Fishing reports
15593 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
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.
Mississippi Sound holds summer warmth as oyster season nears
Water in Mississippi Sound is still running in summer territory, with NOAA CO-OPS readings of 84.9°F and 82.2°F taken this afternoon at the Sound's two monitored stations. That's warm for the final week of September, and it comes as MS DMR announces the 2026–2027 Mississippi oyster season opens at legal sunrise on Thursday, October 1, running to a noon check-out and closed Sundays across the approved and conditionally approved reef areas. Tonight's full moon strengthens the tidal push through the Sound, the kind of current anglers rely on to concentrate bait around passes and reef edges as the water begins its slow turn toward fall.
Weakfish and tog stack up in Delaware Bay ahead of nor'easter
Delaware Bay water held at 64°F this afternoon per NOAA station 8557380. Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports a mixed bag of spot, croakers, kingfish, bluefish and weakfish for anglers drifting smaller baits, with tautog now stacked on the bay's structure, taking sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers, fish to 4 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle adds that weakfish are showing more consistently, with a targeted bite building on soft plastics near the lighthouses. At the bay's mouth, Pier 47 Marina says striped bass to 31 inches are feeding hard after dark on peanut bunker and mullet pushed from the back bays, working paddletails, rubber shads and Mag Darters around lighted docks and sod banks, with higher tides outproducing the daytime bite. Port Mahon is also giving up bluefish on cut bait and metal, per Smith's Bait Shop.
Tog and weakfish turn on as fluke season closes on Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay's NOAA station 8537121 read 66.9°F this afternoon, with low tide due around 5:30 PM local under this week's Full Moon. The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report has Higbee's Bait and Tackle seeing a mixed bag of bluefish and weakfish for anglers drifting small baits, while fish anchored on structure are finding tautog moving in heavy on sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers. The same report has Big Dave's Tackle noting weakfish building on soft plastics fished near the lighthouses, and Pier 47 Marina seeing striped bass feed hard after dark on staging peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks and sod banks, with fish to 31 inches on paddletails, rubber shads and bucktails. Higher tides are producing the better numbers on that night bite.
Fall cooldown arrives for Rio Grande and San Juan waters
Late September marks the seasonal turn for New Mexico's Rio Grande and San Juan fisheries, as cooling water begins shifting fish out of the sluggish late-summer pattern and into the more active feeding windows typical of fall. Both systems stay freshwater through this stretch, and the coming weeks typically bring steadier action as temperatures keep sliding toward winter norms.
Oregon Coast rides a full-moon spring tide into fall
Our two coastal tide stations are reading 56.8°F and 62.4°F this morning, a meaningful spread between the outer coast and a more sheltered bay setting that's typical as summer upwelling gives way to fall stratification. Tonight's full moon is pulling a spring tide, and both stations show a pronounced swing between this morning's low and this afternoon's high, worth building a trip around rather than fishing through slack water, whichever stretch of coast you're working this week.
False albacore signal fall's arrival off Charleston Harbor
Charleston Harbor sits at 77°F this morning, with the tide building toward a midday high near 8:43 AM and running back out to a low around 3:08 PM under a full moon, a strong swing that should push bait through the inlet on both ends of the cycle. Offshore, Saltwater Sportsman reports a 14-day fall red snapper season has been approved for South Carolina waters under a new exempted fishing permit, giving bottom anglers a real window this fall. Closer to shore, Sport Fishing Mag's seasonal roundup notes false albacore starting to feed on the surface as water temperatures ease, a signal the fall transition is underway along this stretch of coast.
Full Moon Sets Up Bigger Tide Swings on the Panhandle
Water across the Panhandle is running warm for late September. Three NOAA CO-OPS stations covering this stretch of coast are reading between 82.4°F and 84.4°F as of this morning, water that reads more like high summer than the tail end of the month. A full moon tonight is stacking bigger tidal swings on top of that warmth. Station 8728690 shows its next low at 10:07 a.m. local, building to a high around 4:37 p.m., while station 8729108 is already sliding toward a low before 6:30 a.m. and station 8729840 follows with a late-morning low near 8:38 a.m. Those staggered lows and highs give anglers a workable tide window on either end of the day rather than one narrow one for the whole coast.
Albies, Blues Linger at Jersey Shore as Striper Push Builds
NOAA's tide stations at Sandy Hook and Atlantic City are both reading water in the low 60s this morning, 62.2°F and 61.9°F, the clearest sign yet that the seasonal cooldown has taken hold along the Jersey Shore. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has strung together several solid days of fluke and black sea bass on the drift, with quality fish coming right around the tide change. Fishermans HQ LBI is finding bonita, false albacore and fluke stacked up on live peanut bunker off Long Beach Island, and Grumpys Tackle confirms bluefish have moved into the surf. OTW's Northern New Jersey report notes bluefish and false albacore still working the beaches even as last week's nor'easter took some steam out of the striper bite.