Fishing in Maryland public spots, conditions & reports
61 of 80worth the trip today
Mostly white perch and striped bass today. Each spot is scored for whatever is in season and biting best there.
Hold Ctrl and scroll to zoom
Every Maryland spot
80 public spots, best first. Each is scored for whatever is in season and biting best there.
64° water · 15 mph wind · incoming tide
62° water · 13 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 16 mph wind · incoming tide
62° water · 12 mph wind · high slack tide
64° water · 14 mph wind · incoming tide
64° water · 14 mph wind · incoming tide
64° water · 15 mph wind · incoming tide
63° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
64° water · 16 mph wind · incoming tide
62° water · 17 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 16 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 13 mph wind · low slack tide
62° water · 12 mph wind · low slack tide
62° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
72° water · 17 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 20 mph wind · low slack tide
62° water · 13 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
62° water · 15 mph wind · outgoing tide
63° water · 18 mph wind · outgoing tide
63° water · 20 mph wind · outgoing tide
72° water · 16 mph wind · outgoing tide
The state report
Upper Chesapeake Bay. Cooler water temperatures are turning up the fishing action for striped bass anglers casting paddletails and topwater lures in the shallower waters, especially near the edges of the Susquehanna Flats and structured shorelines along the Bay and tidal river shores. The best action occurs during the morning and evening hours when a good tide is running, and a flood tide is always an advantage. Upper Bay water temperatures are holding around 60 degrees this week. Baitfish in the form of juvenile menhaden are moving out of the major tidal rivers into the upper Bay, and into a gauntlet of hungry striped bass hoping to put on some weight after a long hot summer.
Middle Bay. It is all about striped bass this week as the fall fishery kicks into gear. Anglers are enjoying excellent fishing along the shores of the tidal rivers and Bay this week. Casting paddletails , crankbaits , and topwater lures during the morning and evening hours has been very successful. This is a wonderful time of the year to get out for a short trip to the lower sections of the region’s tidal rivers for some evening casting for striped bass. A few anglers are magically finding the last of the spot and live-lining them along channel edges and the Bay Bridge piers with good success. Using live eels and cut bait also works well.
Read the whole report at Maryland DNR · Other states’ reports
Licenses and rules
Rules for what people fish for here
- Striped bass19" minimum · 24" maximum · 1 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay, 2026. Catch and release only Jan 1–Apr 30 and Dec 6–31; harvest May 1–Jul 31 and Sep 1–Dec 5 at 1 fish a day, 19–24"; closed to all striped bass fishing in August. In May, harvest is only allowed in the main Bay (and Tangier and Pocomoke sounds), not in its bays, rivers and creeks. Spawning rivers and the Upper Bay spawning area are closed to all striped bass fishing Mar 1–May 31. Non-offset circle hooks with bait; eels may not be used as bait; no possession midnight–5 a.m.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- White perchno daily limitMaryland Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries: no minimum size by hook and line (8" with other gear) and no daily limit, open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Blue catfishno daily limitMaryland tidal waters: catfish have no size limit and no daily limit, open all year. DNR encourages anglers to keep invasive blue catfish.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Largemouth bass12" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland 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.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Channel catfishno daily limitTidal waters: no minimum size and no daily creel limit; open year-round.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Bluefish8" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay: 8" minimum; 5 a day from shore or a private boat, 7 on a for-hire boat (up from 3 and 5 in 2025). Open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Common carp15 a dayMaryland non-tidal waters: no minimum size, open year-round, 15 a day and 30 in possession.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 18, 2026 · source
