Fishing reports
15593 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Fall run builds in Raritan Bay as sea bass, blues turn on
Water at Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680 read 62.4°F this morning. Per Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands, black sea bass have been running very good, with full-boat limits on calmer days, while fluke swung from a tough midweek bite to a strong all-day pick by Friday. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reports blues are in along the beaches, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest weekly note has fall-run striped bass improving alongside lingering bluefish and false albacore, even after a nor'easter briefly slowed things down.
Full moon tides set the pace as Georgia coast waits on fall
Water at NOAA's Fort Pulaski tide station (8670870) is holding at 77.4°F as of this morning, still solidly in late-summer territory for the Georgia coast. High tide arrives around 8:53 a.m. local time, falling to low near 3:26 p.m., and with a full moon overhead this week's tides are running on the stronger end of the monthly cycle, worth planning around at current-dependent spots. Georgia Wildlife Blog's weekly report flagged National Hunting and Fishing Day on September 26, a statewide free fishing day meant to pull new anglers onto the water, and its recent posts have repeatedly pointed to the seasonal shift now underway as days shorten and mornings cool. GA Sea Grant's coastal research updates this month also center on the state's estuaries, a reminder that the fall transition is the story on this coast right now more than any single hot bite.
Full moon tides set the tempo for Pamlico Sound's fall turn
Water temperatures are sitting in the upper 60s across the region, 66.6°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8652587 and 69.1°F at station 8654467 as of this morning, still warm enough to hold the current pattern together. A full moon is amplifying the tidal swing through Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout this week: the northern station's next high lands near 8:47 a.m. Eastern with a low around 3:35 p.m., while the southern station runs roughly an hour behind on both. Fisherman's Post (NC) reports out of the Hatteras/Ocracoke and Morehead/Atlantic Beach stretches describe steady nearshore and surf activity building through September as the water eases toward its seasonal cool-down.
Cape Cod Bay stripers hold steady as tautog bite turns on to the south
Water at NOAA's Cape Cod Bay station (8449130) read 60.1°F early this morning, still on the mild side after the weekend storm that forced organizers to cancel Falmouth's StriperFest 2026. Striped bass remain in the mix around the Cape: a hidden-compartment poaching case at the Smugglers Beach ramp in South Yarmouth this week confirmed anglers are still connecting with bass locally, even as Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) describes the striper bite one region south as lackluster for most through late September. The same report notes the tautog bite is picking up, a pattern worth watching as it works its way up the coast toward Cape Cod Bay.
Full-moon tides mark shift toward Maine's fall striper run
Our three Maine tide stations read 59.4°F, 57.4°F and 54.3°F this morning, holding in the upper-50s band typical of late September as Gulf of Maine waters begin their fall cool-down. Farther south on the same coast, Saltwater Edge (RI) reports the striped bass bite has been lackluster through most of September but expects it to sharpen with the first truly chilly nights and northerly winds, while tautog action there is already picking up as the water cools. Today's full moon adds a stronger tidal push behind both patterns.
Fall snook run heats up in Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay flats
Water temperatures are holding warm at 83°F in Tampa Bay and 81°F off Clearwater Beach, and CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports the fall snook season is in full swing across the Sarasota-to-Fort Myers stretch, calling it some of the best snook water anywhere. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of CB's on Siesta Key, describes an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay this week for snook and redfish. Capt. Rick Grassett's outlook for the month has snook staging around docks and bridges in the Intracoastal as fish move away from passes toward their wintering areas, with live shrimp near structure and pilchards on the shallow flats doing the work. Tarpon, by contrast, are thinning out of the coastal Gulf as the migratory push winds down, with stragglers holding around bridges and deep grass flats before clearing out for the season. It's a full moon this week, adding extra push to the tide swings anglers are working around.
Full moon tides set up a striper shift in Buzzards Bay
Water temperatures read 64°F across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound this morning, and tonight's full moon is amplifying tidal currents through both bodies of water. Striped bass fishing has been lackluster for most anglers in the region, per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), while tautog action is reportedly picking up as the water continues to cool.
Upper Coast Snook Push Builds as Texas Gulf Cools Into Fall
Water temperatures along the upper Texas coast are still summer-warm this morning: 89.2°F at Galveston Bay Entrance (NOAA CO-OPS 8771450), 85.8°F at Eagle Point (8771341), and 86.7°F near Freeport (8772471). That lingering heat, paired with this week's Full Moon tide swing, sits right in the window Sport Fishing Mag flags for Gulf snook this fall: as summer's grip breaks, snook feed up before migrating toward winter holding areas, with aggressive fish responding to swimbaits like the Z-Man Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ. Texas Fish & Game Magazine adds that upper coast snook aren't confined to the Lower Laguna Madre, so anglers working structure well north of the traditional grounds have a real shot at them through this stretch.
