Susquehanna Flats Striped Bass Fishing Season Almost Here

Starting on March 1st until May the 3rd, each year the largest striped bass visit the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay just outside Havre de Grace, MD, in a stretch of water known as the Susquehanna Flats.  

This is an ideal location to fly or light tackle fish in waters as shallow as 1 foot.  Catching stripers on top water starts when the water temperature reaches 55 degrees, around the middle of April.  This is the time of year where you will have an opportunity to catch that once in a lifetime striped bass. 

If you are new to fishing the flats, make sure to run down the west side shipping channel, and once you go around the south side of R"2", it will be safe to cross over to the east side channel. 

If you're used to drifting over the flats (done best during a high tide), look for deep ditches that run parallel and in the same direction as the Susquehanna River.  Shad and herring move in these ditched during their spawning season and the striped bass use these ditches as ambush locations.  A very productive fly to use here is a large Half & Half with a red head, and a chartreuse and white body.  Fish it on sinking fly line witha 4' leader.  If you light tackle fishing, try a 6" Gulp Alive Swimming Mullett on a 1/2 or 3/4 ounce jighead. 

This is a catch and release fishery.