CatchRules

Home › Regulations › Maryland

Regulations

Maryland Fishing Regulations 2026

Maryland fishing is regulated by the DNR. fishid tracks 1,592 current rules covering 19 top-targeted species across saltwater and freshwater waters.

Source: DNR · Buy a license

Top species (2026)

Tap a species below to see Maryland-specific seasons, size limits, slot limits, and gear restrictions, pulled directly from DNR's current published rules and verified within the last few hours.

Maryland fish size & bag limits at a glance (2026)

Every regulated species below in one comparison view — open season, size limit, and daily bag, pulled live from DNR. Tap any species for the full rule table.

Species2026 summaryRules
Maryland trout 2026Maryland Trout regulations: 172 current rules. From DNR.172
Maryland stripers 2026Maryland stripers 2026 season: open Apr 1–May 31. From DNR.107
Maryland largemouth bass 2026Maryland Largemouth Bass regulations: Season start Jun 16, Daily bag 5 fish/day, Possession 10 fish. From DNR.46
Maryland smallmouth bass 2026Maryland Smallmouth Bass regulations: Season start Jun 16, Daily bag 5 fish/day, Possession 10 fish. From DNR.46
Maryland black drum 2026Maryland black drum 2026 seasons vary by 4 regions. See zone rules from DNR.10
Maryland yellow perch 2026Maryland yellow perch 2026 size & bag limits: 5 fish/day bag limit. Statewide rules from DNR.9
Maryland tog 2026Maryland tog 2026 seasons vary by 4 regions. See zone rules from DNR.8
Maryland channel catfish 2026Maryland channel catfish 2026 size & bag limits: 5 fish/day bag limit, 10 fish possession. Statewide rules from DNR.8
Maryland white perch 2026Maryland White Perch regulations: Min size 8 inches. From DNR.7
Maryland black sea bass 2026Maryland black sea bass 2026 seasons vary by 2 regions. See zone rules from DNR.5
Maryland bluefish 2026Maryland bluefish 2026 seasons vary by 3 regions. See zone rules from DNR.5
Maryland weakfish 2026Maryland Weakfish regulations: Daily bag 1 fish/day, Min size 24 inches. From DNR.5
Maryland blue catfish 2026Maryland Blue Catfish regulations: 5 current rules. From DNR.5
Maryland crappie 2026Maryland crappie 2026 size & bag limits: 15 fish/day bag limit, 30 fish possession. Statewide rules from DNR.4
Maryland cobia 2026Maryland Cobia regulations: Min size 44 inches. From DNR.3
Maryland redfish 2026Maryland Redfish regulations: Min size 36 inches. From DNR.2
Maryland fluke 2026Maryland Fluke regulations: Min size 24 inches. From DNR.2
Maryland spanish mackerel 2026Maryland Spanish Mackerel regulations: Min size 22 inches. From DNR.2
Maryland sheepshead 2026Maryland Sheepshead regulations: Min size 20 inches. From DNR.2

Famous Maryland waters

Per-waterbody rule pages for the most-searched fishing destinations in Maryland. Multi-state lakes link to a single cross-state page that consolidates each agency's rules.

How Maryland fishing regulations work

DNR publishes the binding regulations covering recreational fishing in Maryland. Rules vary by water body, species, season, and zone, and they change mid-season more often than most anglers expect. fishid mirrors the published source pages and PDFs nightly, normalizes the rules into structured data (bag limits, size minimums, slots, season start/end, gear restrictions, and status), then re-verifies against the source.

For most species in Maryland, you'll want to check four things before keeping a fish: open season (year-round vs. spring/fall windows), size limit (minimum and any maximum), slot limit (a permitted size range with everything outside released), and daily bag. Many waters layer additional restrictions on gear, hook type, or live-bait use.

The species cards above link to the rule tables we maintain for each fishery. Maryland trout 2026, Maryland stripers 2026, Maryland largemouth bass 2026, and Maryland smallmouth bass 2026 are the most-rule-dense fisheries in Maryland's data.

Reference only. Regulations change frequently, often mid-season. Always confirm with DNR before keeping a catch. The CatchRules iOS app reflects the same data, with offline access and species identification.

Official sources cited

Every rule on this page traces back to one of these official DNR pages or PDFs.

fishid re-crawls source pages and re-verifies rules against DNR's published content. Always confirm with the official source before keeping a catch.