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Merrimack River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New England’s working river: the Merrimack runs smallmouth, stripers and a restored shad run to the sea.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
2,730 cfs
Air / High
58 / 58 F
Wind
N 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01100000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Merrimack River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 2,730 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:18 AM-11:18 AM and 9:48 PM-11:48 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Merrimack River at Lowell.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01100000.

1,9763,1004,2252,730 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 103 years of October 23

At 2,730 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01100000 (Merrimack River at Lowell) is at the 35th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 103 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 3,560 cfs; the highest was 44,400 cfs and the lowest 270 cfs.

p10 1,468median 3,560p90 11,500

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01100000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp58 F
High / Low58 / 36 F
WindN 8-17 mph
Pressure1027.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:08 / 17:50
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Merrimack River this week

The best day on Merrimack River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:18 AM-11:18 AM and 9:48 PM-11:48 PM
Minor period
3:40 AM-4:40 AM
Sun
07:08 to 17:50
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 10 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Merrimack River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

When to come: the Merrimack River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Merrimack River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Massachusetts requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Massachusetts license (freshwater) or saltwater permit (tidal). Striped bass and shad rules per current MassWildlife and DMF regulations; check consumption advisories.

Access

City parks in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill; ramps on the tidal river; Newburyport at the mouth.

About this water

A 117-mile river from New Hampshire to the Atlantic at Newburyport, Middlesex and Essex counties, Massachusetts.

Fishing Merrimack River: the full guide

A river of mills

The Merrimack River flows about 117 miles from New Hampshire through northeastern Massachusetts to the Atlantic at Newburyport, the river that powered New England’s industrial revolution. Decades of cleanup restored a genuine fishery: smallmouth bass through the freshwater reaches, striped bass in the tidal river, plus American shad, river herring and catfish.

Smallmouth and the pools

The freshwater river above Lawrence holds smallmouth on the rock, ledges and current breaks, fished from boats, canoes and the bank at city parks. Fish run good size and pressure is modest given how many people live nearby. Largemouth and pike hold the slower backwaters and impoundments.

Stripers and shad

Striped bass run up the tidal river from Newburyport as far as the Lawrence dam, following bait through spring and fall: plugs, plastics and live bait on the tides. American shad run in spring and concentrate below the dams at Lawrence and Lowell, where fish ladders and light-tackle anglers both gather.

Merrimack Valley logistics

Access is extensive: city parks in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill, ramps along the tidal river, and Newburyport at the mouth for the estuary and surf. Consumption advisories apply in some reaches given the industrial history: check current guidance before keeping fish.

Common questions

How far do stripers run?

Up the tidal river as far as the Lawrence dam, following bait through spring and fall.

Is there a shad run?

Yes: American shad concentrate below the Lawrence and Lowell dams in spring, with fish ladders in place.

Are there advisories?

Yes in some reaches given the industrial history: check current consumption guidance before keeping fish.

Is fishing good at Merrimack River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Charles River19 miPlum Island27 miWachusett Reservoir29 miHampton30 miStillwater River31 miGreat Bay36 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01100000 — Merrimack River at Lowell
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.6500, -71.3000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.