Best Fishing Spots on the Susquehanna Flats in 2027
The Susquehanna Flats at the head of the Bay is the premier spring catch-and-release trophy striped bass fishery — big pre-spawn fish in skinny water eating topwater. The density goes red over the flats at first and last light.
🗺️ Density map
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Hot-spot Q&A
When is the Susquehanna Flats trophy season?
The Flats fire in the spring pre-spawn — roughly March into early May — when big striped bass stage in the shallow, warming water at the head of the Bay before running up the Susquehanna. This is a special catch-and-release zone with its own DNR season dates and rules that change each year, so confirm the current regulations before you launch.
Why topwater, and when?
The Flats are shallow — grass, gravel, and skinny water — so big pre-spawn fish feed up top, especially in low light. Walk-the-dog topwater plugs and big soft-plastic paddletails at dawn and dusk are the signature technique. As the sun climbs, the fish pull to the deeper edges and channel; switch to subsurface swimbaits and jerkbaits then.
Is this catch-and-release?
The Susquehanna Flats trophy fishery is largely a catch-and-release season with strict rules — barbless or circle hooks may be required and harvest is typically closed during the spawn window. It exists to protect the spawning stock. Treat it as C&R unless the current Maryland DNR regulations explicitly say otherwise for the dates you're fishing.
Any crabbing up here?
Not really — the head of the Bay is much fresher water, so blue crab density is low compared to the mid and lower Bay (the map reflects that). If crabs are the goal, head down to the Choptank, the Patuxent, or Tangier Sound. The Flats are about trophy rockfish, white perch, and (after dark) catfish.