Maryland Fishing Calendar

Maryland fishing, month by month

January

Catfish, Bluefin Tuna, Tautog

February

Catfish, Yellow Perch, Tautog

March

Catfish, Yellow Perch, Trout, Tautog

April

Striped Bass, Trout, Black Drum, Tautog

May

Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Weakfish, Trout, Black Drum

June

Striped Bass, Bluefish, Flounder, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Mahi-Mahi, Cobia, Weakfish, Sheepshead, Black Drum, Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, Shark

July

Bluefish, Flounder, Marlin, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Mahi-Mahi, Cobia, Sheepshead, Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, Shark, Wahoo

August

Bluefish, Flounder, Marlin, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Mahi-Mahi, Cobia, Sheepshead, Swordfish, Shark, Spanish Mackerel, Wahoo

September

Bluefish, Flounder, Marlin, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Mahi-Mahi, Cobia, Weakfish, Sheepshead, Speckled Trout, Swordfish, Shark, Spanish Mackerel, Wahoo

October

Striped Bass, Bluefish, Redfish, Black Sea Bass, Weakfish, Speckled Trout, Trout, Swordfish, Spanish Mackerel

November

Striped Bass, Catfish, Speckled Trout, Trout, Tautog

December

Striped Bass, Catfish, Bluefin Tuna, Tautog

Before you book

• Striped Bass: Striped bass is closed in federal waters, more than 3 miles offshore, so trips fish inside that line. Many states also close spawning rivers in spring.
• Weakfish: Weakfish stocks are depleted, so the limit is 1 fish.
• Swordfish: Federal rules: 47 inch minimum (lower jaw fork length), and charters keep 1 per paying passenger, up to 6 per boat.
• Tautog: Delaware, Maryland and Virginia close tautog harvest from mid May through June (Maryland allows catch and release). The minimum is 16 inches.

How this calendar is built

The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Maryland charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.

The shaded months are general peak windows for the Mid-Atlantic, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Maryland's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.