Fishing the Susquehanna Flats: Striped Bass at the Head of the Bay

The Susquehanna Flats is the wide, shallow stretch where the Susquehanna River meets the head of the Chesapeake Bay, and it is one of Maryland’s best-known places to fish for striped bass. It is also one of the most regulated. This guide explains the Flats-specific striped bass calendar, what else you can catch there, the rules that cover the tidal river, and what gear suits it. It uses the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing and notes where we could not confirm something.

What the Flats rules are

DNR treats the Flats, the lower Susquehanna River and the Northeast River as their own striped bass management area, with a table that differs from the rest of the Bay. The key points for 2026 were:

• January and February: catch and release only.
• March: catch and release only on the Flats upstream of a line from Sandy Point to Turkey Point, on the Susquehanna River below a line from the Susquehanna State Park boat ramp at Lapidum to Twin Rocks to Tomes Wharf in Port Deposit, and on the Northeast River. Stinger hooks are prohibited and trolling requires barbless hooks.
• April and May: all waters upstream of a line from Abbey Point to Worton Point are closed to striped bass fishing, and attempting to catch striped bass is illegal.
• June, July and September through December 5: open, one fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.
• August: closed to all striped bass fishing.
• December 6 to 31: catch and release only.

The full table, with the main Bay beside it, is on the Maryland striped bass guide. These are 2026 dates. DNR sets the next season separately, so check DNR before a spring trip.

Other fish in the tidal Susquehanna

Striped bass get the attention, but the tidal river and the upper Bay hold several other fish with simple rules.

• White perch: no minimum size if caught by hook and line and no creel limit.
• Yellow perch: 9 inches and 5 a day. The state yellow perch record for the Chesapeake is a 2.3 pound fish from the lower Susquehanna River in February 2025.
• Largemouth and smallmouth bass: open year round with a daily limit of 5, with a 15 inch minimum from March 1 to June 15 and a 12 inch minimum from June 16 through February.
• Catfish: no size or creel limit. Blue and flathead catfish are invasive, and it is illegal to move them live to another water. The state flathead record, 57 pounds, came from the Lapidum boat ramp on the Susquehanna in 2020.
• Shad and herring: American shad, hickory shad, alewife and blueback herring are closed in tidal water.

The specific limits are in the rules snapshot above.

Access

The 2026 guide mentions the Susquehanna State Park boat ramp at Lapidum and Port Deposit as reference points for the striped bass lines. We have not confirmed ramps, parking, fees or hours at Havre de Grace, Lapidum, Port Deposit or Elk Neck, so we are not describing them. Check with Maryland State Parks before you launch.

Tackle that suits it

Medium-heavy spinning gear is the usual choice for striped bass on the Flats, with bucktails, soft plastics and topwater plugs. A rod around 7 to 7 and a half feet that casts 1 to 2 ounces is a common match. For white perch and yellow perch, light spinning gear with small jigs, spinners or bait is plenty. Hook rules matter: Maryland requires circle hooks for striped bass with certain baits, so read the rules snapshot before you rig up.

Eating the fish

Maryland has fish consumption advisories on waters in the Susquehanna and the Bay. We could not read the Department of the Environment’s tables, so we are not publishing advisory figures. Check the state advisory list before you keep fish.

Related guides

Maryland’s coast and Eastern Shore have their own pages: see the Eastern Shore guide. The rules page covers license questions: Maryland license and rules.