| American Eel | 9" | You may use all gear from 1/1 through 8/31 Only Spear, Baited Trap and Eel Pot may be used from 9/1 through 12/31 Wire mesh may not be less than ½" when unstretched | |
| Atlantic Menhaden | | Open Year Round
Unlimited fishery is open until the State-wide quota is met
After the quota is met the fishery will switch to the permitted fishery | |
| Black Sea Bass | | Open Year Round
Quotas by permit
Without permit - 50 lbs/vessel/day | |
| Blue Crabs | HARD from April 1 through July 14 - 5" HARD from July 15 through November 30 - 5 1/4" PEELERS from April 1 through July 14 - 3 1/4" PEELERS from July 15 through November 30 - 3 1/2" SOFT - 3 1/2" MATURE FEMALE HARD - No size limit | 4/1 through 11/30
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
Must take Sunday or Monday off
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Catch Times:
Trotlines and Scrapes: May - Sept: 1 hour before sunrise to 9 hours after sunrise
Trotlines: Apr, Oct, Nov: half an hour before sunrise to 9 1/2 hours after sunrise
Scrapes: Apr. & Oct.: sunrise to 10 hours after sunrise
Pots, Bank Traps, Channel Pounds, Collapsible Traps, Net Rings, Handlines, Dip Nets, and Pound Nets: 1/2 hour before sunrise to 7 1/2 hours after sunrise
Trotline floats must be three dimensional and the same size, shape and color
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Scrapes prohibited Oct 31 - Apr 14
Female bushel limits and importation dates are established by public notice
Mature female hard crabs shall be kept in separate bushels, lugs, or barrels from male hard crabs or peeler crabs.
Hard crabs on board a vessel shall be stored in the same type of containers of similar dimensions.
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Catch Times for 5/26, 5/27, 6/18, 6/19, 7/3, 7/4, 9/1, 9/2:
Trotlines and Scrapes: 2 hours before sunrise to 9 hours after sunrise
Pots, Bank Traps, Channel Pounds, Collapsible Traps, Net Rings, Handlines, Dip Nets, and Pound Nets: 1-1/2 hours before sunrise to 7-1/2 hours after sunrise | |
| Bluefish | | Open Year Round
Coastwide quota and daily catch limit set by National Marine Fisheries Service and ASMFC | |
| Catfish: Blue, Channel Flathead or White | | | |
| Chesapeake Chana, also known as Northern Snakehead | None | Open Year Round
A special commercial northern snakehead bowfishing license is available. Needed if you want to harvest snakehead with archery equipment and do not have a FIN or an Unlimited TFL.
| |
| Clam, Hard | | 1/1 through 5/31 and 9/15 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
May not catch or land on Sunday
Hydraulic Dredge: Sunrise to 4pm
Other Gear - Sunrise to Sunset
Harvest permitted only in Pocomoke Sound and Tangier Sound | |
| Clam, Soft | | Open Year Round
May not catch or land on Sunday
1/1 through 4/14 and 11/1 through 12/31
Harvest permitted sunrise to sunset
Must be landed by 1 hour after sunset
4/15 through 10/31
Harvest permitted ½ hr before sunrise to 1pm
Must be landed by 3pm
1/1 through 5/14 and 11/1 through 12/31
8 bushels/boat/day
5/15 through 10/31
15 bushels/boat/day | |
| Cobia | 33" fork length | Open Year Round
2/person/day - not to exceed 6/vessel/day
May not catch, possess, or land cobia when federal waters are CLOSED | |
| Croaker | | 3/16 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates | |
| Diamondback Terrapin | | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Drum, Black | | Open Year Round
10/vessel/day - regardless of the number of licenses on board | |
| Drum, Red | | 5/person/day
Open Year Round | |
| Herring | | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Horseshoe Crab | | 7/08 through 11/30
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Female harvest prohibited
Catch limits specified on permit
25/person/day without permit | |
| Oysters | | Rules for Power Dredge 2024 - 2025 11/1 - 3/31
Catch Limits, Times, and Days are available on the Public Notice page in the "Shellfish (Oysters & Clams" category | |
| Oysters | | Rules for Sail Dredge 2024 - 2025 11/1 - 3/31
Catch Limits, Times, and Days are available on the Public Notice page in the "Shellfish (Oysters & Clams" category | |
| Oysters | | Rules for Shaft Tong, Patent Tong, Dive 2024 - 2025 10/1 - 3/31
Catch Limits, Times, and Days are available on the Public Notice page in the "Shellfish (Oysters & Clams" category | |
| Scup | | Open Year Round
Federal permit required
Limits set by ASMFC
Gear restrictions in COMAR 08.02.05.22 | |
| Shad, American or Hickory | | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Shark, Aggregated Large Coastal Group | | Open Year Round
Silky, Tiger, Blacktip, Spinner, Bull, Lemon, Nurse, Scalloped hammerhead, Great hammerhead, Smooth hammerhead
See public notice for limits
See Regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are CLOSED. | |
| Shark, Blacknose | None | Open Year Round
8/vessel/trip | |
| Shark, Non-Blacknose Small Coastal Group | None | Open Year Round
Atlantic sharpnose, Finetooth, Bonnethead
See Regulation (COMAR 08.02.22.03) for gear and harvest requirements
May not harvest, possess, or land sharks when federal waters are closed. | |
| Shark, Oceanic Whitetip | - | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Snapping Turtles | 11" | Charles County CLOSED Apr 15 thru May 31
Open Year Round in all other areas
Permit required
May not pierce a turtle to capture
Nets must have airspace | |
| Spanish Mackerel | 14" | The season will close at 12:01 a.m. November 16, 2024.
