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White Clay Creek Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Nov 9, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

White Clay Creek: a National Wild and Scenic River near Newark that Delaware stocks with rainbow and brown trout, with a fly-fishing-only reach at the Pennsylvania line.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
45 cfs
Air / High
47 / 60 F
Wind
W 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01479000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Monday
9
November 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.

White Clay Creek asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 45 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 41 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:27 PM-1:27 AM and 11:03 AM-1:03 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Rainbow troutGood

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Largemouth bassFair

Below about 50°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

Tomorrow: Similar at 64 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Nov 10, 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 rainbow trout 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 WHITE CLAY CREEK NEAR NEWARK, DE.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01479000.

16542267945 cfs10/1010/2010/3011/09

Today’s flow against 85 years of November 9

At 45 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01479000 (WHITE CLAY CREEK NEAR NEWARK, DE) is at the 30th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 85 years of approved record the daily mean on November 9 was below 55 cfs; the highest was 805 cfs and the lowest 24 cfs.

p10 32median 55p90 145

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01479000; 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 temp47 F
High / Low60 / 42 F
WindW 9-17 mph
Pressure1010.9 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:40 / 16:52
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (gauge)52 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~41 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 White Clay Creek this week

The best day on White Clay Creek this week looks like Saturday Nov 14, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Saturday, Nov 14 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Nov 9 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
11:27 PM-1:27 AM and 11:03 AM-1:03 PM
Minor period
6:49 AM-7:49 AM
Sun
06:40 to 16:52
Moon
New Moon, 0% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 18 mph
Rain chance
2%

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

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. Below about 50°F feeding slows sharply, Iowa DNR notes; use small, slow baits near deep cover and fish the warmest part of the day.

When to come: the White Clay Creek 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
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
Largemouth bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 41 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovNov, ~41 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 White Clay Creek today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Nov 8

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 13 mph.

Sat, Nov 7

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 58 F, wind to 14 mph.

Fri, Nov 6

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 9 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 2026: trout stamp required on designated trout streams from the first Saturday in April through June 30 and from the first Saturday in October through November 30 (unless exempt). Possession limit 6 trout a day; 4 in or within 50 ft of the fly-fishing-only section. Fly-fishing-only rules apply year round from 25 yards above Thompson Bridge (Chambers Rock Road) to the PA line.

Access

White Clay Creek State Park, open 8 a.m. to sunset; entrance fee $5/day for Delaware-registered vehicles and $10/day for others, free on foot or bike. Respect private land along the stream.

About this water

A National Wild and Scenic River and designated trout stream (PA line to Paper Mill Road) through White Clay Creek State Park near Newark, New Castle County, Delaware.

Fishing White Clay Creek: the full guide

A designated trout stream

DNREC lists White Clay Creek as a designated trout stream from the Pennsylvania line down to the downstream side of Paper Mill Road. Delaware's trout program is a self-supporting put-and-take fishery paid for by trout stamp sales; because summer temperatures limit trout survival, stocked fish are meant to be taken, though anglers may release them. Delaware State Parks calls White Clay Creek the most heavily stocked water in the state.

The 2026 season and stockings

In New Castle County the 2026 trout season opened at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 4 for anglers under 16 and half an hour before sunrise on Sunday, April 5 for everyone. Designated trout streams are closed to all fishing for the 14 days before the opener, and fishing for trout there is not allowed from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. DNREC's 2026 schedule lists White Clay Creek for pre-season stocking, which includes rainbows of 14 inches or more, and for several spring dates, some with brown trout of 11 inches or more.

The fly-fishing-only reach

From 25 yards above Thompson Bridge at Chambers Rock Road up to the Pennsylvania state line, the creek is fly-fishing only, year round. Spinners, spoons, lures, plugs and natural bait are banned there, no more than two flies may be on a line, and no angler may hold more than four trout in or within 50 feet of the section. Elsewhere the daily possession limit is six trout.

White Clay Creek State Park

The creek runs through White Clay Creek State Park, which grew from 1960s land purchases to more than 3,600 acres and took its current name in 1995; the National Park Service named the creek a National Wild and Scenic River in 2000. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, has more than 37 miles of trails and offers catch-and-release fishing for largemouth bass, with accessible docks on Smith Mill Pond. DNREC notes that most access to its designated trout streams crosses private property or state park land.

Common questions

When is White Clay Creek stocked?

DNREC stocks it before the April opener (including rainbows of 14 inches or more) and on several spring dates; the dates change each year and are published in the trout section of Delaware's fishing guide.

Where is the fly-fishing-only water?

From 25 yards above Thompson Bridge at Chambers Rock Road upstream to the Pennsylvania line. Only flies are allowed, two at most on a line, and you may hold no more than four trout there.

Do I need a trout stamp?

Yes, on designated trout streams from the first Saturday in April through June 30 and from the first Saturday in October through November 30, unless you are exempt by age. Stamps are now digital or paper facsimile only.

Is fishing good at White Clay Creek 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

Christina River4 miBrandywine Creek8 miLums Pond11 miNoxontown Pond18 miSusquehanna Flats26 miGarrisons Lake32 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01479000 — WHITE CLAY CREEK NEAR NEWARK, DE
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-11-09 at 10:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.6992, -75.6750 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.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 7, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
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 text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 7, 2026; anything that could not be verified was 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.