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© 2026·AI-powered bite forecast
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United States / Delaware / Murderkill River

Bite forecast: Murderkill River

  • length 19 mi
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Best fishing days for the next week

  1. WednesdaySeptember 9weather-based forecast
    53/100medium activity

    Partly cloudy: 68–86 °F

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Nearby rivers

  • Johnson Branch7 mi
  • Mispillion River7 mi
  • Swan Creek8 mi
  • Cypress Branch8 mi

Nearby water bodies

  • PondKillens Pond0.5 mi
  • PondCoursey Pond0.6 mi
  • PondMcCauley Pond2 mi
  • LakeAndrews Lake3 mi
  • PondMcGinnis Pond4 mi
  • LakeStormwater Retention Basin (South)5 mi
  • PondBlairs Pond6 mi
  • PondTubmill Pond6 mi
  • PondGriffith Lake6 mi
  • PondBlairs Pond6 mi

Murderkill River (Delaware) — one of the area's fishing spots. About 30 km long. Nearest town — Dover. This page shows an hourly bite forecast for today and the week ahead; the algorithm factors in the weather, atmospheric pressure, and the moon phase.

TuesdaySeptember 8weather-based forecast
50/100medium activity

Cloudy: 64–81 °F

  • ThursdaySeptember 10weather-based forecast
    50/100medium activity

    Partly cloudy: 72–79 °F

  • Nearby towns

    • Dover10 mi

    Bite calendar

    Aug 31 – Sep 6
    Mon
    Tue
    Wed
    Thu
    Fri
    Sat
    Sun
    Bite activity:highmediumlowslow
    Based on:weatherseasonal
    What is a bite calendar?
    Striped bassBlack crappieSmallmouth bassWhite bassWhite crappieLargemouth bassRainbow troutBluegillCarpChannel catfish

    Black crappie

    6/10 · Fair

    Hourly activity

    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00
    Bite activity:highmediumlow

    The bite is moderate — fish feed in short bursts. Weather is steady, with no sharp swings — fish behave predictably.

    Peak bite hours

    Best time — 06:00–08:00 (dawn bite) and 19:00–21:00 (dusk bite).

    Tactics

    Work the cover — snags, weed edges, hole entrances; retrieve the lure with pauses.

    Lures

    The water's turning murky — go with bright, noisy lures: small jig or minnow bait.

    Gear

    No special gear needed — seasonal clothing will do. Rain is expected — don't forget a rain jacket or a waterproof shell.

    Summary

    An average day — best chances during peak windows.

    How this forecast is calculated

    Why this forecast

    The computed water temperature is around 74 °F — inside the 57–75 °F comfort range for Black crappie, so baseline activity is high.

    Computed water temperature by month; the green band is the 57–75 °F comfort rangecomfort 57–75 °F74 °F
    JFMAMJJASOND

    Black crappie works the twilight: the peaks are pinned to sunrise and sunset — their times are in the sun-and-moon card above.

    The day: daylight hours and when Black crappie feeds0:0012:0024:00

    Pressure is rising 0.24 inHg over the day — the bite usually settles down after a rise.

    Pressure through the day, 0.24 inHg change
    00:00 · 29.8423:00 · 30.07 inHg

    One more input — the moon's feeding windows: within their hours the score sits higher than across the rest of the day. The window times are in the “Solunar feeding periods” card below.

    Feeding windows on the day scale0:0012:0024:00

    September is an active season for Black crappie here.

    JFMAMJJASOND

    These are the same values the bite curve above was computed from. How the forecast works

    6 SepSunday, September 6
    +74°

    Drizzle · feels like +75°

    Low / high
    +66°…+74°
    Precipitation
    0.00 in
    Wind
    8 mph ENE
    Cloud cover
    100%
    Humidity
    64%
    Pressure
    29.96 inHg
    00:00+72°—3 mphsouthwest wind, 3 mph74%28%
    01:00+72°—4 mphsouthwest wind, 4 mph74%93%
    02:00+72°—2 mphsouthwest wind, 2 mph74%100%
    03:00+70°—0 mpheast wind, 0 mph80%2%
    04:00+71°0.02 in2 mphsoutheast wind, 2 mph77%100%
    05:00+71°0.02 in3 mphsoutheast wind, 3 mph80%100%
    06:00+71°0.00 in5 mphnortheast wind, 5 mph80%100%
    07:00+70°—11 mpheast wind, 11 mph85%100%
    08:00+69°—12 mpheast wind, 12 mph80%100%
    09:00+70°—11 mphnortheast wind, 11 mph75%100%
    10:00+72°—12 mphnortheast wind, 12 mph72%100%
    11:00+74°—10 mphnortheast wind, 10 mph66%100%
    12:00+74°0.00 in8 mphnortheast wind, 8 mph64%100%
    13:00+74°0.02 in11 mphnortheast wind, 11 mph68%100%
    14:00+73°0.02 in11 mpheast wind, 11 mph70%100%
    15:00+73°0.02 in13 mpheast wind, 13 mph68%100%
    16:00+73°—11 mpheast wind, 11 mph67%86%
    17:00+73°0.00 in9 mpheast wind, 9 mph67%100%
    18:00+72°0.01 in12 mpheast wind, 12 mph71%85%
    19:00+70°—11 mphsoutheast wind, 11 mph74%5%
    20:00+68°0.00 in11 mpheast wind, 11 mph76%14%
    21:00+69°—11 mpheast wind, 11 mph74%100%
    22:00+67°—9 mpheast wind, 9 mph77%0%
    23:00+66°—8 mpheast wind, 8 mph77%0%
    +74°+70°+66°
    Weather throughout the day
    0:006:0012:0018:0023:00

    Sun and moon

    Sunday, September 6
    The day: daylight and the hours the moon is above the horizon. Local time0:0012:0024:00
    DaylightMoon above the horizon
    Sunrise
    06:34
    Sunset
    19:24
    Day length
    12 h 50 min
    Sunshine hours
    11 h 17 min
    UV index
    3
    moderate
    Moon
    Waning crescent
    Moonrise
    01:03
    Moonset
    16:51

    The day is 2 min shorter than yesterday.

    Sunshine hours count direct sun only — cloud cover cuts it, so it is shorter than daylight.

    Solunar feeding periods

    +12% in the windowSunday, September 6
    Feeding windows on the day scale, local time0:0012:0024:00
    Major periodsMinor periods
    • Minor00:33–01:33Moonrise
    • Major08:01–10:01Moon overhead
    • Minor16:21–17:21Moonset
    • Major20:31–22:31Moon underfoot

    The windows are set by the moon's transit and rise, and the forecast above already accounts for them: within these hours the bite score sits higher than across the rest of the day, while the day's overall level still comes from the catch-calibrated model.

    What are solunar periods?

    Measured river conditions are available for Murderkill River: current gauge height, streamflow, and water temperature when reported by the source.

    Water

    Gauge height
    4.81 ft
    Streamflow
    -224 ft³/s
    Water temp · measured
    81 °F
    In the model
    74 °F

    USGS gauge MURDERKILL RIVER AT FREDERICA, DE, 4 mi away · measured 2026-09-04 12:06 · data source · provisional data, subject to revision