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Christina River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Wilmington’s tidal river: the Christina runs white perch, stripers and catfish through Delaware’s city.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
100 cfs
Air / High
88 / 89 F
Wind
NW 10 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01480000, 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.

Christina River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 100 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 89. Water sits around 72 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

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 81 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 Red Clay Creek at Wooddale (tributary).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01480000.

101248395100 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp88 F
High / Low89 / 72 F
WindNW 10-15 mph
Pressure1011.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain23% cloud, 54%
Sunrise / Sunset06:33 / 19:28
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 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 · Overcast, 89/72 F, wind 10 mph, rain 54%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

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

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Prime sight-fishing: tailing fish on shallow flats, schools pushing water. Weedless spoons, shrimp under a popping cork, cut mullet in the guts.

When to come: the Christina 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
Striped bass
Bluefish
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 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 Christina River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 92 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

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

Regulations

Delaware license. Striped bass, perch and trout rules per current DNREC regulations; check consumption advisories for urban waters.

Access

City parks and public ramps along the tidal river in Wilmington; Brandywine and Red Clay creek access upstream.

About this water

A 35-mile tidal river through northern Delaware to the Delaware River at Wilmington, New Castle County.

Fishing Christina River: the full guide

A river through the city

The Christina River flows about 35 miles through northern Delaware to the Delaware River at Wilmington, tidal through its lower reaches and industrial through much of its urban stretch. Decades of cleanup have restored a genuine fishery: white perch in numbers, striped bass on the tides, channel catfish, largemouth bass in the upper freshwater reaches and seasonal shad.

Perch and stripers

White perch are the mainstay, abundant year-round and concentrated in the tidal river during the cooler months: small jigs, bloodworms and grass shrimp all work from bank and boat. Striped bass follow bait up the river on the tides, with spring and fall the best windows around the bridges, wharves and channel edges.

Bass, cats and the tributaries

The upper freshwater river and its tributaries, including the Brandywine and Red Clay creeks, hold largemouth bass, sunfish and stocked trout in season, giving anglers a freshwater option minutes from the tidal water. Channel and blue catfish work the deeper tidal holes and grow large on the river’s productivity.

Wilmington logistics

Access is via city parks, the Riverfront area and public ramps along the tidal river, with additional access on the Brandywine and Red Clay upstream. The urban setting means easy access and unglamorous surroundings: the fishing is better than the scenery suggests, and the cleanup story is a genuine environmental success.

Common questions

Is the water clean?

Much improved after decades of cleanup, though consumption advisories apply on urban waters: check current guidance.

What is the main species?

White perch year-round, with striped bass on the tides in spring and fall and catfish in the deeper holes.

Is there freshwater fishing?

Yes: the upper river and the Brandywine and Red Clay creeks hold bass, sunfish and stocked trout.

Is fishing good at Christina 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

Brandywine Creek6 miLums Pond12 miSusquehanna Flats29 miUnion Lake35 miSilver Lake38 miDelaware Bay48 mi
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