Fishing reports
15664 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Full moon tides swing wide as Delaware Bay pier access shrinks
Delaware Bay held at 63.3°F this morning at the NOAA CO-OPS station in Lewes, comfortably in range for the fall transition, with the Full Moon widening today's tide swing. The bigger news for shore anglers is access, not water: Delaware Surf Fishing reports another 30 feet of the Cape Henlopen fishing pier closed off overnight, pushing the closed section past 200 feet from the tip — real ground lost for surfcasters working that structure as the season turns.
Fall walleye and lake trout bite holds strong across NY's Great Lakes waters
Brookdog Fishing Co., running charters out of Buffalo, Niagara and Lake Ontario, reports the walleye bite has stayed strong across multiple reports this September, with lake trout action running especially hot out of Barcelona on deep-water jigging presentations. Smallmouth bass are cooperating too, giving clients a reliable third option as conditions shift into fall. These reports come from New York's western Great Lakes fishery rather than the Hudson Valley or Finger Lakes directly, but the pattern they describe, walleye and lake trout locking into a stable fall bite while smallmouth stay active, is the same seasonal shift freshwater anglers statewide should watch for as water begins its cool-down.
Chicago's Lake Michigan settles into an early fall pattern
Late September marks the seasonal turn on Lake Michigan off Chicago, with water temperatures typically starting their steady fall cool-down. That shift begins organizing baitfish and predators alike as the lake enters its early-fall transition, the stretch of calendar anglers use to plan around structure and current breaks rather than open, warm water.
Lake Michigan's Indiana shoreline turns toward fall under a full moon
Late September marks the seasonal pivot on the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan, as cooling water begins pushing baitfish — and the predators that follow them — tighter to nearshore structure. IL/IN Sea Grant has opened registration for its 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting, set for November in Michigan City, a sign of how active the research and stewardship community stays on this stretch of shoreline year-round.
Full Moon tides set the pace on Narragansett Bay this week
Narragansett Bay water held at 65.1°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660 and 65.5°F at station 8452944 this morning, squarely in range for the region's early-fall shift. Tonight's Full Moon pushes bigger tidal swings and stronger current through the bay, the kind of push that typically gets the fall bite moving in Rhode Island waters. High tide rolls through around 7:19-7:30 AM with the low following near 1:08-1:09 PM, giving a clean early-morning window before the sun climbs.
Gulf of Maine water cools into fall as full moon tides build
Water along the Gulf of Maine coast is easing into fall, with tide-station readings this morning spanning 54.7°F to 59.2°F. That's a real step down from late-summer highs and sits squarely in the range expected for late September in this region. It's also a full moon, so the tidal swings behind those readings are running bigger than average, worth building a trip around rather than working against. Anglers Journal's latest seasonal roundup on the Northeast fishery notes that the weeks bracketing the equinox typically mark the start of the region's strongest push, as migrating baitfish and other species begin moving south under waning daylight.
Full moon tides and rare rust tide bloom mark Gulf Coast week
Florida Sea Grant researchers this week flagged a rare 'rust tide' bloom of the alga Margalefidinium polykrikoides in Charlotte Harbor, a species seldom seen in Southwest Florida waters and distinct from red tide. Our two Gulf Coast CO-OPS stations read 84°F and 81°F this morning, still firmly in the warm range that carries Gulf gamefish through the fall transition. Tonight's full moon is pushing bigger tidal swings, with the southern station's next low around 9:42 AM and high near 3:54 PM, and the northern gauge running roughly two hours ahead of that cycle. Regulatory news dominates the wider conversation this week: CCA Florida is tracking a new red snapper stock assessment and warning that NOAA Fisheries has dropped durable-goods spending, boats, trailers, tackle, from its state-level economic estimates just as Gulf Council allocation decisions loom. On the Panhandle, a post on Pensacola Fishing Forum shows anglers organizing fall crews for red snapper and deep-dropping trips, a sign the offshore push is underway this fall.
