MD’s 2026 Striped Bass Season Opens for Catch-and-Release Fishing April 1st
Regulations for the Maryland 2026 recreational striped bass fishing go into effect on April 1st. This implements a shift in the season from the past 2 years – returning catch-and-release fishing in April for the first time in Maryland since 2019. The summer hot-weather closure will take place during the entire month of August. Starting on May 1st , when striped bass harvest is permitted, anglers may keep one striped bass per person, per day, with a minimum length of 19 inches and a maximum length of 24 inches.
Additional information from MD DNR:
These adjustments are intended to simplify existing regulations and continue long-term conservation efforts for striped bass, while allowing more recreational fishing opportunities.
The 2026 recreational striped bass season in the Chesapeake Bay will be:
- January 1–April 30: Catch-and-Release Fishing
- May 1–July 31: Harvest
- August 1–31: Closed
- September 1–December 5: Harvest
- December 6–31: Catch-and-Release Fishing
Spawning rivers will remain closed to targeting from March 1 to May 31 to protect spawning striped bass. Those rivers include the Choptank, Chester, Manokin, Nanticoke, Patuxent, Transquaking, and Wicomico rivers as well as the Upper Bay spawning area, including the Susquehanna Flats. Anglers can refer to the DNR website for maps and additional information regarding these closures.
During catch-and-release season, officials encourage anglers to practice techniques that will help the fish survive, such as limiting the amount of handling and minimizing air exposure.
The same gear rules that apply in March will be extended through May 15, to ensure a low release mortality in April and early May. These rules prohibit stinger hooks, limit trolling to six rods, and require barbless hooks while trolling.
Striped bass are managed collectively on the East Coast, and state regulations must align with the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the species. In 2025, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Striped Bass Board approved Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which allows Maryland to change its Chesapeake Bay recreational season baseline. Fisheries scientists developed the seasonal shift to ensure the changes would not result in additional striped bass mortalities.
In the previous two years in Maryland, all targeting of striped bass in the Bay was prohibited from April 1 to May 15, and from July 16 to July 31, with additional closure areas and periods in specific tributaries.
DNR determined that catch-and-release fishing in April when water temperatures are cooler is generally safe for the breeding stock. To better protect the fish, DNR chose to close the month of August for striped bass fishing when hot water temperatures make striped bass more likely to be accidentally killed by hook-and-line fishermen—known as recreational dead discards—while fishing for them. The change was under consideration for over a year and was approved after extensive stakeholder engagement and consideration of thousands of public comments.
Striped bass is one of the most popular recreational fisheries in Maryland. Recreational fishing and boating generate an estimated $701.5 million in value added economic activity in the state in 2024, according to outdoor recreation statistics compiled by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The ocean recreational fishery is open year-round with a 28-inch to 31-inch slot limit and a coastwide daily bag limit of one fish.