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Merrimack River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 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
1,070 cfs
Air / High
84 / 84 F
Wind
WNW 12 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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 lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 1,070 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 12 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 71 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Merrimack River at Lowell.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01100000.

1,9073,6145,3211,070 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low84 / 65 F
WindWNW 12-16 mph
Pressure1007.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain14% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:13 / 19:14
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 84/65 F, wind 12 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

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 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 8 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

Plum Island27 miHampton30 miStillwater River31 miGreat Bay36 miWebster Lake50 miQuabbin Reservoir56 mi
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