Full moon tides mark the fall turn at Cape Lookout
Water temperatures held at 72.3°F this morning at both the Pamlico Sound and Cape Lookout CO-OPS stations, still firmly in late-summer range even as the season turns. Fisherman's Post (NC) reports steady surf and pier activity up and down the coast this week: bait balls holding off the beach near Ocean Isle and Holden Beach are drawing surface feeders, nearshore boats trolling the beachfront off Morehead City and Atlantic Beach are finding consistent action, and anglers working the Rodanthe-area beaches near Hatteras are into good numbers on bottom rigs. It's a solid, broad-based bite pattern rather than one hot pocket.
Snook Snap Into Fall Feed Mode Across Lower Laguna Madre
Water stayed warm overnight across the Lower Laguna Madre, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8775237 reading 87.4°F and station 8779770 farther up the system at 90.9°F early this morning. That's late-summer warmth holding into the fall calendar, and it's keeping fish behavior tilted toward feeding-up patterns rather than a hard seasonal shift. Texas Fish & Game Magazine notes the Lower Laguna Madre is the established center of Texas snook fishing, and Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are feeding aggressively on fall's bounty as they begin working toward winter holding water, with swimbaits like the Z-Man Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ drawing strikes from aggressive fish.
Full moon tides align with mullet run buildup on FL's Atlantic coast
Atlantic-coast water temps are running warm for late September, ranging from 81.3°F to 85.6°F across our two NOAA CO-OPS tide stations, with tonight's full moon pushing bigger-than-average tidal swings. Both stations bottom out in the pre-dawn hours, around 1:23 AM and 1:49 AM EDT, then build toward highs at 7:34 AM and 8:12 AM EDT. Snook Nook in Stuart reports the season's mullet run is underway, with schools of larger mullet showing inshore and moving down the beaches, though the shop notes this year's run is trending later than usual after a cooler winter, with finger mullet still light.
Santa Cruz stripers show as Central Coast bait pushes inshore
Water on the Central Coast is holding at 63°F this week, and Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's latest Santa Cruz report has striped bass showing along the shoreline as anglers follow diving birds and moving bait. The same report calls nearshore fishing very good right now, with bigger game reportedly building offshore once conditions settle. For surf and jetty anglers on the Central Coast, steady mid-60s water and bait pushed tight to the beach is exactly the setup that gets stripers feeding close enough to reach from shore.
Full moon tides mark early stages of the fall push on Chincoteague
NOAA's Wachapreague station (8631044) measured water at 66.4°F this morning, several degrees cooler than the 71.6°F logged at Kiptopeke near the bay mouth, a sign the ocean side is cooling first as fall sets in. Up the coast, the fall run has been slow to develop: Saltwater Edge in Rhode Island called striped bass "pretty lackluster" this week, and The Fisherman's New England forecast notes water temps have "only dropped slightly," holding the bigger push in check. False albacore, though, have reportedly taken over the oceanfront to the north per Saltwater Edge, an early signal worth watching as the season progresses south.
False Albacore Push Holds Through the Elizabeths Ahead of Nor'easter
Water temperatures sit at 66-67°F across Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound this morning per our tide-station readings, still firmly in fall-run territory. False Albacore are the headline: Goose Hummock Shop landed fish past 12 pounds on a half-ounce jig, while Falmouth Bait & Tackle reports False Albacore mixed with schoolie Striped Bass pushing bait around the Elizabeths. Striped Bass are also active in local harbors and rivers per Falmouth Bait & Tackle, and Sports Port notes surf anglers scoring fish over 30 inches around Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck as baitfish crowd the beaches. Bluefish are steady along the Falmouth shore and through the Sound per Goose Hummock, and Black Sea Bass continue producing on the bottom according to Sports Port.
