Maryland
Maryland rockfish season begins May 16 – with regulations
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland rockfish season begins May 16, but with regulations, the state’s Department of Natural Resources announced.
Emergency regulations for rockfish, also known as striped bass and striper, were approved earlier this year to bolster the species’ spawning population.
According to DNR, emergency regulations extend periods of closure to recreational striped bass fishing in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.
Striped bass season in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay will be open May 16. The remainder of Bay waters, including its tidal tributaries will open June 1 through July 15.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists survey and tag striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay as part of the annual survey of the population. (Photo: Maryland DNR)
All areas of the Bay will be closed to any targeting of striped bass from July 16 through July 31, and will reopen August 1 through December 10.
Anglers may keep one striped bass per person, per day, with a minimum length of 19 inches and a maximum length of 24 inches, the DNR says.
Targeting of striped bass has been off-limits in the Chesapeake Bay since April 1 and will be until May 15, eliminating the Maryland striped bass trophy season.
In the Susquehanna Flats, targeting of striped bass is prohibited through the end of May.
The FULL LIST OF REGULATIONS and STRIPED BASS REGULATIONS MAPS can be found online.
Additional information, including a link to complete regulations on striped bass fishing in Maryland waters, is available on the Department of Natural Resources website.