All waters · Delaware · Nanticoke River

Nanticoke River, DE

River in Sussex County, Delaware. A tidal blackwater river winding through southwestern Sussex County toward the Chesapeake. The tidal stretches around Seaford and Phillips Landing give up largemouth bass, crappie, white perch, channel catfish and chain pickerel, while striped bass and white perch run the lower river seasonally. Cypress-lined banks and submerged wood make it a classic structure fishery.

66

Overall bite score

Scored 17 min ago · recomputed every 30 minutes

Water tempModeled63
Pressure trendNOAAsteady60
Flow vs medianUSGS100
Tide phaseNOAA100
SolunarComputedmoon 52% lit42
Recent stockingState data50
Time of dayComputed100
WindNOAA70
Cloud coverNOAA35
PrecipitationNOAA50

Each instrument reads 0 to 100. The score is their weighted blend, tuned for tidal water. No black box: every reading names its source.

What swims here

8 tracked species in Nanticoke River, with the months each fishes best.

Largemouth Bassabundant · best Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct
White Perchabundant · best Mar-May, Oct-Nov
Black Crappiecommon · best Mar-May
Bluegillcommon · best May-Aug
Chain Pickerelcommon · best Feb-Mar, Nov-Dec
Channel Catfishcommon · best May-Sep
American Shadrare · best Mar-Apr
Striped Bassrare · best Apr-May, Oct-Nov

Water facts

TypeRiver
CountySussex
StateDelaware
WaterFreshwater, tidal
USGS gauge01487000
NOAA station8571858

Live USGS gauge 01487000 (Nanticoke River near Bridgeville) provides streamflow; it is a discharge-only gage with no temperature series, so the bite score uses flow plus the seasonal baseline. Ramps at Phillips Landing and Woodland Wharf (Nanticoke Wildlife Area) near Laurel, and at Seaford. Tidal river; American shad harvest is closed on the Nanticoke and its tributaries.

See the full forecast for Nanticoke River in the app: best windows, 7-day outlook, what to bring, and offline regulations. The score and essentials are free.

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