Tautog push moves into Delaware Bay as fluke season closes
NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 has Delaware Bay water sitting at 70.9°F, still carrying late-summer warmth into the last week of September. Higbee's Bait and Tackle, via The Fisherman — Southern NJ, reports bluefish and weakfish mixed into a broader bottom bite for anglers drifting smaller baits, while a heavy push of tautog has moved onto the bay's structure, chewing sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers with fish running to 4 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle, in the same report, confirms the weakfish showing and notes a targeted bite starting for anglers throwing soft plastics near the lighthouses. Today marks the close of New Jersey's fluke season, per The Fisherman (Northeast), with most Atlantic Coast anglers fighting an abundance of short fish through the run.
Bluefish and Albies Turn On as Fluke Season Closes at the Shore
New Jersey's fluke season closes today, September 25, and the fall lineup already looks ready to fill the gap. Fishermans HQ LBI's surf report from mid-September still noted unusually warm water, 75°F on the Ship Bottom beach, with bonito and false albacore feeding on jigs before anglers switched over to live peanut bunker. Bluefish are the clearest story on the boards: Surf City Bait and Tackle, reporting via The Fisherman — Central NJ, calls the metal bite a sure sign the fall run is heating up, while Boulevard Bait and Tackle, One Stop Bait and Tackle, and Riptide Bait and Tackle each report tailor-to-chopper blues from 1 to 3 pounds hitting mullet, bunker chunks, and cut bait in the surf from Sea Isle to Brigantine. Stripers are stirring too. Jingles Bait and Tackle logged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the season at 8.15 pounds, and Pier 47 Marina says stripers are already feeding heavily at night on paddletails and Mag Darters around the lighted docks in the Wildwoods, with the higher tides producing the better catches. Tautog have moved onto structure as well, with One Stop Bait and Tackle noting blackfish feeding hard on crab baits, and weakfish are showing a modest uptick, with Higbee's Bait and Tackle finding them mixed into Delaware Bay drifts and Big Dave's Tackle noting a targeted bite starting on soft plastics near the lighthouses.
Fluke Season Closes Strong as Blues and Albies Push Into Raritan Bay
Fluke season closes today in New Jersey, and Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands is finishing strong. Friday's trip was 'game on right from the start to finish' after a short run to deeper water, with shorts and keepers over the rails all day. Water at Sandy Hook, per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, reads 67.3°F, still warm enough to hold fluke tight through the close; earlier in the week the same boat put a 4½-pound fluke in the pool. Bluefish are pushing in behind them: Grumpys Tackle in New Jersey reports blues are in, and Capt. Rick Falcone of the Golden Eagle, fishing out of northern New Jersey, says the bite switched around big time this week, with good numbers of slammers working the chum slick alongside albies. Albies are showing along the coast too, as Fishermans HQ LBI worked a livewell of peanut bunker into steady albacore action on light spinning rods. And the fall run's opening notes are here: Jingles Bait and Tackle weighed in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper of the season, an 8.15-pound fish caught on a plug.
Crappie bite building on Delaware-area waters as fall sets in
Crappie are already shifting into their fall pattern on regional waters. Smith's Bait Shop, working the Nanticoke River, reports anglers stringing up nice-size crappie on twister jigs fished under floats as cooling water pulls fish into tighter schools. Further north, Hyper Striper Sportfishing notes walleye are just starting to mix into catches at Lake Wallenpaupack, an early sign of the fall turnover rather than a full bite yet. Freshwater systems tied into the Delaware River corridor and Pine Barrens are entering that same transition, with water cooling and fish keying on structure and current breaks.
Albie Fever Takes Over Long Island Sound Ahead of Full Moon Tides
Long Island Sound's water temperatures are holding steady in the high 60s, reading 67.3°F, 67.8°F and 68.2°F across our three CO-OPS stations, and the fall run is showing it. Per The Fisherman — Connecticut, J&B Tackle reports albies are everywhere from Black Point to Fishers Island, with striped bass feeding heavily on bait but not yet blitzing and bluefish from snappers to gators very active. AW Marina says albie fever has customers flying through epoxy jigs and tins. Bottom fishing stays strong too — the Tartan II is finding fantastic sea bass, though the Black Hawk's final fluke trip of the season came in soft.
