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Nanticoke River Fishing Report

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

Delmarva’s tidal river: the Nanticoke runs cypress-lined and brackish, holding stripers, perch and largemouth in the same trip.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
31 cfs
Air / High
62 / 63 F
Wind
ENE 13 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01487000, 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nanticoke River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. The river is running 31 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 13 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 63. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:36 AM-11:36 AM and 10:05 PM-12:05 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishExcellent

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Late summer into fall is spawning time (mid-August to mid-October on the Gulf, per TPWD), and big adults gather off passes and beaches. Surf and pier anglers soak fresh cut mullet, larger live mullet or blue crab on bottom rigs.

Tomorrow: Similar at 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Delaware requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $8.50 for residents. What a Delaware licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with DNREC before you keep anything. The season dates for Delaware, read off the agency, are on the Delaware seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Nanticoke River near Bridgeville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01487000.

26313631 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 83 years of October 23

At 31 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01487000 (Nanticoke River near Bridgeville) is at the 33rd percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 83 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 39 cfs; the highest was 202 cfs and the lowest 12 cfs.

p10 18median 39p90 109

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01487000; 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 temp62 F
High / Low63 / 45 F
WindENE 13-16 mph
Pressure1026.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain13% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:19 / 18:12
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~64 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Nanticoke River this week

The best day on Nanticoke River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

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

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:36 AM-11:36 AM and 10:05 PM-12:05 AM
Minor period
3:58 AM-4:58 AM
Sun
07:19 to 18:12
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 14 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Nanticoke 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 inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: late-summer and fall bull run; inshore all year

Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), called redfish across the South, is a bronze inshore drum with a black spot near the tail, fished on grass flats, oyster bars, marsh creeks and beaches from the Chesapeake around Florida to Texas. Late summer into fall is spawning time (mid-August to mid-October on the Gulf, per TPWD), and big adults gather off passes and beaches. Surf and pier anglers soak fresh cut mullet, larger live mullet or blue crab on bottom rigs.

When to come: the Nanticoke 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 64 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~64 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 Nanticoke 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. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 15 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 or Maryland license depending on the reach: verify which state’s water you are fishing. Striper and perch rules differ by state and season.

Access

Ramps at Seaford, Blades and Woodland Ferry (DE); Vienna and Sharptown (MD).

About this water

A tidal river from Delaware into the Maryland Chesapeake, Sussex County, Delaware and Dorchester County, Maryland.

Fishing Nanticoke River: the full guide

A river of two waters

The Nanticoke River rises in Delaware and runs through cypress-lined bottomland into Maryland and the Chesapeake, changing from fresh to brackish along the way. That transition creates unusual variety: largemouth bass and crappie in the upper freshwater reaches, white and yellow perch through the middle river, and striped bass in the tidal lower stretches, all reachable within a few miles of each other.

Perch and the spring run

The white and yellow perch runs each spring are a Delmarva tradition: fish push up the river and its tributaries to spawn, and anglers line the bridges and banks with small jigs, minnows and shad darts. It is fast, accessible fishing that starts as early as February in mild years and draws multiple generations of local families.

Bass and stripers

Largemouth hold the cypress knees, fallen timber and grass beds in the upper river: pitch jigs and soft plastics to the wood, and work spinnerbaits along the edges. Striped bass work the lower tidal river, following bait on the tides and taking swimbaits, plugs and live bait around the channel edges and points. Tide timing matters as much as time of day.

Delmarva logistics

Ramps at Seaford, Blades, Woodland Ferry and Vienna serve the river, with the historic Woodland Ferry crossing still operating as a free cable ferry. The upper river is narrow and wooded, the lower open and tidal. Seaford is the main town on the Delaware side, with Vienna and Sharptown on the Maryland stretch.

Common questions

When is the perch run?

Late winter into early spring, sometimes as early as February: a Delmarva tradition fished from banks and bridges.

Which license do I need?

It depends on the reach: Delaware upstream, Maryland downstream. Check where the line falls before fishing.

Can I catch stripers and bass the same day?

Yes: the freshwater upper river and tidal lower river are close enough to fish both in one trip.

Is fishing good at Nanticoke River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Killens Pond19 miBroadkill River22 miChoptank River25 miRehoboth Bay27 miDelaware Bay28 miIndian River Inlet30 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01487000 — Nanticoke River near Bridgeville
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 38.7200, -75.6000 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.