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Susquehanna River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The smallmouth main street: Pennsylvania's mile-wide ledges, a recovered fishery and 400 miles of bronze between the mountains.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
55,800 cfs
Air / High
85 / 86 F
Wind
WNW 10 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01576000, 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Susquehanna River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 55,800 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 86. Water sits around 73 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

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 78 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 at Marietta.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01576000.

19,83034,00048,17055,800 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp85 F
High / Low86 / 71 F
WindWNW 10-19 mph
Pressure1011.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 54%
Sunrise / Sunset06:36 / 19:32
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 86/71 F, wind 10 mph, rain 54%

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 River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Susquehanna 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 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. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 18 mph.

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

License

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

Regulations

Pennsylvania license. Smallmouth: catch-and-release zones and slot protections by reach: check PFBC Susquehanna rules.

Access

Columbia, Wrightsville, Fort Hunter, City Island (Harrisburg) accesses; jet-boat ramps throughout.

About this water

444 miles through Pennsylvania's heart: the Marietta-Harrisburg reaches are our anchor. The East's big-bronze river.

Fishing Susquehanna River: the full guide

The wide river

The Susquehanna spreads a mile wide over limestone ledges through Pennsylvania's heart: the East's signature smallmouth river by size and history. The fishery weathered its 2000s disease crisis and recovered emphatically: today's ledge pockets hold bronze in numbers and sizes (20-inch citations weekly) that restored the river's name.

Ledge doctrine

The river fishes like a flooded parking lot of ledges: fish the grass edges, ledge pockets and current seams with tubes, Neds and topwater (a buzzbait crossing a ledge lip at dawn is the Susquehanna moment). Wading the flats at summer flows opens miles: jet boats and kayaks unlock the rest. The Marietta-to-Columbia and Harrisburg reaches anchor the classic water.

The supporting river

Channel cats and flatheads (an exploding flathead fishery: the river's new apex) fill the deep holes, muskies patrol the grass (Pennsylvania's sleeper program), and walleye school below every dam come November. Spring shad runs return below Conowingo: the river's Chesapeake bloodline showing.

Working the Susky

Access is Pennsylvania-generous: river-town ramps ladder every reach (Columbia, Wrightsville, Fort Hunter): summer's low clear water demands longer casts: and the flows swing hard with rain (our Marietta gauge: under 4 ft of stage wades the flats). The 444-mile river fishes local everywhere: pick a pool and learn it.

Common questions

Is the Susquehanna smallmouth fishery recovered?

Emphatically: the disease years passed and current surveys show strong classes with real size. The ledge bite today rivals the storied 1990s.

How do you fish a mile-wide river?

Ledge by ledge: find current seams and grass edges, ignore the empty 90 percent. Summer wading at low flows turns the giant river into intimate flats.

Is fishing good at Susquehanna River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Yellow Breeches Creek26 miGunpowder River33 miBlue Marsh Lake36 miLoch Raven Reservoir42 miJuniata River43 miSusquehanna Flats45 mi
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