Striped Bass Fishing in Maryland: Seasons, Rules

Maryland runs two different striped bass fisheries. The Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers are managed by area and by date, with spawning-season closures and a full closure in August. The Atlantic Ocean and coastal bays have one simple rule all year. This guide lays out both for 2026, using the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing, and points you to the waters where each fishery happens. For how to catch the fish, see the striped bass how-to guide.

Two fisheries, two sets of rules

Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries. Striped bass (called rockfish locally) are open to harvest in some periods, catch-and-release only in others and closed in August. In an open period the limit in 2026 is one fish per person per day, between 19 and 24 inches.

Atlantic Ocean and coastal bays. Open all year in state waters with no area restrictions: one fish per person per day, 28 to 31 inches. Striped bass may not be caught, harassed or possessed in the federal Exclusive Economic Zone, 3 to 200 miles offshore. The rules snapshot above lists the ocean rule and the hook rules.

The 2026 Chesapeake calendar

DNR publishes separate tables for the main Bay and for the Susquehanna Flats, the lower Susquehanna River and the Northeast River. The two tables match for most of the year and differ in March, April and May, when the upper Bay is closed or catch-and-release only to protect spawning fish.

Maryland Chesapeake Bay striped bass seasons, 2026

From the 2026 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing, striped bass tables, checked November 1, 2026. These are the 2026 seasons. DNR sets the next year's seasons and areas separately, so check DNR for the current calendar before you fish.

Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries (not the Susquehanna Flats, lower Susquehanna River or Northeast River)

Dates	Status	Where	Limit
Jan. 1 to Feb. 28	Catch and release only	All areas	Catch and release only. No harvest.Circle hook rules apply. Eels may not be used as bait.
Mar. 1 to Apr. 30	Catch and release only	Bay downstream of a line from Abbey Point to Worton Point to the Virginia line, including Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds	Catch and release only. No harvest.Stinger (trailing) hooks prohibited. Barbless hooks required when trolling. No more than 6 lines trolling. Spawning rivers and the Upper Bay spawning area are off limits.
May 1 to May 15	Harvest open	Bay mainstem from the Brewerton Channel to the Virginia line, excluding bays, sounds, tributaries, creeks and rivers, except Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds and Potomac River tributaries downstream of the Nice Memorial Bridge (U.S. 301)	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Same hook, trolling and spawning-area rules as March and April.
May 16 to May 31	Harvest open	Bay downstream of a line from the south corner of the Hart-Miller Island dike to the end of Route 21 at Tolchester, excluding bays, sounds, tributaries, creeks and rivers, except Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds, parts of the Chester, Patuxent and Choptank rivers and tributaries downstream of the lines DNR defines, and Potomac tributaries downstream of the Nice Memorial Bridge	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Spawning rivers and the Upper Bay spawning area are off limits. See DNR's maps for the exact lines.
June 1 to July 31	Harvest open	All areas	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Circle hook rules apply.
Aug. 1 to Aug. 31	Closed	All areas	Closed. No targeting.Attempting to catch striped bass is illegal during this period.
Sept. 1 to Dec. 5	Harvest open	All areas	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Circle hook rules apply.
Dec. 6 to Dec. 31	Catch and release only	All areas	Catch and release only. No harvest.Circle hook rules apply.

Susquehanna Flats, lower Susquehanna River and Northeast River

Dates	Status	Where	Limit
Jan. 1 to Feb. 28	Catch and release only	All areas	Catch and release only. No harvest.Circle hook rules apply. Eels may not be used as bait.
Mar. 1 to Mar. 31	Catch and release only	The Flats upstream of a line from Sandy Point to Turkey Point, the Susquehanna River downstream of a line from the Susquehanna State Park boat ramp at Lapidum to Twin Rocks to Tomes Wharf in Port Deposit, and the Northeast River	Catch and release only. No harvest.Stinger hooks prohibited. Barbless hooks required when trolling. No more than 6 lines trolling.
Apr. 1 to May 31	Closed	All waters upstream of a line from Abbey Point to Worton Point	Closed to striped bass fishing. No targeting.Attempting to catch striped bass is illegal during this period.
June 1 to July 31	Harvest open	All areas	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Circle hook rules apply.
Aug. 1 to Aug. 31	Closed	All areas	Closed. No targeting.Attempting to catch striped bass is illegal during this period.
Sept. 1 to Dec. 5	Harvest open	All areas	1 fish per person per day, 19 to 24 inches.Circle hook rules apply.
Dec. 6 to Dec. 31	Catch and release only	All areas	Catch and release only. No harvest.Circle hook rules apply.

Two warnings. First, these are the 2026 seasons, and DNR sets each year’s areas and dates separately, so check DNR before you plan a spring trip. Second, the May periods depend on lines drawn across the Bay and its rivers. DNR publishes maps for them, so use the maps rather than guessing from the description.

Rules that apply all year on the Bay

The rules snapshot lists the details. The ones that most often catch anglers out are these:

• Fishing for striped bass by any means, including catch-and-release, is illegal in designated spawning areas from March 1 to May 31.
• Striped bass must be landed whole on tidal water, and you may not cull, snag, gaff or use a cast net to take one out of the water.
• Using striped bass as bait is illegal.
• Circle hook rules apply. From March 1 to May 15, stinger (trailing) hooks are prohibited, barbless hooks are required when trolling and no more than six lines may be used while trolling.
• Possessing striped bass while fishing the Bay or its tidal tributaries from midnight to 5 a.m. is illegal.
• August is closed. DNR says attempting to catch striped bass is illegal then, not only keeping one.

Where to fish for them in Maryland

The Susquehanna Flats at the head of the Bay is the best known spring and fall striped bass water, and the Flats table above applies there. Our guide to the Susquehanna Flats and upper Bay covers the area. Below Conowingo Dam, the Conowingo Dam guide covers the tailrace. On the coast, striped bass come to the inlet and the surf: see Ocean City and Assateague, where the 28 to 31 inch ocean rule applies. For Delaware’s side of the line, compare the Delaware striped bass guide.

Rods and tackle

On the Flats and in the upper Bay, a medium-heavy spinning rod around 7 to 7 and a half feet handles bucktails, soft plastics and topwater plugs, and a rod that casts 1 to 2 ounces is a typical match. Trolling takes a different setup, and in the catch-and-release periods the barbless-hook and stinger-hook rules apply to it. On the ocean side, a 10 to 12 foot surf rod fits the beach and a medium-heavy spinning rod fits the inlet and bridges. These are typical choices, not requirements.

Handling fish you release

Much of Maryland’s striped bass fishing is catch-and-release, so how you handle fish counts. Wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, use the circle hook the rules require and revive a tired fish before letting it go.

Eating the fish

We could not read Maryland’s consumption advisory tables, so we are not publishing advisory figures. Check the Maryland Department of the Environment’s advisory list before you keep fish.