Snook Feed Up as Fall Transition Arrives in Lower Laguna Madre
NOAA's tide stations covering this stretch of coast are reading 87.1°F and 89.4°F this morning, still summer-warm water under a Full Moon high tide before sunrise. Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook 'feeding up on fall's bounty' as shortening days push them toward winter holding areas, with swimbaits like Z-Man's Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish. Texas Fish & Game Magazine's coverage of Lower Laguna Madre snook confirms this stretch of coast is the established center of Texas snook fishing, not an incidental producer. With overnight water still warm and holding, early tide movement is doing the work anglers need this week.
Shoreline stripers surface near Santa Cruz as fall tides build
Central Coast water eased into the low-to-mid 60s this weekend, with Monterey Harbor reading 62.8°F and Port San Luis at 64.8°F as of Saturday night. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports a striped bass taken along the surf near Santa Cruz this week, with local angler Malakai Armenta working the beach by following diving birds and bait schools pinned tight to shore.
Striped bass push through the SoCal Bight toward the Channel Islands
NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 is reading 76°F this morning, while station 9410230 nearby runs noticeably cooler at 69°F, a real thermocline split across the Bight this week. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports striped bass activity swarming throughout the SoCal Bight, with fish showing as far out as the Northern Channel Islands. That's the headline for anglers working the surf line and nearshore structure right now: stripers are moving, and the warmer pocket is likely concentrating bait and predators tighter than usual this week. Anglers working the beach should lean on the trough-and-rip structure identification tactics Surf Fishing in So Cal has been detailing this season, especially with the surf running rougher than usual most of this year.
Albie blitzes light up Long Island as the fall run kicks off
False albacore are thick off the North and South Forks and pushing west into Long Island Sound, per On The Water's Long Island and NYC report from September 24, which also has striped bass picking up steam in the Sound as anglers expect this week's nor'easter to kickstart the broader fall run. Water read 64.6°F at Montauk (NOAA CO-OPS 8510560), 65.1°F at Kings Point in the Sound (8516945), and 67.1°F at the Battery (8518750), all typical for the tail end of September. Big fluke continue working out of South Shore inlets as they exit the backwaters for deeper water, a pattern On The Water has tracked through its September 10 and 17 reports.
Fall Walleye and Bass Patterns Take Hold Across Michigan Waters
Michigan anglers are shifting into the fall pattern this week, and coverage across bass- and walleye-focused outlets points the same direction: baitfish schools pulling predators shallow as water cools. Tactical Bassin's early-fall notes stress watching for surface baitfish activity and using electronics to key onto schools holding over deeper structure. Wired 2 Fish reports bass hunting hardest during the low-light morning and evening hours as summer patterns break down. On walleye water, Fishing the Midwest highlights a bottom-bouncer-and-nightcrawler rig as a dependable fall producer, alongside a bladed swim jig that pulls largemouth, pike, and walleye off the same weed edges. Field & Stream's fall live-bait roundup adds a bottom-bouncing minnow rig for browns working faster current, plus a weightless crayfish presentation for finicky smallmouth.
Keys anglers eye the turn from summer heat toward fall
Water is still holding onto summer heat across the Keys: 86°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580 in Key West and 85.5°F at station 8723970 up the chain, both read this morning. Captains are already talking about the shift ahead of the numbers catching up. ALL IN Key West reported this week that "the weather is finally starting to break" after a long, muggy stretch, and the captain is gearing back up for trips through the cooler months to come after taking September off for boat upgrades. Today's full moon is stacking the tides toward the high end of the cycle: at Key West, low water falls near 4:28 a.m. with the next high around 11:14 a.m., while the Vaca Key gauge shows low tide near 7:27 a.m. and high near 4:14 p.m.
Bull Redfish Run Hits Its Peak on the LA Coast
Water is holding warm along the Louisiana coast this morning, with NOAA CO-OPS stations reading 84.4°F and 85.5°F. That warmth lines up with what Louisiana Sportsman is reporting for reds right now: the outlet notes that redfish generally spawn from mid-August through mid-November, with the peak running through September and October, meaning the run is at its height this week. With a Full Moon overhead, expect stronger tidal swings to push bait around and concentrate reds on the usual fall staging grounds along the coast and delta.
