Fishing reports
15529 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall migration begins as full moon tides work the Georgia coast
Water at NOAA's coastal tide station read 77.9°F Sunday, still solidly warm even as Georgia settles into its fall transition. A full moon overhead tonight is pushing spring tides through the marsh creeks and inlets, the kind of stronger exchange that gets bait moving on both the push and the drop. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's recent weekly reports have leaned into that shift too, framing cooler mornings and changing leaves as the backdrop for this stretch of the calendar, and Saturday's National Hunting and Fishing Day free-fishing observance drew attention to public access spots along the coast. Regionally, Sport Fishing Mag's fall migration coverage notes that as water temperatures ease down the seaboard, false albacore begin showing up busting bait on the surface, a pattern that typically works its way down the Atlantic coast through October.
Stripers hold steady on California's coast as water cools
Water temperatures at our two regional NOAA tide stations read 54.7°F and 53.6°F as of Sunday evening, the seasonal slide that marks late September along the Northern California coast. Farther south near Santa Cruz, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's Allen Bushnell reports shoreline striped bass activity holding steady this week, with fish working close to the beach as bait and birds concentrate along the shoreline.
Mississippi Sound holds summer warmth ahead of oyster season opener
Water in the Mississippi Sound is still running summer-warm heading into the final days of September, with NOAA CO-OPS stations 8747437 and 8741533 reading 85.3°F and 84.7°F respectively as of this morning. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the 2026-2027 oyster season to open at legal sunrise on Thursday, October 1, with harvest running daily except Sundays and a noon check-out, across the approved Area I "B" (St. Joe reefs) and Area II "B" (Waveland and St. Stanislaus reefs). Tonight's full moon is adding extra tidal push through the Sound's passes as that opener approaches.
Tautog move onto Delaware Bay structure as fluke season closes
NOAA's Delaware Bay station is reading 67.3°F this evening, still carrying late-summer warmth as the calendar turns toward October. On the New Jersey side, Higbee's Bait and Tackle in Cape May reports a mixed bag off Delaware Bay drifts that includes bluefish and weakfish, while anglers anchored on bay structure are finding tautog have moved in heavy, working sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers for fish to 4 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle echoes the weakfish push, with bloodworms and Fishbites working the deeper channel drift and a fresh bite starting for anglers throwing soft plastics near the bay lighthouses after dark. Fluke season on the New Jersey side closed Friday, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast, wrapping a summer many anglers there called the year of the short fish.
Full moon marks fall's turn for Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout
NOAA CO-OPS stations bracket the seasonal transition along this stretch of coast: water read 72.1°F at station 8654467 and 68.7°F at station 8652587 Saturday evening, a spread that puts the Cape Lookout side noticeably cooler than the sound. Effort along the beachfront stayed steady this week. Chasin' Tails in Morehead/Atlantic Beach reported nearshore boats working the surf line under active bait, per Fisherman's Post, while Hatteras Jack in Hatteras/Ocracoke had surf anglers finding good numbers off the Rodanthe-area beaches and taking advantage of sight-casting windows in clear water. Saturday's full moon adds extra push to the tide swings this weekend, the kind of current that tends to concentrate bait and get predators moving through this corridor.
Snook bite ignites off Sarasota as tarpon start their fall exit
Water off Sarasota and Tampa Bay is running near 83°F this week, and captains say the fall snook bite is finally in gear. Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls the Gulf-side snook season, which reopened September 1, some of the best snook water anywhere, and Capt. Kelly Kurtz reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook and redfish, with fish setting up around docks and bridges. Capt. Rick Grassett's September outlook has migratory tarpon thinning out along the coastal Gulf as fish slide into passes and deep grass flats to rest before pushing on. Florida Sea Grant also flagged a rare rust tide alga detection in nearby Charlotte Harbor worth keeping an eye on this week.
Warm Gulf waters hold steady as fall transition nears
Gulf water stayed warm this week, with NOAA CO-OPS stations 8771450, 8771341, and 8772471 all reporting temperatures between 87.4°F and 88.5°F as of Sunday morning. That's late-summer warmth holding into the last week of September, a sign the seasonal cool-down anglers watch for along the upper and middle Texas coast hasn't started yet. The Full Moon this week is driving stronger tidal exchanges across the bay systems.
Warm Bight water keeps offshore bite firing near the Channel Islands
Water in the Southern California Bight is running warm this week, with NOAA's San Diego station reading 76.3°F and the La Jolla gauge close behind at 73.6°F. That warmth lines up with what Western Outdoor News — Saltwater is describing offshore: a strong push of big gamefish moving through the Bight and around the Northern Channel Islands, with San Diego-based boats reporting some of the best trophy-class action in recent memory. Surf anglers are getting a different story. Surf Fishing in So Cal has been chronicling an unusually rough 2026 season tied to El Niño conditions, a reminder that warm water offshore doesn't always translate to easy beach fishing.
