The Nanticoke River: A Popular Destination for Largemouth Bass Fishing

Website design By BotEap.comThe Nanticoke River is without a doubt one of the best rivers on the East Coast for bass fishing. On weekends, you’ll see multi-state fishing tournaments because the river fishes “big enough” to accommodate 50-150 boat events. I have found that dividing the river into three basic sections helps anglers new here avoid being overwhelmed by the size of the river. These are the Main/Seaford River, Broad Creek, and finally Marshyhope Creek. Each of these areas has advantages and disadvantages for tournament anglers and weekend anglers alike.

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Website design By BotEap.comThis creek is very popular, but has too many “no wake” zones between Phillips Landing and Laurel, making it difficult to “run and gun” in tournaments. Broad Creek is more sheltered from strong winds and generally has clearer water the closer it gets to Laurel.

Website design By BotEap.comSome of the best fishing can be found at markers #4, 5, and 7, as the creek makes wide bends all the way to Bethel. Just after the Bethel Bridge there is a small pond on the right that is easily accessed from the river. This is a real hotspot at times and a guaranteed fishing spot during spawning. Further up the creek you will see tons of downed trees and finally a couple of bridges and a spillway at Laurel. This area is good but slow due to boat traffic and obstructions in the narrow channel.

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Website design By BotEap.comThe main river and the Seaford area make jumping from one place to another very easy because the river is wider and has very few restrictions. You’ll have to deal with barge traffic and lots of pleasure boaters and the dreaded jet skis, but the fishing is excellent. My favorite places are the boat docks; ferry crossing in the woods, pad lines and all the great little feeder streams. The Seaford area has heavy industry with all the barge piling sets, bulkheads, a railway bridge and several good backwater areas. Between the railway bridge and the Blades drawbridge is a large marina with excellent fishing in winter and during spawning. Over the Blades drawbridge to the left is another backwater area that leads to a dam with some great fishing at times. Going upriver, passing the Route 13 bridge, the river divides into two arms. Both are fantastic in the summer and fall, but require time and caution to explore. Look closely and you’ll notice many new grassy areas. When fishing for Nanticoke, remember that the tide turns much earlier in Sharptown and Vienna than it does in Seaford, so make the most of that “golden hour” when the bite is strong.

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Website design By BotEap.comThe Marshyhope fishes like a completely separate river and is easy to navigate when the pads are up. In winter or early season, several bass boats have hit the mudflats thinking they were in the channel. This creek has always been best for me when the tide is out, and the last couple of hours have been fantastic. Tournament fishermen planted brush piles, lugged wooden pallets, and even rock piles to enhance certain areas. All of these are easy to find by watching your depth finder and slowly navigating towards shelf line drops and creek mouths. There are several old wooden ship wrecks in this creek that contain fish and some are visible at low tide so mark them with your GPS. Fish every creek mouth you can find at low tide. The beaver huts are really bass magnets in this creek and any wood you see outside the pad line on the falling tide will keep the bass steady. Also fish shallow bridge pilings, piers, and any riprap you see that helps break up the current. Proceeding into the narrow wooded section, look closely to your left and you’ll see a small pond called “Peggy’s Hole.” This is a great spot during spawning that is often put “off limits” in tournaments to prevent a boat race from reaching it. Bass spawn much earlier than most people think in this pond. Heading towards Federalsburg you will notice a sandpit on your left which is also a spawn area which can be very good. In Federalsburg, on the new ramp, there is a small marina that never has boats moored, but it is a good place to fish. All the rip rap nearby is good too. In the fall, keep fishing past Federalsburg, as the fish will be there as the water cools. Now for the downside, Marshyhope has a very strong current, gets muddy easily after rains or boat traffic, and is a pretty long drive from either the Phillip’s Landing or Seaford ramps.