed heavily again as soon as the blow moves out. Black sea bass are the most consistent producer right now: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ has been putting quality mixed bags of shorts, keepers, and sea bass in the cooler all week, Blue Chip Sportfishing calls its sea bass charters "very good," and The Fisherman's Southern NJ notes Hands Too Bait and Tackle expects quick limits on the Wildwood and Cape May Reef sites once winds ease. False albacore and bonito are still working the beaches on light spinning tackle over live peanut bunker, per Fishermans HQ LBI, with OTW Northern New Jersey confirming albies have joined bonito on the reefs alongside lingering bluefish. Fluke season closed statewide on September 25, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition.
Snook Season Kicks Off Strong Across Sarasota Bay
Sarasota Bay's fall snook season is off to an active start, with Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting a strong inshore bite for both snook and redfish this week. Water temperatures are holding at 82-83°F across the two Tampa Bay CO-OPS stations, keeping fish fed and moving as Capt. Brandon Naeve calls this stretch of Gulf Coast among the best sport fishing anywhere right now. Capt. Rick Grassett's outlook notes migratory tarpon are already thinning out of the coastal Gulf, staging around bridges and deep grass flats as they shift toward inside waters ahead of their seasonal push south.
Stripers and big-game action spread across the SoCal Bight
Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports stripers swarming throughout the SoCal Bight this week, from San Clemente out to the Channel Islands, alongside some of the strongest big-game action captains have seen in years. NOAA CO-OPS readings show a real split across the Bight, 76.3°F at one station against 69.1°F at the other, a gradient worth reading as localized upwelling rather than a uniform warm-up. Next high tide lands near 10:53 AM local at both stations.
Fall Transition Takes Hold Across Lanier and Allatoona
Watershed gauges feeding Lake Lanier and Allatoona are showing a real split this week: two sites hold at 50°F while a third reads 63°F, and flow ranges from a bare 6.9 cfs to a much stronger 613 cfs downstream, per USGS gauge 02334480, USGS gauge 02334500 and USGS gauge 02334430. That spread points to dam-release timing shaping local conditions as much as air temperature is right now. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's Fishing report, out Sept. 25, opens the fall season by name, cooler mornings, changing leaves, and looks back to National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 26, the state's annual free fishing day built as an easy entry point for taking someone new out. The three weekly reports before it, running back through Labor Day week, lean on the same seasonal framing without calling a specific pattern locked in on these two lakes yet.
Fall Cooldown Settles Over Lake Hartwell and Russell
Water across the Savannah chain sits in the mid-70s this week: the gauge above Hartwell (USGS 02188100) reads 77°F, the Russell-area gauge (02193900) reads 78°F, and the downstream site (02195520) reports 73°F as the river cools on its run toward Clarks Hill. Flow below the upper reservoir (02192000) holds at 162 cfs, a steady pool release rather than a flood pulse. Georgia Wildlife Blog's fishing report this week points to cooler mornings and changing leaves as the clearest sign fall has arrived, and its recent notes around National Hunting and Fishing Day framed the turning weather as reason enough to get back on the water with family.
Columbia steelhead run at historic lows as fall flows stay lean
Flow on USGS gauge 14211720 is running about 13,300 cfs at 64°F, while the two smaller upstream gauges (14211542 and 14211550) sit at a lean 13 and 17 cfs with cooler water in the upper 50s, a typical late-September split for this system before fall rain arrives. The bigger story this year is the fish count: Hatch Magazine reports the 2026 Columbia and Snake steelhead run is shaping up as the smallest ever recorded, with just over 52,000 fish tallied above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1.
Santa Cruz stripers hold tight to the surf as swell builds
Monterey Bay buoy 46042 logged a 9.8-foot wave height this morning with water at 62°F, while nearby tide stations read warmer: Monterey at 61.5°F and Port San Luis at 64°F, versus a cooler 58°F offshore at Cape San Martin (buoy 46028). Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports striped bass holding tight to the beach around Santa Cruz this week, with anglers working the surf as birds and bait push in close to shore.