Crappie bite turns on as Delaware Valley fisheries ease into fall
Fall is settling into Delaware Valley freshwater fishing, and several reports collected by The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater roundup point to a real shift in the bite as September closes out. Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reported crappie fishing on the Nanticoke River has already gone into full fall mode, with anglers stringing nice crappies on twisters fished under floats, while nearby lakes and ponds are producing well on big minnows. Farther up the watershed, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown said the Delaware River is in better shape through the Riegelsville stretch heading into October. At Lake Wallenpaupack, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Sportfishing said smallmouth bass fishing was good through September, with crappies also producing good numbers for his charters.
Cooler Mornings Signal Fall Turn for Georgia River Anglers
Georgia's own fishing report reads clearly this week: the Georgia Wildlife Blog's Fishing update marks September 26 as National Hunting and Fishing Day, a free fishing day, and ties it to cooler mornings and the start of fall as the season's real story on the state's freshwater systems, Chattahoochee and Savannah reaches included. The agency has built toward that shift across three straight September posts: the September 4 report opened the month calling it "a fresh start," September 11 noted "the days get shorter," and September 18 flagged that "fall starts next week." Georgia Wildlife Blog frames the free fishing day as a chance to introduce someone new to the water, a solid reason for a family outing as summer patterns give way to fall on the state's rivers.
Fall Cool-Down Arrives on Lanier and Allatoona
Georgia's DNR fishing blog flagged this week's cooler mornings and turning leaves as the real start of fall, and Lake Lanier backed that up on the water: the Phoenix Bass Fishing League's Super Tournament ran its second day there on September 27, per MLF News. Tomorrow, September 28, is National Hunting and Fishing Day and a free fishing day statewide, per the Georgia Wildlife Blog — a good excuse to get out on Lanier or Allatoona while the shift toward fall keeps building.
Fall's cool-down arrives on Hartwell and Russell
Georgia's fall turn is underway. The Georgia Wildlife Blog's September 25 fishing report points to cooler mornings and changing leaves settling over the state's reservoirs, with National Hunting and Fishing Day pulling families onto the water on September 26. For Lake Hartwell and the Russell chain, that kind of shift typically means baitfish schools tightening up and predator activity picking up as surface conditions ease off summer highs. Anglers working both lakes this week should expect the transition period typical of late September on the Savannah chain, with steadier action likely to build as the cool-down continues into October.
Columbia River steelhead run tracks toward a historic low
The 2026 Columbia River steelhead run is on pace to be the smallest ever recorded, according to Hatch Magazine, which reports just over 52,000 fish counted above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. For anglers working the Columbia system this week, that means fewer fish moving through per day than in any prior season on record, and light angling pressure alone won't change that math.
Full moon tides push fall traffic to Buoy 10, Garibaldi
NOAA's Oregon Coast tide stations show a full-moon push building today: station 9435380 read 56.8°F with the next high tide at 1:22 p.m. local, while station 9439040 came in warmer at 64.2°F ahead of a 2:20 p.m. high. That spread is typical of late-September stratification between open coast and estuary water. On the water, IFish.net Fishing Reports carries word of steady trolling traffic through the Buoy 10 area near the mouth of the Columbia, with boats also working Nehalem, Garibaldi, and the mouth of the Lewis — a sign there's plenty of gear in the water even on a week light on formal shop reports.
Charleston Harbor eases into its fall transition under a full moon
Charleston Harbor's water sits at 77.5°F this afternoon, per NOAA CO-OPS station 8665530, with the tide sliding toward a low around 3:08 PM local; a second CO-OPS station up the coast (8661070) reads the same temperature and swings to low near 2:44 PM. Tonight's full moon means a wider tidal range than usual, pushing more current through the harbor on both the outgoing and incoming water. Regionally, per Saltwater Sportsman, South Carolina anglers picked up a new 14-day fall exempted season for South Atlantic reef species this month, approved by NOAA on September 21 — a welcome bit of regulatory news heading into fall.
Full moon tides set the pace for Panhandle anglers this week
Gulf water off the Panhandle held firmly in the mid-80s heading into the weekend, with the region's three NOAA tide stations reading 84.9°F at station 8729840, 83.7°F at station 8729108, and 83.5°F at station 8728690 as of Sunday afternoon. The narrow spread between the three readings, roughly a degree and a half from east to west, points to consistently warm water across the stretch rather than any one section running noticeably cooler. That's warm water for the back half of September, keeping the coast in a late-summer holding pattern rather than an early fall one. Tonight's full moon is the bigger story for anyone planning a trip: it's stacking larger tidal swings across Destin and Pensacola, and station 8728690 has a predicted high tide landing around 4:37 p.m. local time. Bigger moon tides mean stronger current through passes and along structure, concentrating whatever's feeding into shorter, more predictable windows around the tide change.
