Tidal Seasons, Minimum Sizes, Daily Creel & Possession Limits
2014

CHESAPEAKE BAY & ITS TIDAL TRIBUTARIES

Species

Minimum Size Limits

Season

Creel Limit

Remarks

American Eel

9 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 25

Bass (Largemouth & Smallmouth)

15 inches
March 1–June 15

Open Year Round

Daily – 5 in aggregate

12 inches
June 16 through last day
in February

Black Drum

16 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1
Daily boat limit – 6

Black Sea Bass

Creel, minimum size, and season announced by public notice— www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/notices/notices.asp

Bluefish

8 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 10

Catfish

None

Open Year Round

Chain pickerel (pike)

14 inches

CLOSED March 15 – April 30

Daily – 10

Croaker (hardhead)

9 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 25

Red drum (channel bass or puppy drum)

18–27 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1

Spanish Mackerel

14 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 15

Must be landed with head and fins intact.

Spotted seatrout

14 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 10

Striped Bass

Open Year Round

See Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass section — page 38

Summer Flounder (fluke)

Creel, minimum size, and season announced by public notice— www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/notices/notices.asp

Walleye

15 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 5

Weakfish

13 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1

White perch

None if caught with hook & line; 8 inch minimum if caught with other gear

Open Year Round

No Limit

Yellow perch

9 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 10

The taking of American Shad, Hickory Shad, Alewife Herring, Blueback Herring, Atlantic Sturgeon and Shortnose Sturgeon is prohibited.

Areas Closed to Fishing — February, March and April:
1. Magothy River from Lake Waterford dam downstream for 3,300 feet.
2. Severn River and Severn Run from the Route 3 Bridge downstream for 2,400 feet.

Coastal Bays, Coastal Bay Tributaries & Atlantic Ocean

Species

Minimum Size Limits

Season

Creel Limit

Remarks

American eel

9 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 25

Black Drum

16 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1
Boat limit – 6

Black sea bass

Creel, minimum size, and season announced by public notice — www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/notices/notices.asp

Bluefish

8 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 10

Croaker (hardhead)

9 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 25

Dolphin (fish)

None

Open Year Round

Daily – 10
Boat limit – 60

Grouper species

None

Open Year Round

Daily – 1

Lobster
*Please see additional recreational lobster information below

33⁄8–5Ό inches
carapace length

Open Year Round Except

Feb. 1–Mar. 31

100 lobster/person/day or 500 lobster/trip
for a 5-day trip when using gear other than
lobster traps.

Must be landed whole. Spearing is prohibited.

Red drum (channel bass or puppy drum)

18–27 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1

Scup (porgy)

8 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 50

Snapper species

None

Open Year Round

Daily – 20 in aggregate

Snapper Species – www.dsd.state.md.us/comar/getfile.aspx?file=08.02.05.29.htm

Spanish Mackerel

14 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 15

Spotted seatrout

14 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 10

Summer Flounder (fluke)

Creel, minimum size, and season announced by public notice— www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/notices/notices.asp

Striped Bass

28 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 2

Striped Bass may not be caught, harassed or possessed in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which stretches from 3 to 200 miles off the coast.

Tautog

16 inches

Open Year Round Except Nov. 27–Dec. 31

Jan. 1–May 15 and Nov. 1– Nov. 26, Daily – 4

May 16–Oct. 31, Daily – 2

Tilefish species

None

Open Year Round Open Year Round

Daily – 7 in aggregate

Wahoo

None

Open Year Round

Daily – 2

Weakfish

13 inches

Open Year Round

Daily – 1

The taking of American Shad, Hickory Shad, Alewife Herring, Blueback Herring, Atlantic Sturgeon and Shortnose Sturgeon is prohibited.

*Gear: A lobster trap must have:

  • A minimum of one rectangular escape vent which must be a minimum of 2 inches by 5Ύ inches; or
  • A minimum of two circular escape vents which must have a minimum diameter of 25⁄8 inches

It is unlawful to catch, land, possess, sell, offer to sell, or transport any:

  • Lobster that is egg-bearing or from which eggs have been intentionally removed;
  • Female lobster bearing a V-shaped notch which is:
    • A straight-sided triangular cut with or without setal hairs, at least 1/8 inch in depth and tapering to a sharp point
      in the flipper next to the right of the center flipper as viewed from the rear of the female lobster; or
    • Mutilated in a manner which could hide, obscure, or obliterate such a mark.

An individual who catches an egg bearing female lobster that measures 33⁄8 inches to 5Ό inches in length from the
rear end of the eye socket along a line parallel to the center line of body shell (carapace) to the rear of the body shell (carapace) must:

  • Mark the lobster to the right of the center flipper as viewed from the rear of the female lobster when the underside of the lobster is down with a v-shaped notch that:
    • Is made by means of a sharp bladed instrument;
    • Is at least Ό inch in length;
    • Is not greater than ½ inch in depth; and
    • Tapers to a sharp point; and

• Immediately release the lobster.