Stripers moving through Santa Cruz as SF Bay water cools
Water temps at NOAA's San Francisco and Point Reyes-area tide stations are holding in the mid-50s (55.4°F and 55°F) this week, right in range for late September in the Bay Area and Bodega Bay corridor. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, captain Allen "Bushy" Bushnell reported shoreline striped bass showing near Santa Cruz this week, with fish following diving birds and bait along the beach, a pattern anglers up the coast into the Bay watch closely this time of year.
Peanut bunker pulls stripers and blues into Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay water is sitting at 61.3°F this morning per NOAA's tide station 8449130, still mild enough to keep the fall bait push rolling. Peanut bunker have flooded inshore water from Plymouth Harbor down through Pegotty Bay and Shore Acres, and per The Fisherman's South Shore MA to ME report those bait schools have pulled a fresh wave of striped bass into the same water, mostly "around-slot" fish following the bunker and running smaller than the 40-inch-plus stripers that showed earlier. On the Cape Cod Bay side, The Fisherman's Cape Cod & Islands report has Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck holding pogies too, with surf anglers picking off stripers over 30 inches and bluefish working the sound shore in a steady mixed bag.
Mississippi Sound holds summer warmth under this week's full moon
Water in the Mississippi Sound is still running hot for late September. NOAA CO-OPS stations in the region read 86.7°F and 87.8°F this week, readings that keep the Sound's late-summer pattern in place rather than tipping toward the cooler-water shift anglers watch for heading into fall. On the regulatory front, MS DMR filed a Notice of Intent on September 17 to update sections of Title 22 Part 3, following approval at the September 15 Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources meeting, so check the department's published notice before your next trip if new gear, area, or harvest rules could apply to you. MS DMR also certified several state saltwater finfish records this month, a sign the broader Mississippi and Gulf fishery is still producing quality fish through the late-summer stretch even without a dramatic pattern change this week.
Outer Banks water stays summer-warm ahead of the fall push
NOAA CO-OPS readings put Outer Banks water at 78.4°F on one station and 76.1°F on a second this morning, still holding summer-level warmth as September closes out under this week's full moon. Down at Rodanthe, Hatteras Jack reports steady action for surf anglers bottom-fishing the beaches, plus some sight-casting chances turning up in skinny water, per Fisherman's Post (NC). That mix of conditions and testimony points to a coast that hasn't tipped into its fall pattern yet.
Big Hole River reopens as Montana rivers head into fall closures
Montana FWP lifted the angling closure on Big Hole River Section 5 this week, citing improved flows after weekend rain — good news for anglers on the stretch between the Tony Schoonen (Notch) fishing access site and the Beaverhead River confluence. Section 1, running from the Saginaw Bridge on Skinner Meadows Road to that same confluence, stays closed for now. MT FWP Fishing News also flags October 1 as the start of seasonal spawning closures on some Montana rivers, a date worth building trips around this week. Farther north, FWP lifted hoot-owl afternoon fishing restrictions on the Smith and Sun Rivers in late August as water temperatures cooled below the threshold that triggers them, an early marker of the fall transition now working its way across the state's trout water.
Pike and crappie keep biting as inland rivers run low this fall
Northern pike and crappie are producing in low, clear water this week, per The Fisherman's New England Freshwater report: an angler on the Merrimack River tallied five pike and a handful of crappie despite thin flows, a pattern consistent with the low-water conditions typical across the region's rivers and lakes as the fall cooldown sets in. Shops are also seeing a run on trout gear ahead of the seasonal stocking push, a sign anglers are gearing up early.