Fall run stripers show up on LBI as tautog wake up on the rocks
Water temps at the two Jersey Shore CO-OPS stations read 63.9°F and 61.9°F this morning, still holding onto late-summer warmth even as fluke season closed out Friday, September 25. Central New Jersey's Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven flagged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the fall — an 8.15-pound fish at 29.5 inches on a plug — a clear signal the fall run is arriving. Southern New Jersey's Pier 47 Marina in the Wildwoods reports stripers feeding heavily at night around lighted docks and sod banks on paddletails, rubber shads, bucktails and Mag Darters, fish to 31 inches, with the bite noticeably better on higher tides. Bluefish are holding steady: Surf City Bait and Tackle in Central New Jersey has anglers connecting with multiple blues on metal, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report calls out lingering bluefish and false albacore even as this week's nor'easter slowed the pace. Tautog are waking up on structure — Boulevard Bait and Tackle in Southern New Jersey says anglers are shifting to tog on wrecks, reefs, jetties and bridges now that flounder season has closed, and Grumpys Tackle and Surf City both flag blackfish starting to chew around the rocks. Black sea bass remain a bright spot, with Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reporting solid all-day action.
Sea bass bite holds at Sandy Hook as fall run builds behind the nor'easter
NOAA's Sandy Hook tide station (8531680) logged 62.6°F at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday, with the next low tide due at 3:10 p.m. — the water is still holding late-summer warmth even as the fall pattern arrives. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's report describes fluke and sea bass fishing that was "game on right from the start to finish" through the boat's final days targeting fluke, with keepers, shorts and quality sea bass coming over the rail on every drift; fluke season itself closed statewide Friday the 25th, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition. Sea bass is carrying the bite region-wide: Golden Eagle Fishing, sailing out of northern NJ, reports big sea bass turning up in the chum slick alongside slammers, bonito and albies, and Big Mohawk III is coming out of its annual refit to fish sea bass full time once the bag limit rises to 10 fish on October 1, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. Grumpys Tackle's "Blues Are In" report and OTW Northern New Jersey both note bluefish and lingering false albacore still working the beaches, though OTW says this week's nor'easter has slowed the early fall push and striped bass haven't turned on in numbers yet.
Georgia Coast Anglers Eye Fall Push as Full-Moon Tides Peak
NOAA's CO-OPS station 8670870 logged 77.5°F early this afternoon, still summer-warm for the Georgia Atlantic coast even as the Georgia Wildlife Blog's September 25 report calls out "cooler mornings and changing leaves" along the coast. Yesterday was National Hunting and Fishing Day, a free fishing day the agency promoted as a chance to get someone new on the water. Tonight's full moon is pushing a strong low tide around 3:26 PM local, and the wide swings that come with a full moon typically sharpen the bite around the turns. On the research side, GA Sea Grant's Marine Extension program just kicked off a year-long University of Georgia trainee project looking at how warming waters in Georgia's estuaries are affecting Striped Bass, a reminder that this transitional stretch of the calendar is exactly when water temperature starts to matter for cold-sensitive species moving through the system.
Shoreline stripers show near Santa Cruz as Central Coast tide builds
Water off Monterey Bay held at 61.2°F this morning, while the Port San Luis station further south on the Central Coast read warmer at 64.4°F. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports shoreline striped bass showing up around Santa Cruz this week, with strong nearshore action across Monterey Bay. The same outlet notes similar striper activity further south in the SoCal Bight, suggesting fish are working a broad stretch of the California coastline right now.
Cold water settles into Gulf of Alaska as fall transition deepens
Cold water has taken hold across the Gulf of Alaska region. NOAA CO-OPS readings put Seldovia (station 9455500) at 48.7°F and Juneau (station 9452210) at 47.3°F, both confirming the seasonal slide anglers expect as September closes out. Tonight's full moon is stacking bigger-than-normal tidal swings on top of that cooling trend, with high tide due near 3:34 PM at Seldovia and 2:11 PM at Juneau this afternoon, local time.
Full moon tides energize Oahu and Maui waters
NOAA's tide gauges at Honolulu Harbor and Kahului read 82.9°F and 79.5°F this morning, holding onto the warmth that's carried through September. Today's full moon is driving a stronger spring tide cycle across the islands, with Honolulu's next low due at 10:41 a.m. HST and Kahului's next low at 8:41 a.m. HST.
Piles of Stripers Holding Along the NH Coast Right Now
Striped bass are stacked up along the New Hampshire and Maine coastline in bigger numbers than points south right now. Per this week's South Shore Massachusetts to Maine report from The Fisherman, Massachusetts surfcasters have been driving north specifically because there are still "piles" of stripers here taking their time before finishing the fall push south. That's the read for this week: the fish are holding, not just passing through. Regionally, The Fisherman's New England video forecast describes the broader fall run as running behind pace, with water temps easing only slightly and feeding urgency still building rather than peaking.
Surf stripers hold as Northern California water cools
Northern California's two NOAA CO-OPS stations show a real split this week: 58.6°F at one gauge versus 53.2°F at the other, roughly a five-degree gap that reflects how much colder the open coast runs than sheltered bay water this time of year. That split lines up with what Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reported out of the Santa Cruz area, where striped bass are holding tight to the beach and anglers are working the surf line behind diving birds and bait pushed shoreward. It's a shoreline pattern rather than a boat bite right now, with the birds doing most of the locating work for anglers walking the beach.