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Tidal Seasons, Minimum Sizes, Daily Creel & Possession Limits

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The following tables summarize rules governing the harvest and possession of fish species that anglers commonly catch in Maryland. This is an abridged summary and does not include all regulated species. Full information and updates are available at: www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/regindex.asp.

CHESAPEAKE BAY & ITS TIDAL TRIBUTARIES
Species	Minimum Size Limits	Closed Season	Creel Limit	Remarks
Black drum	16 inches		Daily – 1 Daily boat limit – 6
Black Sea Bass	Creel, minimum size and season to be announced — www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries
Bluefish	8 inches		Daily – 10
Catfish	None
Chain pickerel (pike)	14 inches	March 15 – April 30	Daily – 10
Croaker (hardhead)	9 inches		Daily – 25
Eels	6 inches		Daily – 25
Summer Flounder (fluke)	Creel, minimum size and season to be announced — www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries
Bass (largemouth & smallmouth)	15 inches March 1–June 15		Daily – 5 in aggregate
Bass (largemouth & smallmouth)	12 inches June 16 through last day in February		Daily – 5 in aggregate
Red drum (channel bass or puppy drum)	18–27 inches		Daily – 1
Spanish mackerel	14 inches		Daily – 15	Must be landed with head and fins intact.
Spotted seatrout	14 inches		Daily – 10
Striped bass				See Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass Section
White perch	None if caught with hook & line; 8 inch minimum if caught with other gear
Walleye	15 inches		Daily – 5
Weakfish	13 inches		Daily – 1
Yellow perch	9 inches		Daily – 10
The taking of American shad, hickory shad, alewife herring, blueback herring, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon is prohibited.
Areas Closed to Fishing — February, March and April: 1. Magothy River from Lake Waterford dam downstream for 3,300 feet. 2. Severn River and Severn Run from the Route 3 Bridge downstream for 2,400 feet.

Coastal Bays, Coastal Bay Tributaries & Atlantic Ocean
Species	Minimum Size Limits	Closed Season	Creel Limit	Remarks
American eel	6 inches		Daily – 25
Black drum	16 inches		Daily – 1 Boat limit – 6
Black sea bass	Creel, Minimum Size and Seasons to be announced.
Bluefish	8 inches		Daily – 10
Croaker (hardhead)	9 inches		Daily – 25
Dolphin (fish)	None		Daily – 10 Boat limit – 60
Summer Flounder (fluke)	Creel, Minimum Size and Seasons to be announced.
Grouper species	None		Daily – 1
Lobster *Please see additional recreational lobster information below	33⁄8–5¼ inches carapace length	Feb. 1–Mar. 31	100 lobster/person/day or 500 lobster/trip for a 5-day trip when using gear other than lobster traps.	Must be landed whole. Spearing is prohibited.
Red drum (channel bass or puppy drum)	18–27 inches		Daily – 1
Scup (porgy)	8 inches		Daily – 50	See www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/regindex.asp for a list of species.
Snapper Complex species	None		Daily – 20 in aggregate	Snapper complex species list — www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/regindex.asp
Spanish mackerel	14 inches		Daily – 15
Spotted seatrout	14 inches		Daily – 10
Striped bass (rockfish)	28 inches		Daily – 2	Striped bass may not be caught, harassed or possessed in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which stretches from three to 200 miles off the coast.
Tautog	16 inches	Nov. 27–Dec. 31	Jan. 1–May 15 and Nov. 1– Nov. 26, 4 per day
Tautog	16 inches	Nov. 27–Dec. 31	May 16–Oct. 31, 2 per day
Tilefish species	None		Daily – 7 in aggregate
Weakfish	13 inches		Daily – 1
Wahoo	None		Daily – 2
The taking of American shad, hickory shad, alewife herring, blueback herring, Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon is prohibited.
*Gear: A lobster trap shall have: A minimum of one rectangular escape vent which shall be a minimum of 2 inches by 5-3/4 inches; or A minimum of two circular escape vents which shall have a minimum diameter of 2-5⁄8 inches It is unlawful to catch, land, possess, sell, offer to sell, or transport any: Lobster that is egg-bearing or from which eggs have been intentionally removed; Female lobster bearing a V-shaped notch which is: A straight-sided triangular cut with or without setal hairs, at least 1/8 inch in depth and tapering to a sharp point in the flipper next to the right of the center flipper as viewed from the rear of the female lobster; or Mutilated in a manner which could hide, obscure, or obliterate such a mark. An individual who catches an egg bearing female lobster that measures 3-3⁄8 inches to 5-1/4 inches in length from the rear end of the eye socket along a line parallel to the center line of body shell (carapace) to the rear of the body shell shall: Mark the lobster to the right of the center flipper as viewed from the rear of the female lobster when the underside of the lobster is down with a v-shaped notch that: Is made by means of a sharp bladed instrument; Is at least 1/4 inch in length; Is not greater than 1/2 inch in depth; and Tapers to a sharp point; and • Immediately release the lobster.

V-Shaped Notch

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.