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Susquehanna Flats Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 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.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
62,200 cfs
Air / High
88 / 88 F
Wind
WNW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01578310, 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.

Susquehanna Flats sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 62,200 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind WNW around 9 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 81 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 Susquehanna River at Conowingo.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01578310.

15,68734,01052,33462,200 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp88 F
High / Low88 / 72 F
WindWNW 9-19 mph
Pressure1012.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain14% cloud, 64%
Sunrise / Sunset06:35 / 19:30
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, 88/72 F, wind 10 mph, rain 64%

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 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

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 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 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 Susquehanna Flats 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 87 F, wind to 12 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 77 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 20 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: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lums Pond19 miLoch Raven Reservoir25 miChristina River29 miGunpowder River30 miBrandywine Creek33 miSilver Lake38 mi
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