- Spotted seatrout14" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay: 14" minimum, 4 a day, open all year. May not be used as bait.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Yellow perch9" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries: 9" minimum, 5 a day (down from 10 in 2025), open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Smallmouth bass12" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland 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.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Summer flounder16" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay: 16" minimum Jan 1–May 31 and 17.5" Jun 1–Dec 31, 4 a day, open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Rainbow trout2 a dayMaryland statewide trout rule: 2 a day in any combination (4 in possession), no minimum size, open all year. Put-and-take areas and special trout management areas have their own rules.Catch and release · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Brown trout2 a dayMaryland statewide trout rule: 2 a day in any combination (4 in possession), no minimum size, open all year. Put-and-take areas and special trout management areas have their own rules. Brown trout may not be used as bait.Catch and release · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Chain pickerel14" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: 14" minimum, 5 a day (10 in possession), open all year. May not be used as bait.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Red drum18" minimum · 26" maximum · 3 a dayMaryland Chesapeake Bay: 18–26" slot, 3 a day, open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Crappie15 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: no minimum size, 15 a day (30 in possession), open all year.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Northern snakeheadno daily limitTidal Potomac main stem (PRFC): no size limit, no possession limit. It is unlawful to possess a live snakehead or to release one alive.Open · Potomac River Fisheries Commission · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Walleye15" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: 15" minimum, 5 a day (10 in possession), open all year. On the Potomac main stem from about half a mile above Chain Bridge to Cumberland, walleye over 20" must be released Jan 1–Apr 15. Deep Creek Lake and the Youghiogheny below the Route 42 bridge are closed Mar 1–Apr 15.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Brook trout2 a dayMaryland statewide trout rule: 2 a day in any combination (4 in possession), no minimum size, open all year. Put-and-take areas and special trout management areas have their own rules. Brook trout may not be kept in put-and-take areas or in any nontidal water east of I-81, and may not be used as bait.Catch and release · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Black drum16" minimum · 1 a dayMaryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 16" minimum, 1 a day, 6 per boat, open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Muskellunge36" minimum · 1 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: muskellunge and tiger muskie 36" minimum, 1 a day (2 in possession), open all year. May not be used as bait.Open · Maryland non-tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
- Sheepshead12" minimum · 4 a dayMaryland Atlantic coast and coastal bays: 12" minimum, 4 a day, open all year.Open · Maryland tidal · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
Limits differ by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water.
What’s biting in Maryland
Species people fish for at Maryland spots, and how many of those spots are worth the trip for them today.
Striped bassMorone saxatilis44 of 52 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Elms Beach Park, MD100
Bites in 50–72° water
White perchMorone americana39 of 50 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Mariner Point Park, MD100
Bites in 50–78° water
Blue catfishIctalurus furcatus23 of 36 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Conowingo Dam Tailrace, MD96
Bites in 55–85° water
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatus15 of 30 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Conowingo Dam Tailrace, MD96
Bites in 60–85° water
Largemouth bassMicropterus salmoides14 of 33 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Susquehanna Flats, MD96
Bites in 55–85° water
BluefishPomatomus saltatrix13 of 29 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Elms Beach Park, MD100
Bites in 60–80° water
Spotted seatroutCynoscion nebulosus13 of 23 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Elms Beach Park, MD100
Bites in 60–85° water
Summer flounderParalichthys dentatus11 of 15 spots worth the trip in Maryland
Best now at Chesapeake Beach, MD95
Bites in 58–75° water
About fishing in Maryland
Maryland covers four distinct fishing regions: the western mountains in Garrett and Allegany counties (Deep Creek Lake, Savage River tailwater, upper Potomac main stem), the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, the tidal Potomac under PRFC jurisdiction, and a ~31-mile Atlantic coast at Assateague Island and Ocean City. Striped bass is the state fish (designated 1965); current MD striped bass regulations include slot limits and an August recreational closure to reduce thermal-stress mortality.
80 public access points across 10 water bodies. Data from NOAA, NWS, MD DNR.
Water bodies
- Chesapeake BayThe defining estuary of the mid-Atlantic — striper country.
- Upper ChesapeakeSusquehanna inflow, Bay Bridge, shallow flats.
- Mid ChesapeakeKent Island, Eastern Shore, Choptank country.
- Lower Maryland ChesapeakePatuxent confluence, Solomons, Point Lookout.
- Tidal PotomacDC to Point Lookout — PRFC jurisdiction.
- Upper PotomacAbove Great Falls — smallmouth water.
- Patuxent RiverJug Bay through Solomons.
- Deep Creek LakeMaryland's largest freshwater lake.
- Maryland ReservoirsWatershed lakes near Baltimore and the DC suburbs.
- Maryland Trout StreamsGunpowder, Savage, Patapsco — cold water.