Best Fishing Spots in Maryland

Maryland packs a lot of different fishing into a small state: wild-trout tailwaters and a 3,900-acre mountain lake in the west, the Susquehanna Flats and the upper Chesapeake in the middle, and the Atlantic surf, inlet and bays on the Eastern Shore, a short drive from Sussex County, Delaware. This guide is the starting point. It sorts the Maryland waters we have written up by region, gives you the rules that matter most and tells you where to find the details. Rules change, so each fact on the linked pages shows the date we checked it and the official source.

Pick a region

Western Maryland

• Deep Creek Lake is the state’s largest impoundment, known for walleye, smallmouth bass and trophy northern pike, and for ice fishing when the weather allows. Read the Deep Creek Lake guide for the walleye closure and slot.
• The Upper Potomac River runs along the state’s southern boundary for over 200 miles. It is a smallmouth and walleye river with a growing flathead catfish problem and a winter life-jacket law. See the Upper Potomac guide.
• Trout streams include the Gunpowder Falls and the Savage River. Start with the Maryland trout guide, then see Gunpowder Falls.

The Susquehanna and the upper Bay

• The Susquehanna Flats is the famous head-of-Bay striped bass water, and also one of the most regulated. See the Susquehanna Flats guide.
• Conowingo Dam has strong tailrace fishing and serious safety rules. Read the Conowingo Dam guide first.

The Eastern Shore and the coast

• Ocean City offers the inlet, the bridge and bayside spots, with a summer beach rule that catches visitors out: the Ocean City guide.
• Assateague Island is Maryland’s surf fishing water, run by the National Park Service: the Assateague guide.
• The Choptank and the Eastern Shore ponds are covered in the Eastern Shore guide, including the license-free fishing spots.

Start here if you are new

• Ocean City’s free fishing areas. DNR lists two Ocean City sites where you do not need a license, the Chicago Avenue bulkhead and Northside Park. You still need the free Saltwater Angler Registration.
• Free fishing days. The first two Saturdays in June and July 4.
• Eastern Shore license-free spots on the Choptank, Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers are listed in the Eastern Shore guide.

The rules in one minute

Maryland splits its rules between tidal and non-tidal water. Tidal water (the Chesapeake Bay, its tidal rivers and the Atlantic coast) uses the Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License or the free Saltwater Angler Registration. Non-tidal water uses the non-tidal license, and you need a trout stamp for trout at 16 and older. The 2026 fees went up, and the full table is in the Maryland license and rules guide, along with the Atlantic coast limits we verified.

Three rules deserve a warning here:

• August is closed for Chesapeake Bay striped bass. In 2026 DNR made it illegal even to try to catch them.
• Never move live snakehead, blue catfish or flathead catfish to another water. Fines run up to $2,500 per fish.
• Check the water. Many Maryland waters have their own slots, closures or gear rules. The page for each water lists them.

Striped bass seasons

Chesapeake Bay striped bass seasons change by area and by date, with spring closures to protect spawning fish and a summer closure in August. The 2026 calendar is on the Maryland striped bass guide. The Atlantic coast has a separate rule that stays the same all year.

Fish by species

If you start with the fish instead of the water, these guides cover what Maryland’s rules say and where to go.

• Striped bass: the 2026 Chesapeake calendar and the Atlantic rule are on the Maryland striped bass guide. For how to catch them, read the striped bass how-to.
• Walleye: the rules differ on Deep Creek Lake and the Upper Potomac. See the Maryland walleye guide and the walleye how-to.
• Smallmouth bass: the Maryland smallmouth guide and the smallmouth how-to.
• Northern snakehead: Maryland encourages anglers to keep them. See the Maryland snakehead guide and the snakehead how-to.
• Summer flounder, tautog, bluefish and black sea bass: the Maryland limits are in the rules guide, and the how-to guides include an “In Maryland” note: summer flounder and tautog, plus bluefish and black sea bass.

Seasonal planning

These dates come from the 2026 rules we checked, and they change from year to year, so confirm them before you plan.

• January to mid-April: walleye on the Upper Potomac have a 15 to 20 inch slot until April 15, and Deep Creek Lake and the Youghiogheny below Route 42 are closed to walleye harvest from March 1 to April 15. Deep Creek Lake is the ice-fishing destination when conditions allow.
• Spring: trout streams are stocked, with closures around stocking dates that DNR posts each year. Chesapeake striped bass are closed or catch-and-release in the upper Bay through May.
• May 16 to June 30: tautog are catch-and-release only on the Atlantic coast. Shorebird nesting can close parts of the Assateague over-sand vehicle zone from about March 15 to August 31 or later.
• June to September: non-tidal bass harvest opens June 16. Chesapeake Bay striped bass are open in June and July, closed all of August and open again from September 1.
• Late fall: the Chesapeake striped bass season runs to December 5, then catch and release only through the end of the year.

Where this guide comes from

Every Maryland guide cites its sources and shows the date we last checked them. The main sources are the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing, pages from Maryland DNR, the National Park Service and the City of Ocean City. When we could not confirm something, we say so on the page instead of guessing. See how we research for the method.

Safety

• Below dams, water can rise fast. Read the Conowingo guide before you fish the tailrace.
• On the Potomac, a life jacket is required on a vessel from November 15 to May 15.
• On the coast, the inlet rocks are slick and surf conditions change quickly.
• On ice, no ice is safe on its face. We do not publish a safe thickness.

Nearby: Delaware

Delaware’s Sussex coast is next door to Ocean City and Assateague, and the rules differ across the line. See Best Fishing Spots in Delaware to compare, and Delaware surf fishing for the beaches just north.

Rods for Maryland water

Maryland rewards more than one rod. A light spinning rod covers trout, panfish and perch, a medium-heavy spinning rod covers striped bass and smallmouth, a heavier rod covers catfish and snakehead, and a 10 to 13 foot surf rod covers Assateague, which the National Park Service suggests for larger fish. Tell us where you fish and what you target, and we will build a rod for it. See the rod links on each page.

What is not here yet

Some Maryland waters, like Point Lookout State Park and the Savage River, are not written up yet. The Savage River is waiting on a rule change that DNR proposed in October 2026. The Dock Tales for Maryland are also still being researched: see Maryland Dock Tales.