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Nanticoke River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 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.

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

Sources: USGS gauge 01487000, 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.

Nanticoke River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 30 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 88. 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 83 F. 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 Nanticoke River near Bridgeville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01487000.

32435330 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp88 F
High / Low88 / 72 F
WindWNW 10-17 mph
Pressure1012.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 79%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 19:27
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 · Showers, 88/72 F, wind 16 mph, rain 79%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

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

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 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 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 Nanticoke 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 89 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 10 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 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: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Broadkill River22 miChoptank River25 miRehoboth Bay27 miDelaware Bay28 miIndian River Inlet30 miSilver Lake30 mi
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