Smokies trout streams settle into their fall rhythm
Western North Carolina's Smokies streams are entering the seasonal shift that defines early fall fishing in the Southern Appalachians: shorter days and cooling nights nudge wild and stocked trout back toward consistent morning and evening activity after the sluggish stretch of late summer. The full moon this week adds extra low-light feeding windows, particularly around dawn.
Fall transition narrows the bite window on Kenai-area rivers
Late September marks the hinge point for Kenai-area and interior Alaska freshwater systems: nights are dropping toward freezing, daylight is compressing fast, and the open-water season is entering its final stretch under this week's full moon. Cooling water typically sharpens clarity as glacial and rain-driven flows from summer settle out, concentrating fish activity into the brighter midday hours rather than long dusk bites. This is the classic late-fall window anglers use before smaller tributaries begin locking up with ice.
Full moon tides dial up movement across the Gulf of Alaska
Water temperatures across the Gulf of Alaska read 48.7°F at station 9455500 and 47.5°F at station 9452210 this morning, tracking the seasonal cool-down typical of late September. Today's full moon is stacking bigger tidal swings on top of that shift: station 9455500 runs to a high near 3:26 a.m. and a low around 9:24 a.m. local time, while station 9452210 cycles about ninety minutes earlier, high near 1:59 a.m. and low near 7:59 a.m. That kind of moon-boosted exchange is worth building a trip around this week.
Columbia steelhead run tracks toward a record low this fall
This year's Columbia and Snake river steelhead run is shaping up to be the smallest ever recorded, per Hatch Magazine, with just over 52,000 fish tallied above Bonneville Dam since counting began July 1. That puts the run well behind a typical fall pace. The full moon this week points toward early and late-day windows mattering more than midday effort. WDFW's statewide creel and stocking reports remain the go-to for current lake and river-specific numbers this time of year.
Fall weed die-off resets smallmouth and walleye patterns on IL waters
Illinois River and Lake Michigan anglers are settling into the heart of the fall transition, the stretch when smallmouth bass and walleye leave summer haunts and stack onto structure as baitfish tighten up along dying weed edges. Mike Frisch's Fishing the Midwest points to pockets of green, still-living weeds as the key holding spots right now, a pattern that carries across the upper Midwest and into the Great Lakes basin. Closer to home, Wired 2 Fish notes the Fighting Illini Bass Fishing Club's Bret Vogt Memorial Tournament runs its 10th and final year this fall, a sign the state's bass scene stays lively through the shoulder season.
Fall turnover arrives at Smith Mountain and Buggs Island
Smith Mountain Lake and Buggs Island are entering the early-fall turnover this week, the stretch when cooling surface water starts breaking apart summer patterns and pushing baitfish out of their deep-water holds. Field & Stream's fall rig roundup points to a light, rubber-band-rigged crayfish as the call for smallmouth bass turning selective as the water cools, a presentation worth having ready on both reservoirs. Wired 2 Fish's seasonal timing guide still holds even as summer fades: early and late hours remain the window when bass feed most aggressively, and with a full moon overhead this week, expect that low-light bite to extend into the night.
Fall Transition Sets Up for Potomac and Shenandoah Anglers
Virginia's Potomac and Shenandoah waters are sliding into the early fall transition this week, with cooling nights and this week's full moon setting up a shift in feeding behavior for smallmouth bass and trout across the region's freshwater systems. Wired 2 Fish points to dawn and dusk as the highest-percentage windows for active bass once summer heat breaks, as baitfish push shallow and predators follow. Field & Stream's fall live-bait roundup recommends a bottom-bouncing minnow rig on a barrel swivel for browns as water starts to cool, a pattern worth carrying into Shenandoah trout water in the coming weeks.
Rangeley Lakes trout show early signs of the fall turn
Mainely Fly Fishing's latest report out of the Rangeley area describes trout already carrying spawning colors, alongside a strong evening hatch that produced steady dusk rises on Kennebago Lake. That combination points to the fall transition arriving in the headwaters. With this week's full moon overhead, low-light windows around dawn and dusk are the ones worth building a trip around rather than the middle of the day, as cooling water starts pushing feeding activity toward those hours.
Full Moon Marks the Fall Turnover on the Wabash and Lake Michigan
Indiana's freshwater fisheries are moving into the heart of the fall transition this week, and tonight's full moon adds extra pull to overnight and low-light feeding windows on the Wabash River and Lake Michigan. Surface layers are cooling, pushing baitfish toward structure and current breaks. Multi-species techniques built for this shift, like the bladed swim jig that Fishing the Midwest highlights for walleye as weeds die back, are becoming a go-to approach for covering water efficiently. Early morning and dusk remain the sharpest windows as days shorten.