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Susquehanna Flats Fishing Report

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

The head of the Chesapeake: the Flats grow grass beds and trophy striped bass in water you can wade at low tide.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
12,900 cfs
Air / High
62 / 62 F
Wind
ENE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01578310, 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.

Susquehanna Flats rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 12,900 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 7 mph, steady pressure near 1026 hPa and a high of 62. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:38 AM-11:38 AM and 10:07 PM-12:07 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 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Maryland requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $32.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Maryland licence costs and where to buy it β†’

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

Water and weather

Live readings from Susquehanna River at Conowingo.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01578310.

12,56624,24035,91412,900 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 59 years of October 23

At 12,900 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01578310 (Susquehanna River at Conowingo) is at the 41st percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 59 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 15,300 cfs; the highest was 145,000 cfs and the lowest 881 cfs.

p10 4,820median 15,300p90 89,400

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01578310; 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 / Low62 / 50 F
WindENE 7-9 mph
Pressure1026.4 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:22 / 18:13
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 Susquehanna Flats this week

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

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

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:38 AM-11:38 AM and 10:07 PM-12:07 AM
Minor period
3:60 AM-4:60 AM
Sun
07:22 to 18:13
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 13 mph
Rain chance
0%

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

Species guide

The species that matter on Susquehanna Flats: 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 Susquehanna Flats 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 Susquehanna Flats 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 67 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 12 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

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

Regulations

Maryland license. The spring trophy striped bass season on the Flats is catch-and-release with specific gear rules and dates: verify current DNR regulations before fishing.

Access

Ramps at Havre de Grace, Perryville and North East; shallow-draft boats and kayaks are best suited to the Flats.

About this water

Shallow grass flats at the head of the Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna River enters, Cecil and Harford counties, Maryland.

Fishing Susquehanna Flats: the full guide

Where the river becomes the bay

The Susquehanna Flats spread across the top of the Chesapeake Bay where the river drops its sediment, creating thousands of acres of shallow, grass-filled water just a few feet deep. It is one of the most storied striped bass fisheries on the East Coast: in spring, huge pre-spawn rockfish move onto the Flats to stage, and the catch-and-release trophy season draws anglers from up and down the coast.

The spring trophy season

March through early May is the event: large striped bass, many over forty inches, cruise the grass edges and channel drops. The fishery is catch-and-release only during this window, with strict gear rules designed to protect the spawning fish: check current Maryland regulations carefully, because dates and terms change. Anglers throw big soft plastics, gliders and flies on sinking lines, sight-fishing when conditions allow.

The grass and the rest of the year

The Flats’ submerged aquatic vegetation rebounded dramatically over the past two decades, and that grass now holds largemouth bass in numbers, plus perch, catfish and later-season stripers. Summer and fall offer excellent largemouth fishing along the grass edges, a freshwater fishery in a tidal setting, and one that gets a fraction of the attention the spring stripers receive.

Access at the head of the bay

Ramps at Havre de Grace, Perryville and North East serve the Flats, with the Susquehanna River flowing in above Conowingo Dam. Water clarity and level depend on river flow: heavy rain muddies the Flats for days. Wind against tide builds nasty chop over shallow water, and the shoals are unforgiving: a chart and a shallow-draft boat are the right tools.

Common questions

When is the trophy season?

Spring, typically March into early May, catch-and-release only. Dates and rules change annually: check Maryland DNR before going.

Can I keep fish on the Flats?

Not during the spring catch-and-release season. Other seasons follow standard Chesapeake striped bass regulations.

Is the largemouth fishing real?

Very: the restored grass beds hold a strong largemouth population, fished hard by locals and ignored by everyone else.

Is fishing good at Susquehanna Flats 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

Lums Pond19 miNoxontown Pond21 miLoch Raven Reservoir25 miWhite Clay Creek26 miChristina River29 miGunpowder River30 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01578310 β€” Susquehanna River at Conowingo
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 17:35 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.5000, -76.0800 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.