Tonight 6 pm to Monday 4 amChain pickerel
The bite peaks at 86. Water is 60°, close to the 60° chain pickerel like best, and a solunar period lands on the window. Wind builds to 18 mph out of the northwest by today at 4:00 pm.
Each float is an hour. The deeper it rides, the better the bite. The strip underneath runs daylight, dusk and dark; the red rule marks the best window. Click any hour to read it.
Right now
Chain pickerel range 45–80°
From the northwest · rough for small boats
steady · -3% in 24 h
Sunset 5:02 pm
4% chance of rain
NWS hourly forecast
Measured, last 3 hours
Waning crescent
Each species is scored against its own water-temperature range and tide preference, then wind, weather and warnings. The rules are Maryland non-tidal regulations for these waters.
Right in chain pickerel's ideal range. Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Holds 3–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland nontidal waters: 14" minimum, 5 a day (10 in possession), open all year. May not be used as bait.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland non-tidal
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Oct–Apr. More on chain pickerel
Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside smallmouth bass's active range. Settled river level — clearer water, easier wading. Holds 3–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland nontidal waters: 12" minimum (or as set by special regulation), 5 bass a day combined with largemouth, kept only Jun 16 to the last day of February. Catch and release is allowed at all times. Bass may not be used as bait.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland non-tidal
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Nov. More on smallmouth bass
Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside channel catfish's active range. Holds 5–30 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland nontidal waters: no minimum size, 5 a day (10 in possession), open all year.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland non-tidal
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Nov. More on channel catfish
Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside largemouth bass's active range. Holds 3–25 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland nontidal waters: 12" minimum (or as set by special regulation), 5 bass a day combined with smallmouth, kept only Jun 16 to the last day of February. Catch and release is allowed at all times. Bass may not be used as bait.
Verified Oct 23, 2026 · Maryland non-tidal
Last checked 15 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Mar–Nov. More on largemouth bass
Light breeze — ruffles the surface so fish spook less, and casting is easy. Inside common carp's active range. Holds 1–15 ft down.
Open. Keep fish within the limits. Maryland non-tidal waters: no minimum size, open year-round, 15 a day and 30 in possession.
Verified Oct 18, 2026 · Maryland non-tidal
Last checked 20 days ago. Rules may have changed.
Season here: Apr–Oct. More on common carp
Solunar tables are a popular heuristic. A peer-reviewed test found they don’t predict catch on their own, so here they only nudge the score when the tide or moon already agree. How the score works
Freshwater Fishing. Although the fall trout stocking program has reached its end, there are still plenty of opportunities for put-and-take anglers in the many community ponds and reservoirs that were stocked. If anglers try switching from Powerbait and work the waters distant from the usual stocking locations with spinners, they might be surprised with the trout that are still there. The delayed harvest and catch-and-return trout management waters will provide catch-and-release fishing from now until June. At that time there will be dates when they revert to put-and-take for the summer months. More information about the special trout management areas is on the DNR website.
Quoted from the Maryland DNR weekly fishing report. Reports are what anglers and biologists saw that week, not a forecast.
Licenses and rules: MD DNR · fish-consumption advisory
The lower Monocacy River near Buckeystown offers public shore access for smallmouth bass and channel catfish before the river joins the Potomac. Wading access in summer; best flows in spring and fall.
Access via Mouth of Monocacy Road and Lily Pons Road. No facilities. Can flood significantly in spring.
Public spots within 40 miles, with the same 36 hours of floats.
Yes (anglers age 16 and older). To fish at Monocacy River — Buckeystown you need a Maryland non-tidal fishing license issued by MD DNR (and a separate Maryland trout stamp if targeting trout in non-tidal waters). See the agency's current rules: https://dnr.maryland.gov/pages/service_fishing_license.aspx
Monocacy River — Buckeystown is listed on this site for 5 commonly-targeted species: Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Chain Pickerel, and 1 more. Which species is currently in season and which is scoring highest today is shown in the per-species ranking on this page.
It depends more on the species and the day's conditions than on a fixed "best hour." Water temperature, weather, and — at tidal locations — the stage of the tide drive activity most. The per-species ranking on this page scores every target species at Monocacy River — Buckeystown against today's live conditions, so the fish near the top are your best bets right now; check back as conditions change through the day.
Monocacy River — Buckeystown has shoreline / wading access. There is no pier or boat ramp at this location. Access via Mouth of Monocacy Road and Lily Pons Road. No facilities. Can flood significantly in spring.
Maryland DNR non-tidal (inland) regulations apply at Monocacy River — Buckeystown. Size limits, creel limits, and seasonal closures are listed per species on each species page. Always confirm against the agency source linked from each regulation block — emergency closures can take effect mid-season.
No. Monocacy River — Buckeystown is non-tidal — water level varies with rainfall, seasonal flow, and (where applicable) upstream dam releases rather than tidal exchange.
Press / anywhere to search. Towns list the closest spots.