Offshore swell keeps Gulf of Alaska anglers eyeing the tide windows
NOAA buoy 46066 in the Gulf of Alaska logged a 9.5-foot swell and 53°F water at this morning's reading, with buoy 46001 close behind at 8.9 feet and 54°F. Buoy 46080, closer to shore, showed calmer 5.2-foot seas and a cooler 50°F. Winds are running 9 to 10 meters per second across the outer buoys and easing to 7 at 46080. At the tide stations, Seward-area water (station 9455500) sits at 48.9°F and Juneau-area water (station 9452210) at 47.1°F, both in line with the cooldown Southcentral and Southeast Alaska see heading into late September.
Post-storm striper push edges toward the NH coast
Buoy 44007 in the Gulf of Maine is reading 56°F with winds near 18 mph as this week's nor'easter clears out. Surfland Bait and Tackle, reporting to The Fisherman's South Shore MA to ME desk, said the storm made for tough fishing but that steadier action was building on the Merrimack, with a chance the blow pushes Maine's striped bass south along the coast. Belsan's Bait and Tackle, covering the same stretch, noted solid striped bass action in harbors and rivers ahead of the storm as the first push of peanut bunker arrived, bait that typically pulls stripers tight to structure.
Striped bass, bluefish rebound as nor'easter clears Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay water sits at 65°F this morning per NOAA's CO-OPS station 8557380, holding in the typical range for late September as the nor'easter that pounded the coast all last week finally clears. The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake desk reported bluefish still willing to eat metal lures on the incoming tide even through 40-to-50-knot winds at Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, and boats that managed to clear the inlet once the blow passed, per Hook 'em and Cook 'em, put a dozen or so blues in the box. Ahead of the storm, Hands Too Bait and Tackle (New Jersey & Delaware Bay Surf) had striped bass, bluefish and weakfish keeping anglers busy on most tides, and The Fisherman (Northeast)'s regional forecast confirmed New Jersey's fluke season closed September 25 after what it called 'the year of the short fish.'
Rio Grande flows stay elevated as the fall cooldown begins
USGS gauge 08317400 read 288 cfs and 70°F overnight, while gauge 08330000 downstream carried a much heavier 1,510 cfs with no temperature reading available. That gap between a modest upstream flow and a heavier mainstem volume is typical of how the Rio Grande moves water through the valley in late September, as the tail end of the monsoon season works its way downstream. A 70°F reading is still mild for this point in fall, so the coolest hours of the day, early morning and evening, remain the window where activity holds up best before the water settles into a true fall pattern.
Grand River flows steady as MI shifts into fall pattern
USGS gauges show the Grand River basin holding fall-typical numbers this week, with the Grand River gauge near Grand Rapids (04108660) running 1,520 cfs and 62°F and a nearby tributary gauge (04108862) reading a low 4.02 cfs at 59°F. Further north on the Rogue River system, gauge 04118564 sits at 63°F with no flow reading reported, while gauge 04119000 is running 1,990 cfs with no temperature available. The MI DNR Weekly Fishing Report has continued its regular Tuesday cadence through September, tracking conditions across all peninsula regions along with a statewide temperature map and streamflow update. Water temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s across these gauges point to a freshwater system settling into its early-fall cooling trend, the kind of window Midwest walleye and bass anglers watch closely as baitfish activity shifts fish toward structure and green weed edges.
False Albacore Push Builds as Fall Arrives at Cape Lookout
Water temps are holding at 72°F and 73.4°F across our two Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout tide stations this morning, firmly in the range that keeps the fall transition building rather than snapping cold. That's the signal worth watching this week: Sport Fishing Mag's fall migration roundup notes that cooling water pushes baitfish shoreward and puts false albacore feeding on the surface, and Cape Lookout is exactly the structure that stacks them up once a run gets going. Anglers Journal frames the wider Atlantic picture the same way, with striped bass beginning their seasonal push south as days shorten past the equinox. Closer to home, Eric with Hatteras Jack reports steady bottom-fishing action along the Rodanthe-area beaches, with anglers also finding good sight-casting looks in the shallows.
Outgoing tide sets the pace as Oregon Coast eases into fall
NOAA's South Beach gauge read 58.8°F overnight while the Astoria station near the Columbia's mouth ran seven degrees warmer at 64.8°F, a gap that reflects estuary mixing against the cooler open coast. A waning gibbous moon is pushing solid tidal exchange through the region, with both stations tracking toward a predawn high and a mid-morning low. That kind of swing typically sharpens current-driven bite windows around river mouths and jetties as water moves fastest on the push and pull rather than at slack.