The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. January 1, 2025
500 lbs/vessel/day or trip, whichever is longer, regardless of the number of licensees on board the vessel | |
| Spotted Sea Trout | 14" | Open Year Round
150 lbs/day or trip, whichever is longer
Trawl mesh min. 3-3/8" square or 3-3/4" diamond stretched
Gill net mesh min. 3" stretched | |
| Striped Bass | 18'' minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Drift Gill Net - Common Pool Open dates and limits during the season are established by public noticeSeason CLOSED unless opened by public notice 3:00 am until 6:00 pm Permit required Fish must be checked in within 3 hours of completing trip and not later than 9:00 pm the day of harvest Stretched mesh 5" min, 7" max No more than 3500 yards of net on a vessel in no more than 10 boxes | |
| Striped Bass | 18" minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Drift Gill Net - ITQ
1/1 through 2/29
and
12/1 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
3:00 am until 6:00 pm
Permit required
Fish must be checked in no later than 9 am the day immediately following harvest
Stretched mesh 5" min, 7" max
No more than 3500 yards of net on a vessel in no more than 10 boxes | |
| Striped Bass | 18" minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Haul Seine
1/1 through 2/29
and
6/1 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Permit required
Fish must be checked in no later than 9 am the day immediately following harvest | |
| Striped Bass | 18" minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Hook and Line - Common Pool Open dates and limits during the season are established by public noticeSeason CLOSED unless opened by public notice Times: 1 hour before sunrise through 1 hour before sunset May not catch or land on Friday, Saturday or Sunday Permit and flag required Fish must be checked in no later than 9 pm on the day of harvest or 9 am the day immediately following harvest A maximum of 4 individuals, including crew members may be present on a vessel engaged in the Chesapeake Bay common pool hook-and-line fishery | |
| Striped Bass | 18" minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Hook and Line - ITQ
6/1 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
Permit and flag required
Fish must be checked in no later than 9 am the day immediately following harvest | |
| Striped Bass | 18'' minimum
36" maximum | Rules for Pound Net
6/1 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
12 am to 6 pm
May not catch or land on Sunday
Permit required
Fish must be checked in no later than 9 am the day immediately following harvest | |
| Sturgeon, Atlantic and Shortnose | ___ | CLOSED
Harvest Prohibited | |
| Summer Flounder | Hook and Line:
16" January 1, 2024 - May 31, 2024
17 1/2" June 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024
All Other Gear: 14" | Open Year Round
Quotas by permit
Without a Permit: 50 lbs/person/day | |
| Tautog | 16" | 1/1 through 5/15 - 4/person/day
SEASON CLOSED 5/16 through 6/30
7/1 - 10/31 - 2/person/day
11/1 - 12/31 - 4/person/day
A pot and trap shall have hinges on one panel/door made of untreated hemp or jute string 3/16" diameter or smaller, magnesium alloy timed float releases (pop-up devices) or similar magnesium alloy fasteners or ungalvinized/uncoated iron wire of 0.094" diameter | |
| Walleye | 15" | 3/15 through 11/30
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
5/person/day
May only use Hook & Line | |
| Weakfish | 12" | Rules for Hook and Line
1/1 - 3/30 and 8/1 - 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
50 lbs/day or trip, whichever is longer | |
| Weakfish | 12" | Rules for Gear Other than Hook and Line
Open Year Round
May not catch or land on Saturday or Sunday
50 lbs/day or trip, whichever is longer
The weight of the weakfish may not exceed the weight of the catch of the other species on board the vessel
Trawl mesh minimum 3-3/8" square or 3-3/4" diamond stretched mesh
Gill net mesh minimum 3" stretched | |
| White Perch | Hook and Line - No minimum size
All other gear - 8" | Open Year Round | |
| Yellow Perch | 8½" minimum
11" maximum | 1/1 through 3/31
12/1 through 12/31
Season CLOSED All Other Dates
Fyke nets are prohibited in certain areas of tributaries in February and March (see regulation)
See Regulation for Fishing Areas (Upper Bay; Chester River; Patuxent River)
Must have permit and tags
Daily reporting required
Hook and Line - 10/person/day
All Other Gear - Patuxent River Area - 150 lbs/person/day
No limits in other 2 areas
Areas will be CLOSED by public notice when quota has been caught | |
