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Rating depth structure for smallmouth bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
Sunbury to Harrisburg: the East's famous smallmouth ledges, plus a booming flathead fishery. The river tops out around 12 ft. The depth picture is modeled, anchored to the true shoreline and the water's published max depth — a scouting aid, never a chart to run a boat by. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Traced from the shoreline, Susquehanna River runs 8,396 acres with 121.2 miles of edge, broken up by 26 islands. The 9.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. End to end it runs roughly 43 mi, about 9 mi across. The water lies in Dauphin County. The nearest mapped water is Juniata River, 20 mi to the west.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. The depth story barely changes: 4 to 12 ft through summer, 4 to 12 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Dauphin Narrows ledges, a rock pile in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 18.7) (7 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 12 ft covers summer, 4 to 12 ft covers winter. The spot to know is West Branch confluence (Sunbury), an inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | West Branch confluence (Sunbury) (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 24.3) (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 24.3) (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 24.3) (9 ft) |
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 12 ft, and they winter in 4 to 12 ft. Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) is the standout, an eddy pocket at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring flathead catfish. Time it for after dark and the evening.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 45 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) |
When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 3 to 12 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 4 to 12 ft, winter 4 to 12 ft. Start at West Branch confluence (Sunbury). It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | West Branch confluence (Sunbury) (6 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Upper Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Upper Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Upper Dam tailrace (10 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring puts muskellunge in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. Fall muskellunge concentrate at Dauphin Narrows ledges, a prime-rated rock pile around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) covers the summer program.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 41.4) (7 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Spring rock bass on Susquehanna River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Dauphin Narrows ledges — rock pile, 5 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in the evening. The summer box starts with a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 22 ft | midday | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 30 ft | midday | Dauphin Narrows ledges (5 ft) | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Susquehanna River also holds common carp (2 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 39 features, led in depth by Upper Dam tailrace at roughly 10 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Pennsylvania waters are set by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission — and special regulations can apply to Susquehanna River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Pennsylvania fishing regulations →
Susquehanna River is about 12 ft (4 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, walleye, muskellunge, rock bass, common carp on Susquehanna River.
Dauphin Narrows ledges is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Susquehanna River is regulated by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. Check the official Pennsylvania regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
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See how Susquehanna River stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Pennsylvania · best walleye lakes in Pennsylvania · best channel catfish lakes in Pennsylvania · best muskellunge lakes in Pennsylvania
Browse all Pennsylvania fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.