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United States · MD
Maryland
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Rules change by area and can change mid-season. We explain what the rules mean and always link you to the official source — we never copy a limit table and call it current.
Licences — what you need
- • Maryland splits its licences by water: a Chesapeake Bay & Coastal sport licence for tidal water and a separate non-tidal (freshwater) licence — one does not cover the other.
- • A free Maryland saltwater angler registration is required for anglers fishing under a licence exemption (e.g. on a licensed charter or from certain structures).
- • Trout fishing in put-and-take areas needs a trout stamp on the non-tidal licence.
How the rules are organized
- • Tidal rules are set by DNR Fisheries with public notices — striped bass seasons and area closures are announced by notice and can change mid-season.
- • Freshwater rules are organized statewide with trout management areas classified by category (put-and-take, catch-and-release, delayed harvest and trophy areas), each with its own season framework.
Good to know — common mistakes
- • Striped bass (rockfish) rules — seasons, closed areas, circle-hook requirements when bait fishing — change by notice; the Bay's most-checked rule set.
- • Non-offset circle hooks are required when fishing with bait for striped bass in the Bay — a rule enforced at the ramp.
- • The Potomac main stem is Potomac River Fisheries Commission water with its own licences and rules, separate from Maryland tidal rules.
- • Trout area categories decide whether you can keep fish at all on a given stream on a given date — read the area listing, not the general page.
Official links
Fishing locations covered in this guide
This page is a plain-language summary, not the law. Regulations change — including in-season by official notice — and if anything here disagrees with the official source, the official source governs.
AnglerPlan is an information service, not a regulator. If anything here disagrees with an official source, the official source wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.